Learn English – English pronunciation of “charade” as in Pink Floyd song Pigs

accentpronunciation

I was recently listening to the Pink Floyd song "Pigs (Three different ones)" and a line in the chorus goes,

Ha ha, charade you are!

In the context of the song I am nearly sure that the word charade is intended to mean something or someone that is a fake. What interests me is the way that the word is pronounced.

It is being pronounced Sha-r-ahhh-d (Not sure how to convey a long ah accent but that is the intent. As an American, I have only ever heard this word pronounced more like Sha-r-AID.

My question is, is there a single correct pronunciation of the word, or is this simply pronounced differently in England as compared to America (US, Canada)? Or… is this simply just a poetic pronunciation of the word in the song for effect and uniqueness?

Best Answer

From (2009 copy) OED:

charade (ʃəˈrɑːd)

A kind of riddle, in which each syllable of the word to be guessed, and sometimes the word itself also, is enigmatically described, or (more recently) dramatically represented (acted charade). Extended also to similar sportive trials of skill, as dumb charades, numbered charades, etc.

Not being a subscriber, I can't access the latest online version of OED, which may mention the US pronunciation /ʃəˈreɪd/ ("shar-aid"). But that doesn't appear at all in my copy, and I've never heard Brits say anything other than (ʃəˈrɑːd) ("shar-ard").

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