By Ezra
Over the weekend, my friend and I got into a meaningless dispute on the correct pronunciation of "banal." Turns out we're not the only ones:
Usage Note: The pronunciation of banal is not settled among educated speakers of American English. Sixty years ago, H.W. Fowler recommended the pronunciation (bnl, rhyming with panel), but this pronunciation is now regarded as recondite by most Americans: it is preferred by only 2 percent of the Usage Panel. Other possibilities are (bnl, rhyming with anal), preferred by 38 percent of the Panel; (b-nl, rhyming with canal), preferred by 46 percent; and (b-nl, the last syllable rhyming with doll), preferred by 14 percent (this last pronunciation is more common in British English). Some Panelists admit to being so vexed by the problem that they tend to avoid the word in conversation.
Emphasis mine. I just love the idea of irked panelists leaving a bland presentation only to have no way to describe it. "What a, err, dry performance." In any case, I'm of the "canal" school of thought, leaving me in the plurality -- strength in numbers, baby. However, I'm thinking of switching towards the "doll" usage, if only for the sheer iconoclasm of it. Given that my inability to pronounce words has already reached legendary status (as a friend memorably put it, I speak a language closely related to, but not quite, English), this should make me truly timeless.
