Sloop

[Jib]

Had some friend (who I credit with some GOAP knowledge) state that the ship we call a "Sloop" is properly pronounced "Slew" (sounds similar to stew). I had always thought it was similar sounding to poop. Which is correct?

[wes1761]

We always said Sloop, like poop, but I would bet there are variations based on regional accents.....

[Tartan Jack]

It would vary by accent from "slew" to "sloop" to "slewp." The sounds that make "Mountain Southern" (hillbilly) were one part of the British linguistic field (preserved by isolation), but that wouldn't have been universal. Also, before spelling was standardized, the various spellings give a GREAT window into period pronunciation. By that I mean, all the spelling would have been phonetic attempts to recreate the verbal pronunciation, so the key would be to figure out what fits all as much as possible.

Why do I bring that up?

The final "p" would have been pronounced, not silent, while how pronounced would vary somewhat from place-to-place of verbal learning (ie-> where one learned to talk and learned their personal accent).

Even in modern Southern pronunciation, it could easily be "slewp."

[Jib]

Thanks!

[MarkG]

Had some friend (who I credit with some GOAP knowledge) state that the ship we call a "Sloop" is properly pronounced "Slew" (sounds similar to stew). I had always thought it was similar sounding to poop. Which is correct?

You are right. Merriam-Webster only gives the one pronunciation. Wikipedia says that it is from the Dutch sloep.