How do you pronounce "router"?

[donoreo]

How do you pronounce router?

1. r out r
2. r oot r

I have only heard 1 until the other day when I heard rooter being used.

[M0PHP]

Networking device - 2. But then I do speak proper English

Wood tool - 1.

[towy71]

1 is a woodworkers tool
2 is a network device

proper English

[donoreo]

Ignoring the Americans who pronounce many, many things in goofy, goofy ways In Canada both devices are pronounced router because that is how it is spelled, why on earth would one be rooter and one router? A router (network device) routes packets, not roots them (unless there is something wrong, then it might root them in the Australian meaning of the word )

[wyliecoyoteuk]

If you delve into the depths of the start up, you will find a message that says
rRoute me harder.
So a woodworking device is probably correct.

[towy71]

some one from the northeast of England, a Canadian and a Brummie discussing pronunciation.... eek

[spottedcat]

why on earth would one be rooter and one router?

I think I may have an explanation, courtesy of my New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, shorter because it *only* consists of two hernia-inducing volumes. In fact the British pronunciations have a logic to them - the etymology is different.

Router (as in networking) derives from 'route' in the sense of a 'way, road, or course of travel or passage from one place to another'. In Blighty, route is pronounced 'root', because the word is derived from the French, and that's how they pronounce it. (I think.) Check it out next time you're in Quebec, donoreo.

Router (as in woodworking tool) is derived from the verb rout, meaning 'scoop out, cut a groove...' - both pronounced the 'American' way. Interestingly, my dictionary tells me that the verb rout in this sense is a variant of the verb root, and guess how that is pronounced?

But not to be confused with rout, meaning 'to retreat in disorder...', which produces a third noun 'router' (pronounced router ), meaning 'a person who takes part in a rout, a rioter'.

Clear?

[spottedcat]

Oh, hang on, just found about half-a-dozen more entries for the word 'rout', some of which have several meanings. They were in the previous column. I should imagine you could make 'router' from most or all of them. I'm not going to type the whole lot out, but here's a sample:

A company, band, or troop of people.
A flock or herd of animals.
A disorderly... crowd of people.
A large evening party or reception.
Snore
Rush, dash.
Of a cow: bellow, roar.
Discomfiture of an army.

I like the last one - it sounds a bit pythonesque. We don't intend to win this battle, merely discomfit the enemy.

[towy71]

/me hands spottedcat some laxative chocolate

[spottedcat]

/me hands spottedcat some laxative chocolate

And that would lead to.. let me see... rout = 'frenzied exodus'.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

some one from the northeast of England, a Canadian and a Brummie discussing pronunciation.... eek

Could be worse, it could include an american and a scot

[lok1950]

Blighty, route is pronounced 'root', because the word is derived from the French, and that's how they pronounce it. (I think.) Check it out next time you're in Quebec, donoreo. Smile

Depends on which part of Quebec there are French dialects you know

Enjoy the Choice

[Ram]

some one from the northeast of England, a Canadian and a Brummie discussing pronunciation.... eek

Could be worse, it could include an american and a scot

To boldly go where ............

[donoreo]

Here is the response I got from a forum closer to home:

2 is a device used to clean blockages out of toilets. (rooter)
1 is a networking device. (router)

Hey, I already made the American joke! As far a Quebec goes, they do not speak real French there, just ask someone from France

[lok1950]

As far a Quebec goes, they do not speak real French there, just ask someone from France Wink

It's French alright just 16th century French we still use several words that are considered archaic in modern French 200 yrs of isolation can do that.

Enjoy the Choice