Let's settle this once and for all, Part Deux

This southerner says it as though it has two syllables. "C'mon, ya'll and give me a big ole smiiiilllleeee."

In yankee terms - it has one.

 

It's not Yankee terms! I was born in Michigan. Khartoum is no Southerner.

It's common sense. How do you get from "eye" to "ul" without another syllable??

 

Because there's no eye-ul. It's one constant phonation, like aisle. And the dictionary agrees. But heck, we're only in the word biz. No need to worry about the dictionary.

 

WHO SAYS AISLE IN ONE SYLLABLE??

 

Smile, mile, aisle, isle, pile, tile, while, style, vile, rile...


All one syllable

 

bile?

 

And it's not really the end of the world. But it's not common sense and it's not standard English. It's dialect, poetic or otherwise.

 

dial?

 

All I'm saying is I've lived in four different states and visited numerous others in several different regions. Have never heard it as one syllable.

 

I'm with IJAG. Sure seems like it should be two, but ... what the hell do I know? I'm taking calculus.

 

OK, I just called spnited and he's full of shit.

Me: "Say it. Say the word. Say S-M-I-L-E."
Him: "Smy-uhl"
Me: "THAT'S TWO SYLLABLES! You had different inflections, different vowel sounds. You can not have different vowel sounds in the same syllable!"
Him: "Just because it sounds like two syllables doesn't mean it has two syllables."
Me: "Yes, yes it does. That's EXACTLY what it means!"