Chapter 29 page 14 ~ Magical scene transitions
May20
[FLASH]
[HORIZONTAL WIPE!]
[step]
Cohen: What’s a “sizz”? That’s not something I ever told you to be.
Patrick: It’s just the opposite of “trans.”
Cohen: Ohh, like the cisatlantic and transatlantic markets?
Patrick: Yes! Although my Mas– uh, I mean — I heard that this kind is cuter.
Cohen: You know, I invited Walker for lunch at an upscale sushi place. They even had the menu available in Braille! I don’t care how fancy her office’s on-site dining is — it’s got to be a downgrade.
Blake: Aww . . . if that’s how you feel, why don’t we just have a picnic? It’s such a lovely day.
I’ve heard “cis” said many times, by many people in three different areas of the U.S., and everyone has pronounced it “sis”, not “sizz”. Is there a place where “sizz” is a common pronunciation? Or is that just how Cohen heard it?
Not as common as it should be. I mean, we all say “tranzzz,” not “trance.”
And “siss” makes it sound like it’s short for “sister” or “sissy,” which can range from inaccurate to An Actual Slur depending on who it’s addressed to.
… who the heck pronounces it ‘tranz’, it’s more pronounced like ‘ran’ with a hiss at the end and a gloital stop at the start.
I mean it sounds a bit like the ‘rance’ of ‘rancid’. At least with an Iowa accent. While doesn’t quite rhyme with ‘trance’
I pronounce it ‘Tranzz’.
Born in Louisiana, raised in Texas (13 years), lived in Iowa for most of my life(18 years).
I’ve spent nearly 20 years in Iowa, between ages 2 and 27 or so. Spent a few random years in other states. In Iowa City, I’ve only ever heard it without a zzzzzz.
It’s not a long exaggerated buzz, it’s just a harder sound than in “trance.”
Old discussion, I know, but in “cisatlantic” it’s the ‘siss’ sound. I really can’t find any sources that say ‘sizz’ in any context other than this strip. Is there a community using this pronunciation or is this a one-cartoonist crusade? (I am fascinated by community linguistic drift.)
I listen to the kind of podcasts that say “cisgender,” and the “sizz” version is a minority pronunciation, but it does come up!
Don’t know if anyone else is actively advocating for it, or if we’re all just independently coming up with it.
“Sizz” is definitely a mispronunciation. Cis is a specific Latin prefix: “this side of.” (Trans is “the other side of.”) Cis is pronounced in Latin as a homonym of “sis,” so that is the correct way of saying it (and why that’s the most common). Pronouncing trans as “trance” would be similarly wrong.
Fun linguistic fact: it’s natural for pronunciations to shift over time, especially when words are adopted from one language into another! Look up the history of “orange” or “newt” or “extrovert” some time. Or listen to how “allies” was pronounced in WWII newsreels, or “website” in commercials from the 90s.
And seriously, if we don’t have to count using the original Roman numerals, then we don’t need to speak English using the original Latin vocalizations, either.
What are you? Some kind of radical?
(I kid.)
It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, masters and beings like you…
Should be burning in hell.
Flowers are blooming … fucking flowers … achoo …