The Pronunciation of "Choisser"

Choisser is easy to pronounce if you haven't seen it spelled! It actually rhymes with several English words....

Do I get tired of explaining the spelling and pronunciation at times? You bet! That's why I put this here. If it helps a few folks out, and saves me the trouble....Cool!

Some people seem to have a psychological block when it comes to making the "zh" sound. This is probably because there is no single letter in English to represent this sound. It is a common sound in English, though, and anyone who has learned to pronounce any of these words can say the "zh" in ChoiSSer: televiSIon, garaGe, rouGe, encloSUre, exploSIon, aZure. Dictionaries call it a "zh" sound, but in fact, the only thing I've ever seen actually spelled with a "zh" is Doctor Zhivago....

Oh, who's the dude I added in the last panel? That's John Choisser, our family patriarch. He's the guy who in the early 1800's anglicized the spelling and pronunciation of the name to the form it has today. All modern-day Choisser families are descended from him.

Note: This page shows the traditional pronunciation of "Choisser", which I and most Choissers use. Some Choissers, particularly if they have little connection with the Choisser "homeland" in southern Illinois, have come to pronounce the name CHOICE-er. See this chart for historical details on the variants in pronunciation.