h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's the wrong alphabet song. It's the US version - the clue is in the Zee (which you noticed and yet still failed to realise the significance of it). There's a "proper" UK version of the alphabet song using Zed, which pre-dates Sesame Street. That none of you seem to know it demonstrates how far the US has corrupted the UK and how little research you did.

SEF the thread for this Entry had over 300 posts at the time it was picked. A lot of discussion went into most of the songs.

It was decided that "Zee" was the most common way children sung it.

Emmily

It's not the traditional *UK* children's song, ie as advertised, though.

But how does that work with the rhyme SEF? I've only ever heard this song sung the American way, and what would be the point of writing a song with so many 'ee' rhymes, only to end it with a 'zed' sound? That's not very sensible songwriting... . The whole point of putting the footnote in was to ensure the song rhymed properly when sung by a UK person.

This may not be strictly a 'traditional English' song, but it's very well-known and has become a modern traditional song, I suppose you could say.

Oh and BTW, a slightly less confrontational tone would be nice. Emmily did loads of work on this, and lots of people helped.

Lbclaire

Hmmm there's a few modern versions of various traditional songs. The alphabet song was one where the thought was how it was sung now, rather than in the past, partly my fault, as I mentioned I'd heard children singing it with the "Zee" though, you are correct SEF, it was traditionally "Zed".

Emmily

Ooopppss Simpost

Lbclaire

A good reason the UK 'adopted' the US "Zee" was as Lbclaire said, it rhymed better than our "zed"

Emmily

I didn't see this thread and posted in the other.

We use a British version, where we sing z(ed) which ends thus:

...W X Y Z(ed) you see
now you know your A B C etc etc

It works well for us. I refuse to allow the Gruesomes to say Z(ee) since to my ears it sounds silly with a British accent (maybe not some regional accents though, I've never tried it)

That version is a good compromise, Sho!

I know what you mean about 'zee' sounding daft in an English accent - I worked at a couple of theme parks in the US for a summer and felt ridiculous telling people to pull the 'levver' instead of lever, and saying 'zeebra' instead of zebra. Not because the American pronounciations were silly, it just sounded so weird for me to be saying the words like that! But the bosses insisted we pronounce things the American way or people wouldn't understand us...

Lbclaire

The lyrics we sing at the Scottish Academy in Osaka Japan are the same as I sang in the U.K.
A, B, C... Zed,
now I know my ABC's,
want you sing a song instead.

Hope this helps

oh that's cute