How do you pronounce "carnauba"?

[akimel]

We all know it comes from a tree in Brazil and is an essential ingredient in traditional car waxes. We know, in other words, what the word carnauba means, but how is it pronounced? More interestingly, how do you pronounce it?

 

[BigAl3]

how about... car- new- buh

 

[Holden_C04]

The proper, unbastardized pronunciation is car-now-ba. That is, at least according to Merriam-Webster and a few other sources.



Merriam-Webster Pronunciation

 

[jfelbab]

I knew Sam Johnson, past CEO of S. C. Johnson Wax, the guy who really put carnauba on the map and he pronounced it Kar-NAW-bah.



Read about him and his amazing journey here.

Newsletter Carnuba Sikorsky 38 and Samuel C. Johnson

 

[stiffdogg06]

I say it like, Car-New-buh.

 

[imported_Gears]

I say it like...WAX

 

[Eliot Ness]

Bence has this link as part of his signature:



Carnauba (sp!) pronunciation: http://cougar.eb.com/sound/c/carnau01.wav

 

[Inzane]

I say it like, Car-New-buh.

x2. :2thumbs:

 

[akimel]

It's interesting to compare Autopia's poll with the same poll over at Detailing World. The Brits overwhelmingly favor the NOO-ba pronunciation, whereas it appears that Americans tend to slightly favor the NEW-ba pronunciation.



You like potato and I like potahto, You like tomato and I like tomahto

Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto, Let's call the whole thing off.

 

[dallen]

i use both car-NOO-ba, car-NEW-ba. they both sound right

 

[MarcHarris]

new-ba guy myself.



the REAL question... is do you call it "pop" or "soda" ?? I'm from Detroit - so u know i'm a pop-man!

 

[Inzane]

the REAL question... is do you call it "pop" or "soda" ?? I'm from Detroit - so u know i'm a pop-man!

Interesting. I always thought that was a US/CDN thing.



USA= Soda

Canada = Pop



Likewise for Kit-Kat, Snickers, Coffee Crisp, etc.:



USA= candy bar

Canada= chocolate bar

 

[Inzane]

i use both car-NOO-ba, car-NEW-ba. they both sound right

Aren't "noo" and "new" the exact same, phonetically?

 

[akimel]

Aren't "noo" and "new" the exact same, phonetically?

At first I thought the same, too; but I think that the difference is between NOO (as in "boohoo") and NYOO (as in "pewter"). The difference is subtle but it's there.

 

[Bert]

The proper, unbastardized pronunciation is car-now-ba. That is, at least according to Merriam-Webster and a few other sources.



Merriam-Webster Pronunciation

According to how the website pronounces it, it sounds more like car - noe - ba rather than car - now - ba. In otherwords, noe like No Way! Versus now like Right Now!



Edit: Now that I have listened to it a few more times, maybe it does sound more like now than noe. Hard to tell.