"As the Oscar war horses line up one after the next-wait your turn, Shakespeare, Bruce Springsteen was here first-it's hard to avoid talking about one genre, perhaps the most reliable, and most maligned, form of awards-season hopeful. But if you're having that conversation in person, beware: The way you say one word may make others wince, or recoil in purest horror."
"Officially, there is little dispute. The major dictionaries- Merriam-Webster, American Heritage, the Oxford English Dictionary-all agree that BYE-oh-pic is the correct, or at least preferred, pronunciation. But a stubborn minority of about 10 percent, according to lexicographer Grant Barrett, insists on bi-AH-pic, and can get pretty snippy about it. "It's bi-opic and if you say bio-pic then you sound like a little dumb baby," wrote one irate Redditor. "There's no justification. Grow up.""
Pronunciation of the word biopic divides speakers, with major dictionaries endorsing BYE-oh-pic and about ten percent preferring bi-AH-pic. The contested pronunciation elicits social judgement and sharp online reactions from advocates of either form. The term first appeared in print in 1947 in Variety, which claims invention and whose staff reportedly pronounce it BYE-oh-pic. Usage remained steady for decades before rising in the late 1980s, possibly because award seasons that decade favored many biopics and because ordinary viewers began to view industry fortunes more like executives.
Read at Slate Magazine
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