OT - Mispronouncing, against all obstacles

[QuikSand]

Just wondering.. we've had a variety of rants here on the site regarding grammar, spelling, typos, punctuation, and so forth. I guess they have their place.

It doesn't come up here (since we converse via the written word), but what about mispronunciation? Does that get to anyone, the way it gets to me?

Now, I'll start off by saying I understand that people make mistakes. That's really not my point. If someone incorrectly pronounces a difficult word, I might question whether they ought to be using the word in the first place, but it doesn't really get under my skin. And I'm not talking about borderline calls... whether to pronounce homage as "HOM-ij" or "ohm-AHJ" - I don't really care much. And I'm not talking about the "gotcha" words out there - like forte or short-lived and so forth. The decision there, I think, is just whether you want to sound like an effete bastard.


What i'm talking about is words that people mispronounce, and keep on doing so even after they have every opportunity to correct the error. Sometimes it's a name (that's very common), but often enough it's just an ordinary word.


Someone very close to me pronounces the name of the Syracuse basketball coach as "BOH-hime." Now, in the last few months, this topic has come up a lot... he's been on TV, he's been all over the place, and you can't be a sports fan without hearing it said "BAY-hime," can you? So, how do you keep saying it your way?

I know someone else who routinely does this with people's names. He regularly adds and subtracts letters... Mr. Wood is univrsally called "Woods" and Mr. Riggin is universally called "Riggins," while Mr. O'Donnell is oddly enough called "O'Donald." I cannot figure it out - it's not like these are passing acquantances - these are people we deal with all the time. How do you make this mistake?

Another friend with whom I sometimes lunch orders "bas-LAM-ic" dressing every day at the salad bar. Is this just a mental block... like saying "flutterby" or talking about the "toin coss?"


I know there are (well, were) some people here who are into communitcations. Along the way, have you heard any explanations for this sort of thing? Is it, like bad spelling, just laziness? Or is there something more to it?

[scooper]

Good post, Kickstand.

[Bee]

That ballsac dressing is some nasty tasting stuff.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by scooper
Good post, Kickstand.

You are the wind beneath my wings.

[KWhit]

Or our esteemed president who can't say "nuclear".

I mean what the hell does "nuculer" mean?

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by scooper
Good post, Kickstand.

Thanks... I now have to steal a roll of toilet paper from the men's room to sop up the puddle of urine in my cubicle from just having pissed myself with laughter.

[Anrhydeddu]

Just like New Englanders not pronouncing the "r", or Southerners take a single vowel and making it multi-syllable, or Texans twanging everything or perhaps those not speaking English as the first language mispronouncing many of the odds words in our language?

KWhite and others, you have take into account dialects and regional variations. Not everyone (me including) can speak proper Queen's English.

[condors]

Well i am king of butchered names but in my defense i have a reason, i used to stutter (actually still do sometimes) he may have trouble with some names but instead uses one that doesn't trip him up (i don't know if this is the case with him) but i used to call my sister girl as i couldn't say her name in under 1 minute. There are some long names i need to stop concentrate and get them out quick else i start going all over the place.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by KWhit
Or our esteemed president who can't say "nuclear".

I mean what the hell does "nuculer" mean?

That was my favorite part about the buildup to the war with Iraq... you just KNEW Dubya's speechwriters and spin doctors were cringing and convulsing every time he said that, no matter how many times they'd had the following dialogue:

"Umm, Mr. President, it's pronounced 'noo-clee-ear', sir."

"Right. Nookyoular. Got it, thanks."

Good times!

[albionmoonlight]

I think that we hear words the way that we pronounce them in our head unless we are making a conscious effort to really "hear" the words.

I have a good friend with whom I graduated law school. She pronounces most words normally, but unless she is really paying attention, she pronounces yellow "yaller." If she is not thinking about it, she will say yaller and not even realize that she mispronounced the word.

I have a vision of her at an important lunch with a client and ordering the yaller fin tuna steak. Not good times at all.

Oh--I also knew a girl in college who pronounced the chicken place "Chick-a-fil." She swears that she was not being cute--that she really thought that that was the name of the place. How she did not catch on WHEN EVERYONE ELSE CALLED IT CHICK-FIL-A, I'll never know. I share your pain Kickstand.

[Franklinnoble]

Personally, I still get shit for pronouncing 'Washington' funny... I say 'Warshington'... just like all good D.C. natives.

[JeeberD]

My girlfriend prounounces "pinch" as "peench". It rather bothers me...

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight

Oh--I also knew a girl in college who pronounced the chicken place "Chick-a-fil." She swears that she was not being cute--that she really thought that that was the name of the place. How she did not catch on WHEN EVERYONE ELSE CALLED IT CHICK-FIL-A, I'll never know. I share your pain Kickstand.

Chick-A-Fil... prounounced like "chickaphile"... sort of like a pedophile? Sounds like a good place to grab some chicken breasts... or some chick's breasts...

[SplitPersonality1]

Kickstand? That was very funny.

Back on topic, my most hated mispronunciation is a simple three letter that should not pose any kind of problem.

The word is "ask".

If I hear one more person say "Let me axe you a question", I swear I'm gonna go Lizzie Borden on their behinds and give them 40 whacks.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by SplitPersonality1
Kickstand? That was very funny.

Back on topic, my most hated mispronunciation is a simple three letter that should not pose any kind of problem.

The word is "ask".

If I hear one more person say "Let me axe you a question", I swear I'm gonna go Lizzie Borden on their behinds and give them 40 whacks.

I pronounce it "ass." Does that bother you?

This is shaping up to be my favorite thread of the week...

[Samdari]

As for reasons why this happens:

As my wife was going to school, she was taught the proper pronunciation was, in fact, nuculer.

Of course, she thought this was right, and me trying to convince her otherwise almost caused a breakup in the early days of our courtship. She soon saw the error of her ways and learned never to disagree with me again. She still slips up every now and then, what we are taught as youngsters sticks with us forever, I guess. Except that part where naps are bad, most of us unlearn that one in college.

Some of my (least) favorites, most learned in the dark ages (ie the time I lived in OK):

Pacific - meaning: Intended for, applying to, or acting on a particular thing, often spelled specific.

and

Supposably for supposedly. Skin.... crawling..... must..... stop...listening...

[QuikSand]

Okay, Anhrydeddu, I'll bite.

I understand dialects. Got it - some people pronounce certain letters or certain phonics in one way, different than other people. I understand that phenomenon - and that's not what I'm trying to talk about here.

Isn't there a fundamental difference between two people saying "car" and "cah" (dialiectical difference) and two people saying "nool-lee-ar" and "nook-yoo-ler" (simply a matter of correct versus incorrect)? I mean, when you get to the point when you actually pronounce the letters out of order, haven't you gone beyond just regionalism and local color, and into the land of just flat-out being wrong?

(I can't do much with February, though... and comfortable isn't much better...)

[Fritz]

maybe the words are spelled wrong

[superbama]

Mine word is Valentine. I always call it Valentime's day. It drives my wife crazy.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by SplitPersonality1
The word is "ask".

Ahhh, a complicated one. I know quite a number of people, including some rather well-educated, successful, and fairly erudite people, who will pronounce that word "axe" 100% of the time. And you already know what they all have in common.

I honestly don't know whether this is just another case of what i'm talkin about, or if there's something more to it. I can't find any cultural or social connection to any other examples of the kind of thing I'm intending to address.

[revrew]

I used to mind the "axe" thing, until one time I was in a prayer group with this passionate, young black man. He started "axing God" for this and "axing God" for that.

At first I had to suppress a snicker, but as he got rollin', crying out to God like the desperate fool we all are and still clinging to faith and trust and the goodness of God like a drowning man clings to a board, and as he started to shout and plead and cry (you gotta understand, I'm a pasty white boy who grew up Catholic in podunk, Iowa), it was so enrapturing and inspiring I thought when he was done that God was gonna bust right through the ceiling and split the Red Sea all at once. By the time he was done I thought, "You know what, brother? You just go right ahead and axe God for anything you want, because with a heart like that, you know God is listenin' when you start axin'"

Every now and then, when I'm hurting and desperate, I throw up an axe, just to remember that day.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
IOh--I also knew a girl in college who pronounced the chicken place "Chick-a-fil." She swears that she was not being cute--that she really thought that that was the name of the place. How she did not catch on WHEN EVERYONE ELSE CALLED IT CHICK-FIL-A, I'll never know. I share your pain Kickstand.

This is another dead-on example of what I'm talking about. Honestly, now, wouldn't you eventually wonder why everyone else is saying it wrong, and do something radical like look at the sign?

Of course, I never noticed the third "l" in Rexalll's handle, so who am I to say, I suppose.

[Marmel]

That guy Rome on ESPN pronounces Boeheim's name Bo-Heim, but he does it on purpose, thinking that he is insulting the man.

By the way, that Kickstand comment was outstanding. Funniest thing posted here since The Afoci's Hornsmaniac_2 story!

[digamma]

I guess this is somewhat related, but I hate it when people leave out articles that should be present.

For example:
"If we win this game, we'll make play-offs." (instead of the play-offs)

[scooper]

I have one word that I mispronounce regularly: capture. I say "kepture." My wife finds it amusing. During our marathon war news viewings, she pointed out to me every time a reporter correctly pronunciated the capture of Iraqi cities or prisoners.

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally posted by revrew
I used to mind the "axe" thing, until one time I was in a prayer group with this passionate, young black man. He started "axing God" for this and "axing God" for that.

At first I had to suppress a snicker, but as he got rollin', crying out to God like the desperate fool we all are and still clinging to faith and trust and the goodness of God like a drowning man clings to a board, and as he started to shout and plead and cry (you gotta understand, I'm a pasty white boy who grew up Catholic in podunk, Iowa), it was so enrapturing and inspiring I thought when he was done that God was gonna bust right through the ceiling and split the Red Sea all at once. By the time he was done I thought, "You know what, brother? You just go right ahead and axe God for anything you want, because with a heart like that, you know God is listenin' when you start axin'"

Every now and then, when I'm hurting and desperate, I throw up an axe, just to remember that day.

Thanks for the story revrew. "Axe" may still bother me, but I will try to remember this story and get a smile out of it instead of a cringe.

[scooper]

Originally posted by digamma
I guess this is somewhat related, but I hate it when people leave out articles that should be present.

For example:
"If we win this game, we'll make play-offs." (instead of the play-offs)



I wouldn't know about that one. I live in Cincinnati.

edit: removed a dola.

[digamma]

One more...
My mom pronounces Massachusetts "Mass-a-TU-setts." Drives me nuts.

[Craptacular]

Originally posted by QuikSand
two people saying "nool-lee-ar" and "nook-yoo-ler" (simply a matter of correct versus incorrect)

Which one of those is correct? My old car is dying. I should go get a newlier one.

[Franklinnoble]

I'm going to call QuikSand "Kickstand" from now on... just because the residual humor will always warm my bowels.

[JeeberD]

My mom pronounces lawyer as "Law-Yer" instead of "Loy-Yer". She always said that she was just pronouncing it as it was spelled...

[Anrhydeddu]

Switching sounds or syllables is a common speech impediment and one of the causes of mispronounciations. Other speech impeditments, which I have because of my hearing, relate to leaving off endings or unability pronounce seemingly easy words (I can't say horror, for example). A better example is my little boy who has speech apraxia - difficulty in pronouncing a combination of multisyllable words. It is not a sign of uneducation or stupidity to mispronounce words.

But back to your question. Your earlier examples do not point to pronouncing the letters out of order. I pronounce our esteem coach as Bo-heim since that's the way I read it (I only heard it Bay-heim a few times that I could) but will likely say Bo-heim on occassion since it was a habit. Adding "s" to endings can be a borderline dialect issue (along the lines of pronouncing yellow as yaller), and for some others, leaving off the "s" is known. But for many, it is the weakness in spelling in pronouncing words since if you don't know how to spell balsamic, it would be hard to phonetically sound it out.

It may be a correct phonetically way of pronouncing each word but for a variety of reasons, we all do not (or are not) able to do so. Just some thoughts.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
Switching sounds or syllables is a common speech impediment and one of the causes of mispronounciations. Other speech impeditments, which I have because of my hearing, relate to leaving off endings or unability pronounce seemingly easy words (I can't say horror, for example). A better example is my little boy who has speech apraxia - difficulty in pronouncing a combination of multisyllable words. It is not a sign of uneducation or stupidity to mispronounce words.

But back to your question. Your earlier examples do not point to pronouncing the letters out of order. I pronounce our esteem coach as Bo-heim since that's the way I read it (I only heard it Bay-heim a few times that I could) but will likely say Bo-heim on occassion since it was a habit. Adding "s" to endings can be a borderline dialect issue (along the lines of pronouncing yellow as yaller), and for some others, leaving off the "s" is known. But for many, it is the weakness in spelling in pronouncing words since if you don't know how to spell balsamic, it would be hard to phonetically sound it out.

It may be a correct phonetically way of pronouncing each word but for a variety of reasons, we all do not (or are not) able to do so. Just some thoughts.

All this from a guy who calls himself "Anrhydeddu."

Enunciate that, you phonetic bastards.

[scooper]

Oh yeah, that's another one. I often mispronounce Anrhydeddu.

[scooper]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
All this from a guy who calls himself "Anrhydeddu."

Enunciate that, you phonetic bastards.

Arrrgggghhhh!!! You beat me to it!

[Anrhydeddu]

Originally posted by JeeberD
My mom pronounces lawyer as "Law-Yer" instead of "Loy-Yer". She always said that she was just pronouncing it as it was spelled...

Either one is correct according to the dictionary.

revrew brings about a key points and this is cultural. This goes along with dialect where the black community has always had the own pronounciations on many words (axe for axe is a perfect example). Are you saying that it is wrong?

Now, I wouldn't go so far as the ridiculous hiphop/rap-speak or kewl d00d-speak because those are mostly for show or an act. But I do think there is a fine line between an act and culture.

[Craptacular]

We should just call him Honor. Maybe he can be the next Bond girl.

[Franklinnoble]

I'm in the zone with this thread, baby... you can't stop me, you can only hope to contain me.

[GrantDawg]

My dad always pronounced Canada as "Canider." He also pronounced Toyota as "Tyota." Why? I have no idear.

[Anrhydeddu]

Originally posted by scooper
Oh yeah, that's another one. I often mispronounce Anrhydeddu.

How can it be mispronounced when no one here (including me) can pronounce it 'correctly' in the first place? :)

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by QuikSand
The decision there, I think, is just whether you want to sound like an effete bastard.

How do you prounce that?


My wife and I go back and forth on a couple of words:

"Buried" - I pronounce it "bare-ied," she pronounces it "burr-ied." I think she's right, but I don't care. It drives me effin nuts and I make fun of her every time she says it.

"Dawn" - her sister's name. I can't really describe how each of us pronounces it exactly, but my pronunciation is closer to "don," and hers is closer to "done." I pronounce it "normally," she uses almost a "long O" sound in the middle.

"Egg" - I pronounce it "a-gg," she prounces it "eh-gg." Again, another one I think she's technicall right on, but it sounds Subby.

What about people who still can't pronouce library or February? I have very little patience for that, since that was something that everyone learned in 2nd grade.

Good topic Kickstand! It's not often that someone nearing 10,000 posts gets a new nickname that is sure to stick. On that basis alone, this thread is a classic.

See? Who needs HM...

[Marmel]

Ahnrydeddu is pronounced 'Buccaneer'

[Ksyrup]

On a somewhat related topic, my 3 year old last night tried to say "jump rope" and it came out as "rump hope."

I haven't laughed so hard in quite awhile.

[Butter]

Hearing sports announcers mainly say, "he needs to get untracked".

That's "on track". He needs to get "on track". If you got untracked, you'd be getting off track, wouldn't you?

That makes my skin crawl. Of course, this is not a mispronounciation, but rather, a mis-usage. That right there is some good grammar, too.

[Qwikshot]

In my area, we would pronouce water as "wuter" when I went to college just a mear 3/4 hours away, it was "wah-ter".

I remember a girl from my class lived in the same area as me, she ordered a glass of water and the waiter looked at her funny, so she said "Excuse me, wah-ter" and all was well.

[Bee]

I think the only thing worse than my pronunciation is my grammar and spelling.

Just axe anyone who knows me. :)

[scooper]

Speaking of Cincinnati (well, I spoke of it anyway) many eldery men around here pronounce it Cincinnatuh. Oddly enough, it was not passed down.

[JeeberD]

"Buried" - I pronounce it "bare-ied," she pronounces it "burr-ied." I think she's right, but I don't care. It drives me effin nuts and I make fun of her every time she says it

I also pronounce it "bare-ied", don't think "burr-ied" is correct...

"Dawn" - her sister's name. I can't really describe how each of us pronounces it exactly, but my pronunciation is closer to "don," and hers is closer to "done." I pronounce it "normally," she uses almost a "long O" sound in the middle.

Once again, I agree with you on this one.

"Egg" - I pronounce it "a-gg," she prounces it "eh-gg." Again, another one I think she's technicall right on, but it sounds Subby.

Agg? Sorry, but "eh-gg" is right on this one...

What about people who still can't pronouce library or February? I have very little patience for that, since that was something that everyone learned in 2nd grade.

Yeah, nothing drives me more crazy than someone saying "Liberry"...

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
Hearing sports announcers mainly say, "he needs to get untracked".

Or what about someone who says that another person lacks "tack." Uh, that's tact.

[Bee]

Originally posted by scooper
Speaking of Cincinnati (well, I spoke of it anyway) many eldery men around here pronounce it Cincinnatuh. Oddly enough, it was not passed down.

I always pronounced it sewer...but that's just me. ;)

[Franklinnoble]

Good topic Kickstand! It's not often that someone nearing 10,000 posts gets a new nickname that is sure to stick. On that basis alone, this thread is a classic.


I think scooper deserves, like, an award or something for taking this thread from "good" to "classic" with one simple, poignant, and brilliant response.

I think R. Lee Ermey said it best here.... (http://161.58.5.90/fmj/sister.wav)

[Ksyrup]

Anyone still pronounce dump truck as "dumtruck?"

[Bee]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Or what about someone who says that another person lacks "tack." Uh, that's tact.

Maybe they don't have a tack.

[SplitPersonality1]

People who grew up in Milwaukee say "Muh-wah-kee". This used to drive me nuts since I am originally from Minneso-da.

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Or what about someone who says that another person lacks "tack." Uh, that's tact.

Or someone that takes things for "granite".

[Franklinnoble]

Personally, I think it's kinda cool when you hear foreigners pronounce 'shit' 'shite' or 'ass' 'arse.' I'll watch any movie with cockneyed swearing just on that basis alone.

[revrew]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Anyone still pronounce dump truck as "dumtruck?"

No, but I was working in the church nursery once (don't ask me how I got roped into that), and this little 3-year old boy was soooo proud of his daddy. His daddy was just the king of the universe. This little boy had to tell EVERYONE what his daddy did, and tell it loud. Sing daddy's praises!

His daddy drove a dumptruck. But the poor little boy couldn't say it quite right. And his sentence structure was a little off. But I about peed my pants with laughter and panic at the same time as this little boy ran around the nursery shouting at the top of his lungs, "My daddy is a dumb-fuck! My daddy is a dumb-fuck!"

Good thing I knew what his daddy did for a living, or I'd have had some serious questions about their family dynamics.

[Ben E Lou]

SWMBO and I both love sushi, and we always get a "cultural chuckle" when one of us orders the smoked salmon nigiri. Invariably, no matter which of the six or eight different places we've ordered sushi, the person of Asian descent taking our order repeats back something to the effect of: "1 shrimp tempura roll, 3 smoked saL-mon nigiri and 1 tuna nigiri."

"Sal-mon" and "nu-ku-lar" (and I'm sure there are others) are such common mispronunciations that it is easy to see why they perpetuate. People hear others say it that way, and it ends up "validating" what they hear themselves say. Neither of those two bother me any more. (If I recall, didn't Jimmy Carter also pronounce it "nu-ku-lar?")


Somewhat on the subject here: did anyone else just LOVE the way Jock Ewing used to say, "bidness."

"J.R., that ain't the right way to do bidness and you know it boy!"

[KWhit]

Buried - "bare-eed"

Egg - "ehg"

I actually had to learn the entire phonetic alphabet for college. I had a REALLY horrible southern accent that I chose to lose. It took a lot of work, but I feel much better about my public speaking now that I've done it.

I have the "official" (most recognized) pronouncing dictionary for American English if anyone has anything they're unsure about and want me to look up.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by KWhit

I have the "official" (most recognized) pronouncing dictionary for American English if anyone has anything they're unsure about and want me to look up.

How about "Linux"?

[Anrhydeddu]

Buried in some parts is pronounced "bard".

But all of these great and amusing anecdotes are not what QS is after, is it? All of these examples can point to dialect or cultural differences. My favorite is that every folks from Kansas or Kansas City (including my wife) pronounce wash as "wersh". I say it as wAHsh, as any decent Yankee would.

[KWhit]

Linux?

Um, this book doesn't have crappy operating systems in it.

Sorry.


Actually, my copy was last updated in the 90s so it's not in here.

[Butter]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Somewhat on the subject here: did anyone else just LOVE the way Jock Ewing used to say, "bidness."

"J.R., that ain't the right way to do bidness and you know it boy!"


Man, how old ARE you? Next thing you know you'll be reminiscing about Texaco's Star Theater or something. :p

[Anrhydeddu]

Another one of my favorites is the traditional English and subsequently, New England way of changing:

Gloucester to "glowsta"
Worcester to "woosta"

[Samdari]

How else whould one pronounce Win - Doze?

[Anrhydeddu]

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
Man, how old ARE you? Next thing you know you'll be reminiscing about Texaco's Star Theater or something. :p

I ain't touching that one, nope, no way. :)

[Vince]

What about good old Missouri? My mom and all of her family (her generation and older) that we visited out there pronounce it Mi-zur-ra, while anyone there my generation or younger that I ran into (granted I was only there once, for like 3 days), and most people I know out here on the west coast, pronounce it as it looks, Mi-zur-ree.

EDIT: because I can't spell things phoenetically.

[KWhit]

According to my dictionary, Mi-zur-ree is preferred, but it lists Mi-zur-ra as an alternate/secondary pronunciation.

[Bee]

The only thing that bothers me more than someone mispronouncing a simple word is when someone corrects me when I do it.

[Franklinnoble]

I like to deliberately mispronounce names of places just to tweak the natives... such as:

Arkansas - Nothing says "I think your state is entirely irrelevant, and therefore, so is your job." to a state trooper like pronouncing his homeland "Ar-kans-ass." I did this when I got pulled over in one of their obvious, Roscoe P. Coltrane-style speed traps, and needed a means to voice my indignation. Needless to say, I was not let off with a warning.

Tempe, AZ - For some reason, when I first moved out there, it'd really upset the natives when I called it "Temp." Personally, I think they should have kept the city's original name (Harper's Ferry). Think of the clever entendre with regards to Mayor Neil Guliano (anybody who gets this, please explain to the rest of the board - I'm in enough trouble already)

[sterlingice]

Wow! Lots of gems in this thread. Where to start...

Originally posted by KWhit
Or our esteemed president who can't say "nuclear".

I mean what the hell does "nuculer" mean?
There are a lot of things our esteemed president can't pronounce. I believe they are called "words".

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
That was my favorite part about the buildup to the war with Iraq... you just KNEW Dubya's speechwriters and spin doctors were cringing and convulsing every time he said that, no matter how many times they'd had the following dialogue:

"Umm, Mr. President, it's pronounced 'noo-clee-ear', sir."

"Right. Nookyoular. Got it, thanks."

Good times!
This had me laughing hysterically at my computer screen. (And subsequently thinking of the Homer-joins-the-Navy ep of the Simpsons)

Ditto for the Chikophile line, Lizzy Borden reference, the "My daddy is a dumb-fuck! My daddy is a dumb-fuck!" story, the "Ar-kans-ass" state trooper and the vivid imagery of driving through the deep south, and, in general, the use of Kickstand in this thread.

Originally posted by JeeberD
My mom pronounces lawyer as "Law-Yer" instead of "Loy-Yer". She always said that she was just pronouncing it as it was spelled...

I know this has already been mentioned, but I'll throw in the Merriam-Webster site just for some credibility:

Main Entry: law·yer
Pronunciation: 'lo-y&r, 'loi-&r
Pronunciation Guide: \o\ as aw in law
Pronunciation Guide: \&\ as a and u in abut

(isn't that how Canadians spell "about"? Or should that be aboot? :D )

Some other fun ones to consider are commonly misunderstood phrases like "dog eat dog world" or "for all intents and purposes". And I won't even go into song lyrics and how people don't hear those correctly.

It's good to see some high humor can every once in a while creep onto this board. Damn, this is a great thread.

SI

[Craptacular]

I forgot to mention that I live in Wisconsin, not Wesconsen. Some of the ABC / ESPN college football announcers really need to learn that. I think the folks in Ell-annoy know what I'm talkin' about.

[Ksyrup]

It's the Jag-warrs, not Jag- wires.

That one may be dialect, but then again, I've heard people from all over pronounce it wrong. I think it's just bad pronunciation.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
It's the Jag-warrs, not Jag- wires.

And then again, some would insist that it's JAG-yoo-ars. Buit they're from Britain, what the hell would they know about speaking English?

[Buzzbee]

Funny thing happend on the way to the forum. As I was driving home one of the sports talk guys I listen to was talking about the greatest duos in the history of the NBA. In doing so, he used the phrase "in the annals of the NBA...." The only problem is that he pronounced it ain-uhls, rather than ann-uhls. I had this VERY unpleasant mental image of NBA sphincters. Blech!!

[TroyF]

My dad cannot say the word follow. He pronounces it "frollow"

If he's paying attention to it close, he'll catch himself. (kind of like the girl with the "yellow" problem above)

Being a broadcaster for a junior college team, I can't tell you how many times I wasn't able to get with the opposing coach before the game. (always their fault, I made every effort, including calling a week before the game) You can guess what happened when there were some difficult to pronounce names on the roster.

The play by play man used to misprounounce one of OUR players names. I nearly killed him one broadcast. :)

TroyF

[dawgfan]

The one that's been bugging me lately is seeing the word "dominate" used in place of "dominant". I believe this error stems from mispronunciation - "DOM-i-nit" and "DOM-i-nent" sound very similar, and I would suspect that many who misuse this word in print also do so in speech.

I think Anrhydeddu ("ANN-ree-DED-doo"?) makes a great point that speech impediments and hearing problems are a contributing factor. Most young children will mispronounce certain words due to syllabic complexity - the example of library pronounced as "LIE-berry" is a common one (I know I was guilty of this). To a certain extent, I think some mispronounced words carry into adulthood out of habit. It takes a conscious effort to change something like this - I remember making a decision to stop pronouncing February as "FEB-yoo-airy" and pronounce it more like it's spelled. It's an awkward word to pronounce as spelled, and I'm sure that's the main reason the common pronunciation differs. That concept also applies to words like worcestershire ("WUH-steh-sure"?)

Regional and cultural dialect influences are also another big factor. I have an uncle that pronounces our home state as "WARSH-ing-ton" - I always have to resist asking him where the "R" is in the spelling. My grandpa always said "CRIK" for creek, etc.

Things like this have always interested me - I remember the first time I read Pygmalion and being amazed that people in Great Britain could pick out where a person was from simply from their accent. I think a study of linguistics would be a fascinating pursuit as it touches on a range of topics - geography, psychology, sociololgy, etc.

[CamEdwards]

The other day as I was on the air I started talking about Antonin Scalia, the supreme court justice.

As I'm saying his name my brain kicks in and says "you're mispronouncing this. It's Sca-LEE-ah, not SCALE-yah"."

Didn't help. For three minutes I mispronounced his name again and again.

And BTW, Franklinnoble... either admit you're Bill Simmons or quit stealing his act. He's not famous enough to have an impersonator. :)

[korme]

One of my friends from school is the worst spellers/typers/english users I've ever seen. He mis-pronounces, mis-types, and generally messes everything up.

That said, there's no one I like talking to more online.. great for some laughs..

[korme]

My grandma says "warsh". "I'm gonna go warsh the dishes".

Umm, G-ma, there isn't a R in there. Sorry.

[ColtCrazy]

If you come to Louisville for the derby, they sell t-shirts with all the different ways people say the name.

Looey-ville
Lu-a-vul
Lewis-ville
Loo-a-ville
Luh-vul

For the most part, locals say "Loo-a-ville" so you know when someone isn't from there.

[dacman]

Sort of along the lines of LIE-berry, I have a friend who's last name is Newbury, but the local yokels around here insist on pronouncing it new-BERRY when its most definately pronounced NEW-burry because the dude's from the UK! Oh well.

The one I struggled with the most growing up was "often" as I would always pronounce it as if the 't' were non-existant -- offen. Still catch myself doing it on occasion.

Another friend of mine is an amateur linguist and an Indian (as in Asian Indian) from West Virginia with the slight southern accent and all--talk about an unusual combination. She can imitate so many accents so well, it's hilarious.

[Chief Rum]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
One of my friends from school is the worst spellers/typers/english users I've ever seen. He mis-pronounces, mis-types, and generally messes everything up.

That said, there's no one I like talking to more online.. great for some laughs..

Is his name Brutus? :)

I'm sorry, Shorty, I couldn't resist. Don't "filet" me (another word for the gristle).

CR

[QuikSand]

Well, for those of you who are sticklers, maybe you are familiar with a pitcher from the Orioles, named Sidney Ponson. He's from Aruba, by the way.

Anyway, as you may know, his name is universally pronounced by broadcasters and such as "pon-SONE." Seems pretty much a lock - everybody agrees.

I've only heard one person say it differently, pronouncing it "PON-son." That person, of course, was Sidney Ponson, inviting TV viewers to join up for some silly baseball cruise or somesuch. Regardless, his own pronunciation was as clear as a bell.

So, what if everybody who knows you says "pon-SONE" but you and your family say it "PON-son" - what do you do then? "pon-SONE" it is, I guess.

[3ric]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
How about "Linux"?

From elsewhere on the net:
At the Linux Online! site http://www.linux.org/info/ it says:
"Although many variations of the word Linux exist, it is most often
pronounced with a short " i " and with the first syllable stressed, as in
LIH-nucks."

Here is what Torvalds himself has to say:
http://www.linux.org/info/sounds/english.au

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally posted by QuikSand
So, what if everybody who knows you says "pon-SONE" but you and your family say it "PON-son" - what do you do then? "pon-SONE" it is, I guess.

Personally, I usually pronounce it "Pond-scum". He was on my fantasy team a few years back. Produced well for one year and then pitched like crap.


Actually, I'm surprised that Ponson and others whose names are continually mispronounced don't make a bigger stink about it.

Many people I know throw a hissy fit when you screw up thier name. Back when I managed a Blockbuster, we were supposed to say the customers name as we checked out their movies. My employees complained to me, because they were uncomfortable doing it and customers would complain if they said the name wrong. (Example: How are we supposed to know when STEPHEN is "STE-ven" or "Ste-FAHN")

I agreed and bucked Corporate. Many people are extremely sensitive about their names.


Back to Ponson. I would say that despite what the sportcasters do, the corect pronunciation would be "PON-son". After all, the family should know best.

[Anrhydeddu]

split: As my name is Stephen, it is pronounced STE-ven because if it was the other way, it would be spelled Stephan.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Samdari
Supposably for supposedly. Skin.... crawling..... must..... stop...listening...

That one drives me ape shit....

Originally posted by GrantDawg
My dad always pronounced Canada as "Canider."

I always preferred calling it 'Canadia' :D

Which brings me to my Mom...who learned words like "wan" (past tense of to win), doesn't pronounce library correctly, and I think physically can't pronounce 'Australia' the way the rest of us do...it always comes out "Austraayyya". Though that might be how they say it down under....

[cuervo72]

My Mom just reminded me of another one.....yoo-mid (for humid).

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu
split: As my name is Stephen, it is pronounced STE-ven because if it was the other way, it would be spelled Stephan.

That makes sense to me, but thie kid in question had his name spelled Stepheen. Go figure.

The only reason I remember it so clearly is that three weeks after the hissy fit, I ended up hiring him and he turned out to be one of my best employees.

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by QuikSand
So, what if everybody who knows you says "pon-SONE" but you and your family say it "PON-son" - what do you do then? "pon-SONE" it is, I guess.

Well, when Roy Oswalt first hit the scene with the Astros, everyone pronounced his last name "Oz-walt". However, after several months of great pitching, he started to become more well known. So instead of having to hear everyone pronounce his name incorrectly, he sent out a press release saying that the correct pronounciation is actually "Ohs-walt". Now, he's been in the league for a couple of years, and you never hear his name mispronounced anymore. So mispronounciations can be fixed, but you have to catch them early, before they become to ingrained...

[sterlingice]

Or you could be like that ass Royal Ivey who has asked people to say his name three different ways in three years for UT basketball.

(I believe the current incarnation is RO-yal as opposed to "Royal" and roy-AL)

SI