A quick question of pronunciation

[Catherine Lee]

Hi everyone, I know this is a strange question but can you please remind me of how exactly we pronounce the word 'kilometres' in Australia?

Is it 1) keel-oh-meters with stress on the first syllable or kill-ommatas with stress on the second?

Yes, I know I should remember - alas, I don't and it will affect the metre of a poem I'm trying to revise so I want to get it right.

Thank you

[Terry]

G/day Catherine

I cheat wherever possible and use 'miles'.
In humor you could probably get away with '100 k's' but I wouldn't bet on it

I personally think 'Kilometers' is a very poor word from this poets point of view and always try to find another word - I'm sure others may disagree.

Cheers

Terry

[Bob Pacey]

Fair suck of the sav Cath.


it is kill-ommatas


Ya little beauty.


Bob

[manfredvijars]

KLO-MITAS

[Neville Briggs]

G'day Catherine,

The Australian Oxford English Dictionary says that KIL uh mee tuh and kil O mee tuh are both firmly established in Australian English pronunciation.
So there is no right or wrong.

The reader should be able to discern which one you are using in the metre.

If it is a for a poetry competition judge, they must be able to work out which is intended.

And if you are reading it out then you can do it as you choose.

[Catherine Lee]

Wow, fast replies everyone - thanks so much! Yes Neville, I guess a judge should be able to work that out - you are quite right. Thanks!

Bob, "fair suck of the sav"...? Now there's a phrase I don't hear very often over here! I must admit I always say kill-ommatas myself, but then again I don't use the word that often in conversation.

Terry, thanks for that, I might think about how I can change it and/or not use it at all. I wasn't sure if people still used 'miles' or not but you raise a good point.

Mannie, what can I say?!.... Thanks to you all once again!

[Heather]

People really say kill-ommatas ?

[Bob Pacey]

More like Kil---om--matas


with a Queensland twang

[r.magnay]

I say Kilo metres...because that is what it is, kilo-one thousand and metres...because that is what it is!....though my English is 'probably as slack as anyone and slacker than some, anything but Kilo metres grates on me...(especially with a Queensland drawl)...

[Neville Briggs]

Perfectly logical Ross. After all, we say kilo-Joules, not kilOJ-oules, or kilo-Gram, not kilOG-ram, and kilo-Watts, not killOH-watts. But then language doesn't have to be logical.