Carbine is pronounced how?

[Jim K]

Either way is correct, but I have never heard any U.S. service member or former service member pronounce it any way but "car' bean" with the accent on the first syllable. I understand Williams did pronounce it to rhyme with "wine", but that pronunciation did not carry over to the users.

As for Garand, I was introduced to him by a man who knew him well and who pronounced the name "Gar' and" (hard "Ga" sound as in "gag", accent on first syllable). Since this was in Mr. Garand's presence and he didn't object, I assume it was correct. No one in the service ever called the rifle the "Garand" anyhow; it was the M1 rifle or just M1. If anyone said "M1" it was assumed they meant the rifle. The M1 carbine was never called anything but the "carbine" unless there was some need (as by an armorer ordering parts) to distinguish between the M1 and M2 carbines.

The use of the term "Garand" is an easy way to distinguish the newbies from those who actually used the M1 in the service.

Jim

 

[JustsayMo]

"Do you eat Sar-DYNES?..." said the DI in response to the word car-Byne being used... followed by a rant that questioned our command of the English language. It got the message across loud and clear.

Ain't doing another 40. It's Car-BEEN dammit!

 

[NoTsO cLeAn HaRoLd]

If anyone in the world knew the correct way to pronounce this it would have to be John Wayne. He had to be right - Car-Bean!

 

[Fumbler]

I've always said carbine like "wine".
You don't say "that's a gas tur-bean engine" do you?

for parabola I also say "pair-uh-bowl-uh" not "puh-ra-bo-luh"
You don't send "puh-ra-troopers" into combat armed with 9mm "puh-ra-bellums".

 

[KarbineKrazy]

up here in the NorthWest

.... You usually hear Kar BINE, unless your talking about the M1, or the .30 CAR BEAN.

 

[BigG]

Garand is pronounced GAIRund - as in hair, with stress on the first syllable. According to Julian S. Hatcher

 

[Dmack_901]

I also say carbean. Carb'eye'ne sound too much like combine to me.

 

[Onmilo]

In my neck of the woods,(west central Illinois), everybody seems to pronounce it as Carbean.
By the spelling it should be pronounced car-bine.
Fine wine is like twine, it is rather mundane.....

 

[threefeathers]

I have carried a car BEAN on three continents. Funny I remember sitting in an APC in Berlin in 1961 arguing the same thing. Heck, the guys from Boston couldn't pronounce it the same way any one else did any way.

 

[mordrid52]

I've always pronounced it with a long 'i' like in wine since that would be the correct phonetic pronunciation.

 

[Ash]

Well, there is nothing correct phonetically in the English language, but rather collective usage. Who wants a fine sardine? What about discipline with a carbine?

Ash

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Quote:
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I am native of Georgia in the N GA mountains. I have always heard it as car"bean" as well as when I was in nam in 68 when we had a M2 that some point men used.
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I was issued an M2 carbine as an adviser my first tour in Vietnam. I pronounced it "No good lousey piece of &&&&) as I tried to wrap it around a teak tree.

 

[unreal45]

good question
I have heard and used it both ways.

 

[Byron]

Vern, Welcime Home! I was an 11B with the 4th INF 68-69. Byron

 

[wasrjoe]

I say car-bean, because it's cooler. And that's all you need for the English language.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Thanks, Byron.

I was an adviser to the 18th ARVN Division, HQ at Xuan Loc from 66 to 67, and a company commander in the 5th ID (A-1/61 Inf) from 68 to 69.

My brigade (the First) was the only brigade of the 5th ID to deploy to Vietnam and was OPCON to the 3rd Marine Division -- so I can wear either the Red Diamond of the 5th ID or the Trilon of the 3rd MarDiv.

 

[Daniel L]

Here's Mrs. Merriam Webster multimedia version:

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?carbin01.wav=carbine

 

[Caliburn]

Car-BEEN. (And how messed up is English when "BEEN" is pronounced BEN?)

Except in the following usage, which requires car-byne:

What was Marvin Gaye's last recording?

"I Heard it through the Carbine"

(If you don't get it, he was shot & killed by his own father. Which isn't funny, but the joke kind of is.)

Hey, for all you RVN 11Bs, welcome home. You done good. Sorry the country treated you so badly at the time.

Salute.

 

[Eric86GT]

I've always said carbine like "wine".
You don't say "that's a gas tur-bean engine" do you?

Actually us pilots say turbine as tur-bin. I pronounce carbine as car-bean also.

 

[stevekl]

I came into the hobby saying carbine as in 'wine' but now I say carbine as in 'bean'. I don't know why i've changed!