SS/PS question

[potioncat]

"Carol" <justcarol67 at ...>  
> I'm wondering whether the terms long vowel and short vowel are used
> differently in Britain than they are in the U.S.
> 
> I'll do a table to see whether we agree:
> 
>     Long     Short
> 
> A   ate      at
> E   Pete     pet
> I   I        it
> O   hoe      hot
> U   huge     hug


Potioncat:
Have you seen "Calendar Girls"? In one scene a young man is talking 
about plums. Well, he isn't exactly talking about plums, but he 
says "plums" several times. He doesn't pronounce it "plumes" but it 
isn't like American "plum"

I guess I'm saying that while the long and short may have the sound 
meaning, they may not have the same sounds.

Have you listened to the recorded HP? I think the reader (Is it Jim 
Dale in the US?) pronounces it the way Geoff is suggesting.