Why do we say it -
01-25-20, 05:35 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 340 Times
in
227 Posts
Why do we say it -
Why is bicycle pronounced "bi-sickle" but motorcycle is pronounced "motor-sikel"?
01-25-20, 05:42 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 36,668
Mentioned: 206 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16947 Post(s)
Liked 12,470 Times
in
5,907 Posts
Why ask why?
01-25-20, 05:48 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 6,452
Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,338 Times
in
1,561 Posts
Lotsa tings to yeewonder bout. Just like some say Soda, pop, or coke.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
-Oh Hey!
01-25-20, 06:12 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: western Massachusetts (greater Springfield area)
Posts: 628
Bikes: Velosolex St. Tropez, LeMond Zurich (spine bike), Rotator swb recumbent
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 39 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 28 Times
in
13 Posts
Arlo Guthrie says motor-sickle here:
Frank Zappa says by-sikel here:
(This is really pretty funny, IMO)
Frank Zappa says by-sikel here:
Likes For MikeWMass:
01-25-20, 06:19 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 5,802
Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Nishiki Blazer, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1320 Post(s)
Liked 1,498 Times
in
740 Posts
Likes For freeranger:
Likes For spelger:
01-25-20, 07:38 PM
#8
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 2,801
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 751 Post(s)
Liked 1,119 Times
in
667 Posts
I remember the Steve Allen show with Frank Zappa. He was also on " What's My Line ". I saw Zappa twice, 3 weeks apart, 1973 or '74. First at the Chicago Auditorium and then at NIU Fieldhouse. Great musician and showman. A Lot of props and stage antics.
Likes For delbiker1:
01-25-20, 09:05 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 340 Times
in
227 Posts
Interesting but I can't buy it, partly because that "unstressed syllable" idea is a crock, and partly because I never hear the referenced schwa sound - it's always a short "i" in bicycle.
Also "sickle: is just as easy to say as "cycle" no matter how many syllables so why isn't it "motorsickle"? I know that some dialects do have motorsickle but why isn't it the normal way? Bicycles obviously predated motorcycles - where did it change?
Last edited by wphamilton; 01-25-20 at 09:10 PM.
01-25-20, 09:15 PM
#10
Non omnino gravis
Syllables, and what syllable the stress falls on.
bi-sick-uhl
tri-sick-uhl
mo-tor-sigh-kuhl
bi-sick-uhl
tri-sick-uhl
mo-tor-sigh-kuhl
__________________
01-25-20, 09:21 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,051
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6348 Post(s)
Liked 9,795 Times
in
4,217 Posts
I pronounce it “motorbike.” Problem solved.
01-25-20, 09:28 PM
#12
Non omnino gravis
And then I remembered Wesley from 30 Rock, and his use of the non-word "footcycle," which I would say as foot-sigh-kuhl-- with the stress on the middle syllable.
__________________
01-25-20, 10:47 PM
#14
Non omnino gravis
Well, "encite" isn't a word. Insight and incite are both words. The former is from the Low German, and the latter from French.
The emphasis is on the first syllable in one and the second in the other, because they have utterly different meanings, and come from different roots.
Motorcycle and bicycle share a suffix, from the same origin.
The emphasis is on the first syllable in one and the second in the other, because they have utterly different meanings, and come from different roots.
Motorcycle and bicycle share a suffix, from the same origin.
__________________
01-25-20, 11:27 PM
#15
Senior Member
01-26-20, 12:08 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 6,452
Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,338 Times
in
1,561 Posts
a motor biker might be psycho for driving such a small vehicle along with larger motorized vehicles capable of the same speeds.
a cyclists could have poor health, & rather becoming down with a sickness, they choose to ride for better health.
a cyclists could have poor health, & rather becoming down with a sickness, they choose to ride for better health.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
-Oh Hey!
01-26-20, 04:48 AM
#17
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,403
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8073 Post(s)
Liked 8,886 Times
in
4,950 Posts
On the other hand, the word "cyclical" is pronounced with a long i sound by the British, and a short i sound by Americans, but it doesn't come up in conversation very often.
01-26-20, 05:17 AM
#18
Hump, what hump?
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SC midlands
Posts: 1,937
Bikes: See signature
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 336 Post(s)
Liked 227 Times
in
145 Posts
I sikel on my bi-sickels.
__________________
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
2010 AB T1X ** 2010 Cannondale SIX-5 ** 1993 Cannondale RS900 ** 1988 Bottecchia Team Record ** 1989 Bianchi Brava ** 1988 Nishiki Olympic ** 1987 Centurion Ironman Expert(2) ** 1985 DeRosa Professional SLX ** 1982 Colnago Super ** 1982 Basso Gap ** 198? Ciocc Competition SL ** 19?? Roberts Audax ** 198? Brian Rourke ** 1982 Mercian Olympic ** 1970 Raleigh Professional MK I ** 1952 Raleigh Sports
01-26-20, 06:07 AM
#19
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 340 Times
in
227 Posts
Well, "encite" isn't a word. Insight and incite are both words. The former is from the Low German, and the latter from French.
The emphasis is on the first syllable in one and the second in the other, because they have utterly different meanings, and come from different roots.
Motorcycle and bicycle share a suffix, from the same origin.
The emphasis is on the first syllable in one and the second in the other, because they have utterly different meanings, and come from different roots.
Motorcycle and bicycle share a suffix, from the same origin.
)
01-26-20, 06:14 AM
#20
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 340 Times
in
227 Posts
That's not really a good explanation because one can stress or not stress a long "i" sound. There's definitely a vowel shift in "bicycle" and "tricycle". My guess is that the repeated long "i" sound just sounds awkward to most people.
On the other hand, the word "cyclical" is pronounced with a long i sound by the British, and a short i sound by Americans, but it doesn't come up in conversation very often.
On the other hand, the word "cyclical" is pronounced with a long i sound by the British, and a short i sound by Americans, but it doesn't come up in conversation very often.
I don't think it has anything to do with the phonetic rules (which don't work anyway), nor with etymology especially since both words share origins. Somewhere it changed from sickle to sigh-kal, and it's a puzzle. Keeping me up at night.
01-26-20, 06:52 AM
#21
Member
Don’t think I’ve ever thought about it or used either word verbally. I just say bike. If a distinction needs to be made I will say motorbike sport bike mountain bike etc
Likes For Moe Zhoost:
01-26-20, 07:46 AM
#25
SE Wis
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 9,843
Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970
Mentioned: 39 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2452 Post(s)
Liked 2,830 Times
in
1,729 Posts
Likes For dedhed:
