WITH OCCAM'S RAZOR
OR
FOUR ACCEPTABLE WAYS TO PRONOUNCE "RATHER"
I'd rather slather with lather \a\ cat
Other than brother rather \uh\ abut
Like leather rather whether or not \e\ bet
It's father and rather a bother. \ ah \ cot
a uh e ah
Tip for the tongue-tied:
Each of the four "rathers" must be pronounced differently so that
they rhyme with the other two rhyming words on the same line.
WORD PREJUDICE
(One of the ideas behind my 'RATHER' ditty)
There are all kinds of prejudice. Color prejudice seems to be the most talked about but perhaps a more pervasive prejudice is a usually unspoken form called "word prejudice." It takes place mainly in one's mind as the quiet rejection and disparagement of people who pronounce words differently from the way we do.
This usually happens out of the lazy habit of not bothering to "translate" a "mispronounced" word into our own familiar sound-pattern.
Merriam Webster's Tenth Collegiate Dictionary has attempted to overcome word-prejudice by including the many possible acceptable pronunciations of a given word with the opinion that ideas and the emotions that generate them are more important than mere sounds. Have they gone too far? Purists would say so. But the old Greek tradition of democracy has nevertheless neatly infiltrated itself into the present day lexicographers' oligarchy. And, considering the harmful and inhibiting stultifications resulting from prejudice, perhaps in the long run, it's a good thing.
In any case, please teach your children to recite, "Shaving Father," just for the fun of it so, later in life, their brains will contain a rhyming reference of how to avoid word-prejudice. The resultant tolerance, properly applied, might help to make them a bit more pleasantly connected to their fellow man.
P.S. You might also like to note that, although it has nothing to do with the various pronunciations of the four "rathers" in my ditty, each has a different meaning; to wit:
line 1, MORE READILY OR WILLINGLY. Line 2, MORE CORRECTLY SPEAKING. Line 3, INSTEAD. Line 4, SOMEWHAT.