@Conflux has recently informed me that I pronounce "butcher" unusually. The correct pronunciation in American English of the word is [bʊtʃɚ], in which the vowel [ʊ] is the same as the vowel in "put" and "look". However, I pronounce it as [bʌtʃɚ], with the same vowel as in "luck" or "fun", which we theorized was due to having immigrant parents who learned English as a second language.

Following this discovery, we asked 10-15(?) other Proof School students how they pronounce the word, and I think 2 or 3 other students pronounced it the "wrong" way. Towards the end, we mainly asked students who were / had parents who were immigrants from non-English-speaking countries, so our sample was not representative of the whole school.

I will soon send out a form to the Spam Thread (which the majority of Proofniks are on) asking how people pronounce the word, and close responses a week after. Market resolves to the percentage of current Proof School students who pronounce "butcher" with the [ʌ] vowel.

UPDATE 1/17/23: I just sent out the form and the responses are interesting so far ... Anyway, since I have access to form responses, I have sold my NO shares and will not bet in this market. I know insider trading isn't discouraged but this makes it more fun for myself.

Close date updated to 2023-01-24 6:49 pm