As you may have suspected recently, I spent an hour or so grazing on The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. I do this a lot. It’s what passes for fun in my life. It’s great to learn new things. But the big thing I learned was that, contrary to what I thought, I do not pronounce the word “banal” in the most common way.
“…(Little fault to them, considering that logical justifications are not their critics’ forte)” of the split infinitive, as Fowler stated, “They perceive no rationale for refraining from [splitting an infinitive]…” This, of course, is the same old story, “My grammar school teacher instructed me this way, so I am confident it is correct!” But I can identify rule-based thinking when I encounter it, despite their reluctance to acknowledge it. I have engaged in a few discussions with individuals who were displeased with my enunciation, but this might appear peculiar to you. I discovered there are four different manners — Four manners! — In which individuals currently pronounce this word, in addition to grasping this fact.
I am excited to get started as you are, and I hope there were two of us. I never thought it would happen to me. English speakers could come up with four different ways to pronounce a very simple two-syllable word, and I am here simply to share the wonder of that. I am not here to tell you how to pronounce “banal.”
The Annoying One
It seems banal to me, but what is more important is the fact that it sounds anal-like.
When I was in the fourth grade, Mrs. Johnston informed me that I had been pronouncing it incorrectly and taught me the correct way. Interestingly, it’s usually the opposite situation for me. I have never made a comment about someone pronouncing banal in this manner.
My Banal
The most common way people hear it is that it prefers the usage of only 13 percent panels. It sounds kind of like the end of Senegal, but it really doesn’t rhyme with any word, which is why we now come to pronounce it the banal way I do.
It doesn’t matter, does it? But truth doesn’t matter. It sounds like mine, so it sounds the most common to me. So, it sounds the most common to me. I think that this banal pronunciation of mine could be the reason why I’m not hearing accurate language.
Fowler on “Banal”
In 1926, H W Fowler held a very negative opinion of this term and the noun form, dullness:.
Gowers’ Pronunciation
Panel usage was definitely not recommended by Gowers. I think they are pronouncing it wrong. As far as I can tell, Gowers was the one who recommended the rhyming pronunciation of “panel” (pronounced as “ban-el”). It was wrong. Even Fowler didn’t originally provide such a pronunciation. Ernest Gowers updated Modern English Usage in 1965, but it was a significant change.
The Most Common Banal
I really want to know how to pronounce a word correctly on those rare occasions when I don’t know what the symbols mean. Is it possible for the writers on the panel to provide details about the pronunciation of words that I have never heard anyone pronounce before? Can this be true? According to the usage page, 58% of people chose to pronounce it like “buh-nal,” which rhymes with canal.
I am an American English speaker with a strong connection to American heritage. It is important to note that this is because I cannot be anything British. Wallace David Foster, who was raised in Illinois, pronounced the word differently than I do. However, it is possible that my lack of knowledge about this pronunciation is the reason for my uncertainty. Furthermore, I have lived my entire life in various locations between Seattle and San Francisco. Once again, I am a guy who has left the East Coast and is now on the West Coast.
Any Way to Banal
What’s fascinating about this word is deciding what it means. Everything is okay. I have only mentioned four major contenders. There are also a couple of other minor variations. So, I will tell you how you can say it.
Perhaps. “Banal” captures the feeling of indifference, though “trite” is likely the most accurate. I’m uncertain if there are any other words that convey a similar meaning. We have numerous options like platitude, truism, vulgar, mean, trivial, trite, commonplace, and common, but do we truly require all these words? Fowler made a valid argument almost a century ago, but times have changed.