10 mispronunciations that make you sound stupid

[NJmaverick]

From the Tech Republic:

From #1: Realtor
Many people — I’ve even heard it from people on national TV — pronounce this word REAL-uh-ter. Is this a case of wide-spread dyslexia, transposing the a and the l? It’s REAL-tor. That’s it. You’d think only two syllables would be easier to pronounce, but apparently not.

#2: Nuclear
Do you know how tough it is to be an advocate for the correct pronunciation of this word (NU-clee-er) when the president of the United States pronounces it NU-cu-lar? I don’t buy that it’s a regional thing. Ya’ll is a regional thing; nu-cu-lar is not.

#3: Jewelry
It’s not JOO-la-ree, it’s JOOL-ree. Again with the making things harder by turning a word into three syllables. What’s with that?

#4: Supposedly/supposably
The latter is a nonexistent word.

#5: Supposed to/suppose to
I think this one is more a matter of a lazy tongue than of ignorance. It takes an extra beat in there to emphasize the d at the end, but it’s worth it. And never omit the d if you’re using the term in a written communication or people will think you were raised in a hollowed-out tree trunk somewhere.

#6: Used to/use to
Same as above.

#7: Anyway/anyways
There’s no s at the end. I swear. Look it up.

#8: February/Febuary
As much as it galls me, there is an r between the b and the u. When you pronounce the word correctly it should sound like you’re trying to talk with a mouthful of marbles — FEB broo ary.

#9: Recur/reoccur
Though the latter is tempting, it’s not a word. And again, why add another syllable if you don’t need it?

#10: Mischievous/mischievious
I know, I know, it sounds so Basil Rathbone to say MIS cha vous, but that’s the right way. Mis CHEE vee us is more commonly used, but it’s wrong.

And last but not least, my personal all-time pet peeve — the word often. It should be pronounced OFF un, not OFF tun. The t is silent.

[bertha katzenengel]

1. # 11. Moot/Mute.

:grr:

[kay1864]

19. According to Joey on "Friends"...

that's a moo point.

:P

[RoadRage]

210. Yah.. i know.. a cow's prespective. ;) NT

[Common Sense Party]

161. Ooh, that one bugs me! A mute point? What is that?

A point that can't be heard?

[BeachBaby]

2. Favre.

The man can't even pronounce his own name. Drives me insane. :)

[jobycom]

31. He says it right, it's the grammar Fundies who get it wrong.

:)

[Connonym]

57. I can't believe I'm defending him

but I think the default correct pronunciation of a name is how the name holder prefers it pronounced whether it's phonetically correct or not. Come to think of it, 75% of people outside Wisconsin don't know how to pronounce Green Bay or even Wisconsin. For the record, the emphasis is on Bay and not Green and Wisconsin is pronounced Whizconsin not Wesconsin. Now hopefully I'll never talk about Favre and Green Bay, Wisconsin, at the same time again. Not that I'm bitter.

[jobycom]

71. Haha!

Sorry to dredge up painful subjects. I'm the reverse of you, though. I'm from south Mississippi so I'm a Favre fan. Now that he's left Green BAY, Wizconsin, I'll probably never think about the team again (Except when they are playing the Eagles, Giants, or Redskins). But now, I know how to pronounce them! :rofl: Thanks for the info.

[baldguy]

129. And Raymond Luxury-Yacht pronounces his name as "Throat-Warbler Mangrove"

[muriel_volestrangler]

130. "Whizconsin"? Really? You put an 'h' sound in there?

Strange.

[loveable liberal]

134. We just call them "The Nuts on the other side of the River"

heheheheheheeee..... They get their drivers license from Wal-mart you know.... hhhheeeheheheeeeheee

Loveable Liberal, from Minnneeeeesooooooooooooooooodah.

[susanna]

168. I'm from Michigan and say "Wiz-consin", although the 'Z' is sort of half-'S'.

Kind of in the middle. I don't use an 'H' at all, so I'm obviously a barbarian at the gates LOL.

[Left Is Write]

138. I have heard this "Wesconsin" before. I then wonder aloud if it's near Easconsin.

However, I grew up in MN and lived in WI for three years. I never pronounced it Whizsconsin. More like Wi-SCON-son.

[Connonym]

143. I think I probably didn't do a good job phonetically spelling it

I just meant to differentiate from the way people not from here pronounce it Wesconsin. More accurately, it should be (at least the way we say it in SE WI) Whis-KON-sin (the H isn't really pronounced separately, more like a dipthong WH sound as you would pronounce the WH in which)

[susanna]

170. Whew. I feel better now, neighbor.

I'm in Michigan and thought I was messed up.

And in my state, it's Mich (as in misch) ah Gen (hard G). I love when folks say Mich (as in Mitch)-A-GAN.

The things that keep us going... :-)

on edit: dupe smilie which is confusing

[madeline_con]

150. Pet peeve: would OF should OF say HAVE!!! n/t

[mainegreen]

3. JOO-la-ree? Most people I know say jew-wel-ry.

Maybe a Maine thing?

[HopeFor2006]

148. Minnesota thing too

Jewel-ry

[madeline_con]

151. In FL , always said it your way. n/t

[vard28]

4. Libary

Jesus PETE, it's lahy-brer-ee.

[Bucky]

104. I always say "Lie-berry" to my students. Only now do I realize some of them...

... may not realize I'm saying it wrong on purpose. Worse, some may not realize I'm saying it wrong.

[madeline_con]

152. Students need correct pronunciations modeled.

Don't do that. :hi:

[asthmaticeog]

142. My mom says "lie-berry." Evidently she WANTS me to grind my teeth down to little stubs.

:banghead:

[susanna]

173. That's what I say.

I also annoy people with Feb-roo-A-ree. I'm seriously invested in this sort of thing, and I don't care! :-)

[southpaw]

5. Pacific or Pacifically

rather than Specific or Specifically.

A local swimming pool contractor has a TV commercial where he promises to build a pool to your Pacific needs.

What if my needs are more Atlantic?

[lildreamer316]

68. LOL. Was in traffic court when someone said that to the judge.

Husband and I were trying to control our giggling mightily.

[trackfan]

6. I think #5 & 6 are legitimate elisions

[Critters2]

42. I agree. I pronounce them incorrectly, technically, I guess.

But I write them correctly and know what I mean when I say them. I just don't emphasize the "d"s.

[Shell Beau]

7. I thought the "r" was silent in February.

I am pretty sure it is.

[WinkyDink]

Yes; it's "Feb-ru-ay". Oh, the FIRST "r"? It's there for a reason.

[Shell Beau]

28. Well then I will have to keep on mispronouncing it.

I don't pronounce the "r" part.

[kay1864]

47. WinkyDink's wrong on this one...see below

Your pronunciation is fine.

[JVS]

65. Not for me!

[jberryhill]

144. Only in Leap Year

[Tikki]

8. I used to say 'take it for granite'...it is..

'take it for granted'.


Tikki

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Mispronouncing "lend" as "borrow".

Jesus, people, that one's not even close.

:eyes:

[MorningGlow]

15. ROFL!

Likewise, "mispronouncing" (misusing) "lend" as "loan". You don't "loan" money, you "lend" money. But you can "take out a loan".

[BuelahWitch]

178. Well then gimmee a quarter dammit!

;-)

[Lionel Mandrake]

201. According to the OED,

"loan" can be a synonym for "lend", especially in the US.

[Connonym]

59. same with scratch being pronounced as itch

I really HATE that. The truly sad bit is that the doctors I work for are constantly saying itch when they mean scratch. "The patient has been itching the rash." :eyes: I don't even bother to correct that any more in the transcription. I figure if they want to sound stupid that's their own problem.

[Ava]

10. offtun in febuary i'll put on my joolaree and call my realuhter

supposably he use to work in a nucular factory. Anyways, he is suppose to sell my house, but his mischeeveeus behavior keeps reoccuring.

[Flaxbee]

17. lol!

:D

:thumbsup: Ava!

[montanto]

86. Oh, are you looking to buy some propity?

[Blue-Jay]

11. According to the American Heritage Dictionary,

"Often" can be pronounced either way. That's a weird all-time pet peeve.

[jobycom]

37. So can mischievous

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischievous

A pronunciation \mis-ˈchē-vē-əs\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century.

[LeftinOH]

12. People who are hearing impaired are "deaf"...not "death".

[Bucky]

110. In some parts of Texas, people still say "deef"

Such persons also talk about electing their local Shurf.

[madinmaryland]

13. Ask vs. Aks ??

Seriously, I've heard it pronouced that.

:shrug:

[driver8]

18. This one drives me absolutely insane!

Aks??

Give me a break.

[madinmaryland]

20. I've heard someone say "Aks Tom about the task list"

:wtf:

[sentelle]

21. thats not aks

thats axe,

as in "can I do "...

"axe your mom"...

[madinmaryland]

22. Ax = Acks=Aks. I guess I should have spelled it "acks" rather than "aks".

:shrug:

That's what I meant.

[redwitch]

181. Someone said that to Lizzie Borden once.

And look how that turned out!

[MountainLaurel]

92. My officemate does that

It is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[emilyg]

146. So have I.

[Lil Missy]

153. That one bugs me too. It just sounds unintelligent.

[nuxvomica]

179. Also, "astericks" and "eckspecially"

People who wouldn't be caught dead pronouncing "ask" as "acks" will nonetheless blithely use the other two related mispronunciations.

[Lionel Mandrake]

202. Is there something you want to ax? (nt)

[MorningGlow]

14. This is probably due to a regional accent, but

the one that makes me nuts is pronouncing "eggs" (ehhgs) as "aigs". :nuke:

[madinmaryland]

16. "Irregardless" is NOT a word Folks!! It is "Regardless"

:grr:

[jobycom]

34. It is a word, it's just denied by grammar fundies.

You know what is meant when someone says it, so it's a word. The rules should follow the language, not the language the rules.

[LanternWaste]

41. Are "Grammar Fundies"...

Are "Grammar Fundies" individuals who know and use correct grammar?

[jobycom]

64. No

They are people who believe the sacred texts are more important than the spirit and purpose of the language.

[LanternWaste]

105. What sacred texts are you alluding to?

What sacred texts are you alluding to?

However, if you're simply being melodramatic, never mind and have fun! :hi:

[kay1864]

58. Now that's just plain dumb.

There are many fake "words" in usage. Doesn't make them real words. "Irregardless" is not a valid word, and its usage shows ignorance. Just because I know what the speaker intends doesn't mean they're using real words.

[jobycom]

67. It's a real word. It is in most dictionaries. It's meaning is not in doubt. There is nothing "fake"

about it. It is considered "non-standard," at worst, and often "informal" (which is the OED's description.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irregardless
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless
"Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however."
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/irregardless?view=uk

[kay1864]

79. You conveniently left out the rest of the M-W entry...

"Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead."

In other words, not accepted--not just "non-standard".

A "word", maybe, but not a "real word".



(and BTW it's Its meaning, not It's meaning. :hi:)

[jobycom]

83. I included the part relevant to my post. It is a word.

And not being generally accepted while still being a word makes it non-standard, and a "real word," as all three links indicate.

Sorry about the apostrophe. :(

[kay1864]

88. As I said above...

its usage shows ignorance. No way can it be considered equivalent to the validity of other words in general acceptance. As the link above indicates.

Use regardless instead.

[Odin2005]

221. If it's commonly used it's a real word. what the language Nazis think is irrelevant. n/t.

[madinmaryland]

95. Relevant and irrelevant are opposites, and regardless and irregardless

are also opposites. The dictionaries are only reflecting that a lot of morans have messed up their meanings.

[madeline_con]

156. It's smurfing like a mother smurfer out there!

You know what I meant, but is smurf noun, verb, adjective? All of the above? :shrug:

[madinmaryland]

81. IRREGARDLESS is grammatically incorrect...

Some people like to say "irregardless" when they in fact mean the exact opposite, "regardless". In the following sentences, for example:

"I am not going to vote for George W. Bush regardless of what you say.":

means "No matter what you say, I'm not going to vote for George W. Bush," whereas:

"I am not going to vote for George W. Bush irregardless of what you say.":

means "Whether or not I vote for George W. Bush depends on what you say."

Some authorities say that popular usage has changed "irregardless" to mean the same as "regardless", but I reject this. The "ir" portion acts as a negative to the word "regardless". As my standards are higher, I will not pander to the ignorant masses.

[jobycom]

84. You can reject it, but you are going against authority by doing so.

I reject that gravity pulls me towards the Earth. And yet I still fall.

[madinmaryland]

93. Did you not read what I posted??

You are the one that is rejecting the fact the gravity is pulling you towards the earth. When you parse the two words, then are exact opposites of each other. That is English 101. The issue that OED and Miriam accepts the word as a substitute is based usage (correctly or not) of a word by the ignorant masses. They are in no way saying that the two words actually mean the same thing.

[MJW]

186. run for the hills jobycom!

the grammur nazis are loose!:crazy:


can the spellung nazis be far behind?

[montanto]

91. Oooops

I meant to post my post to the response to your response!!

[montanto]

89. Irregardless is a redundancy, therefore unnecessary.

Over exaggerate is another example. Regardless does its job,
it doesn't need any help. Same with exaggerate. Plus, we already
have one word for over-exaggerate and that is hyperbole. Concision
is key. Why should we make a longer word or phrase to express
what the shorter one does?

[madinmaryland]

96. Actually the "ir" part is a negative and reverses the meaning of the word.

Like relevant and irrelevant.

[montanto]

119. So that turns it into regardful??

[madeline_con]

158. precisely n/t

[montanto]

120. But, now that I look in my collegiate dictionary I see that it is true,

sadly it IS a word, though not very well regarded as it is considered non-standard.
I did read this earlier on Wiki but disregarded it as perhaps erroneous. Still, I
reject it and refuse to use it because I think it makes people sound like buffoons.

[montanto]

125. I'm not sure why I'm so stuck on this. Just trying to

work it out I guess. If the 'ir' part is negative and reverses the meaning of 'regardless,' then
irregardless becomes something like regard, or the made up word 'regardful,' and every person that I have ever heard use the word 'irregardless' has mis-used it, because every person that I have heard
use it has meant 'regardless,' based on context, not the opposite of regardless, not regard,
or 'regardful.' Just out of curiosity I'd love to see irregardless used properly in a sentence
demonstrating the theory you put forth above (that is to say, not as a synonym for regardless, but of its opposite.).

[fishwax]

145. the "ir" could also be read as providing emphasis

Most of the prefixes that we think of as negating prefixes have a history of also being used for emphasis. (Inflammable, for instance, doesn't mean "not flammable.") Such usages are nowhere near as common as they used to be, but in a certain sense irregardless could be seen as a throwback to that. Some other words where the alleged negation means the same thing include boning and deboning and ravel and unravel. (Ravel, oddly enough, means both "to ravel" and "to unravel.")

There are several other "ir-" words which are similar or identical in meaning to their ir-less counter parts: radiate/irradiate, radiant/irradiant, radicate/irradicate, for example. Irrupt and rupture are also similar in meaning. Certainly the prefix ir- is most frequently a negation, but like the related prefix in-, it sometimes serves as an intensifier.

Of course, I don't imagine that such logic was really at the heart of irregardless in its origin--I believe it was a regionalism that had a certain humorous appeal and then took on a life of its own. (I do think, though, that the tradition of ir- as an intensifier is somewhat consistent with how "irregardless" is used today.)

None of this is to say you really have to accept it, though--I'm not trying to convince you :) (Personally I don't use it, though it doesn't really bother me when others do.)

[Rabrrrrrr]

193. "Irregardless" has all the intellectual barbarism as "most unique", "pre-xxxx", and "giving 110%"

Pre-xxxx meaning such ignorant asshole things as "precut" vegetables and "precooked" dinners, which mean in actually veggies that haven't been cut and dinners that haven't been cooked.

A cooked dinner is a cooked dinner, no matter when it was cooked.

[Lionel Mandrake]

203. Have you ever been "pre-approved" for credit?

And what, if anything, does this mean?

[montanto]

94. Yeah and we also have the hyphenated phrase

"you-know-that-feeling-that-you've-seen-something-or-someone-before-like-its-exactly-the-same?"

But I'm going to stick with "deja-vu" regardless.

[hamsterjill]

97. You stole my pet peeve for today!!

I hate it when someone says that.

Okay, so since you mentioned "irregardless", now I'm allowed one of my own, right?

That's SecAtery instead of SeCRatery. There is this stupid ole fart in our office that says that all the time (in addition to saying "irregardless") and I laugh every time I hear him. And you guessed it, he's a Republican to the core.

Can't be bothered to say things properly!!!

[vard28]

118. I could care less

THAT is as bad as irregardless to me! If I COULD care less, obviously I WOULD! I tell people "I couldn't care less" and they look at me like I've got two heads. :banghead:

[marzipanni]

189. How much care could a person care if a person could care less?

About the same amount as a woodchuck could chuck wood. :crazy:

[madeline_con]

154. It's listed in the dictionary as "same as regardless" I call BS

IR anything negates it. It would mean the opposite of regardless. So it would mean paying attention to all obstacles. :shrug:

[fishwax]

190. It's not true that "IR anything negates it"

For example: irradiate, irradiant, irradicate. Like in- and il-, the prefix ir-, though most often used as a negation also has a history as an intensifier. (I'm not suggesting that's how irregardless got started, but it does seem consistent with how people seem to use it.)

[BlooInBloo]

211. Some words are such for the simple reason that the idiot-majority so declared it....

"Irregardless" is one example.

[WinkyDink]

23. In the spirit of the season: "E-lec-TOR-al", instead of the correct "e-LEC-toral".

[kay1864]

24. Merriam-Webster says you're wrong on February

There're two ways to pronounce it correctly, not one:

usage Dissimilation may occur when a word contains two identical or closely related sounds, resulting in the change or loss of one of them. This happens regularly in February, which is more often pronounced \ˈfe-b(y)ə-ˌwer-ē\ than \ˈfe-brə-ˌwer-ē\, though all of these variants are in frequent use and widely accepted. The \y\ heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel u after a consonant, as in January and annual.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/february

[WinkyDink]

26. Nothing like caving to general ignorance. Thanks, Miwwiam-Webstew!

[kay1864]

29. Yeah, that's what dictionaries generally do..."cave"

It's not like they're run by experts on the English language or anything.

Sheesh.

[WinkyDink]

51. Okay, now hold on. Former English teacher here, practically a dictionary-worshipper. BUT I DO

recognize that "the changing English language" is totally an effect of popularity.
Sometimes, as with Chaucer, it's a good thing.
"Feb-yoo-ary"? Not so much.

[kay1864]

55. American Heritage says the same thing

Are they "caving" too?

The common pronunciation feb-yoo-er-ee, with the first r replaced by y, is the result of dissimilation, the tendency of like sounds to become unlike when they follow each other closely. An additional influence is analogy with January. Although sometimes criticized, this dissimilated pronunciation of February is used by educated speakers and is considered standard.

In my book, two well-known dictionaries outrank a former English teacher.

[jobycom]

82. Language is like society. It changes to correct flaws.

It changes to ease over awkward pronunciations, or to add a nuance not previously indicated by the altered word, or to integrate varying cultural and linguistic elements forced into cohabitation. A French speaker who learns English will have a slightly different usage than, say, an Arab or Chinese. Language always changes, always evolves. Much of what we speak now as "proper English" was once frowned upon as corrupted.

And you say "popularity" as though it is a bad thing. Popularity indicates the will of the people, and that's what egalitarianism and democracy are all about. Vive le plebians!

[madeline_con]

155. It would be more proper to say they "spelunk". n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

131. More caving by M-W - 'veterinary', but the OED holds the line on both

M-w: \ˈve-tə-rə-ˌner-ē, ˈve-trə-, ˈve-tə-ˌner-\

cf Oxford English Dictionary:

({sm}f{ope}bru{lm}{schwa}r{shti}) (yeah, I know that's almost impossible to read, but that's how their pronunciation guide pastes - but the 'r' after the 'b' is clearly there, with no alternative)

({sm}v{ope}t{schwa}r{shti}n{schwa}r{shti}) (again, no alternatives - all vowels and consonants get pronounced)

[BurtWorm]

25. Mispronounciation.

[kay1864]

33. Misspelling.

Yours, that is.

[kay1864]

27. "Heighth"

The other day, my daughter had her height and weight checked at the doctor, and the nurse (LPN, not RN), said "Now let's check your heighth."

:eyes:

Length, width, depth, breadth

Height, weight

Dang, is it that difficult?

[pagandem4justice]

126. Oh yes...and a "one-up"...

Not only do I regularly hear "heighth," but my former hairdresser says, "lungth" for "length," as in, "Do you like the lungth?" It's not a regional pronunciation (not here anyway, and she's a native of the region).

Drove me insane.

[Lionel Mandrake]

206. SAWNtimeter

That's medicalese for centimeter. It's sort of half way between standard English and standard French.

[LynneSin]

30. Nice post Kitler!

[madinmaryland]

49. Sheesh, LynneSin. I thought we had retired that old comment.

:wtf:

[LynneSin]

53. That was Hitler not Kitler

Look - Kitler is warm and cuddly - couldn't do that with Adolph

[madinmaryland]

61. No. It was the comment "nice post, xxxxxxx" that was retired!!

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[zbdent]

38. ouch ... that's a really bad pronunciation ...

[zbdent]

35. President George W. Bush

[zbdent]

36. Democrat Party

[AllegroRondo]

39. Cavalry / Calvary

Cavalry = soldiers on horses

Calvary = a place in the Bible.

but I've heard officers in the Cavalry Division who couldnt get them straight.

[Blue-Jay]

136. Those words are usually confused in the "Bible Belt".

I'm not insulting Southerners, as I went to undergrad school in the South. Many classmates said "Calvary" during history classes. They weren't necessarily dumb, but they were so used to saying that word that it "bled" over into discussions of military history. Sometimes your mouth/brain resorts to words that you're more familiar with.

[BeachBaby]

40. Isn't "War on Terror" grammatically incorrect?

Everytime I hear that phrase, it's like nails down a chalkboard.
Shouldn't it be "War on Terrorism"? :shrug:

[madinmaryland]

44. Well, it's actually not correct at all. How can you have a "war" on

a strategy?? It has to be a war against someone or something, not an action.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. No, War on Terror is correct

President Bush is currently in the process of deploying troops to Elm Street and Camp Crystal Lake as we speak.

[NJmaverick]

50. Your right, unless there is a person or thing called terror

[BeachBaby]

52. ....

Or "terra", as the case may be. ;) :hi:

[madinmaryland]

62. I'm not going to declare a war on terrya?

:wtf:

He's a really cool guy who posts here quite a bit.

[Odin2005]

223. LONG LIVE THE "MIRROR-NEAR" MERGER!!!

Terror = tayr

Mirror = meer

Internet = innernet

Arctic = artic


at least in my speech...

[Rabrrrrrr]

70. I would say it should be "War on Terrorists", since 'terrorism' is still a non-physical thing

"War on Terror" is like saying "War on Joy" or "War on Accuracy"

[marzipanni]

187. "Where's he at?"

:puke: Isn't "Where is he?", also three syllables and correct, just as easy to say?

"War on Joy" sounds like something Cheney cooked up in his secret chambers!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

43. Conscience/conscious.

As in people saying, "That guy has no conscious." :banghead:

[madinmaryland]

45. That only happens when you are in a coma??

[LanternWaste]

48. Ambience

For the longest time, I was under the impression the word 'Ambience' is pronounced "AHM (ryhmes with Bomb)-bee-onse'. Some months back on NPR during an interview with a Grammarian, I found out it's actually pronounced, '"AM (rhymes with Spam)-bee-ans'.

And all those years I figured I was sooo clever pronouncing it with just a touch of the European, and it turns out I was just being a bit of a pseudo-intellectual snob.... :)

[Bucky]

107. The way you were pronouncing it is the name of a perfume

which should not be pronounced "pair-foo-may" by the way.

[LanternWaste]

117. Oui.

Oui. Je pense que vous êtes correct. :)

[mwooldri]

54. I take issue with #3.

Here in the rest of the English speaking world we spell jewelry jewellery - hence the different pronounciation of the word. Similar thing with aluminum / aluminium

I admit to difficulty with Realtor, cos in UK we call them Estate Agents.

Mark.

[Left Is Write]

139. But you still don't pronounce it JOO-la-ree, do you?

I was aware that the Queen's English spells the word jewellery - but I would pronounce that JOO-uhl-er-ee, not JOO-la-ree.

[Lionel Mandrake]

207. Yeah, you guys talk kind of funny.

I saw a sign in London which said: "Subway to Underground". What's that, a subway to the subway?

[Iggo]

56. Re: Reel-uh-ter.

It's wrong, but I think I know why they do it.

They pronounce "real estate" as one word: reel-uh-state.

Reel-uh-state leads to reel-uh-ter.

Just a theory.

[yellowdogintexas]

60. "should of" instead of Should have or should've. Makes me nuts OR ..using 'stay' instead of 'live'

when referring to one's residence?

To me use of the word 'stay' indicates a temporary situation, as in
"we are staying at the Holiday Inn while we are in Denver, then we will stay at the Marriott when we go to Colorado Springs"

OR

'I am staying with my Aunt in Arlington until I get a job and a place in Dallas"

but around here it goes like this:

What part of town are you in?

Oh I stay in south Fort Worth at the XX apartments, or
I stay in Wedgewood, I bought a house there.

If you are receiving mail at an address in which you reside, you live there dammit

[Bucky]

111. Perhaps they stay in the hope that living in Fort Worth is going to be temporary

I get the same reaction to people saying they reared instead of raised their kids. My daughter probably needed to be reared, but I did was raise her.

[yellowdogintexas]

141. no, these are people who are permanently rooted here and don't want to leave

and as I said some of them own the houses they live in.

it is just weird, that's all

[Xipe Totec]

63. It drives me nuts when people mispronounce Parangaricutirimicuaro

It's Pa-RAN-ga-RI-cu-TI-ri-MI-cua-ro.

Get it right, people...

[Rabrrrrrr]

78. Wow - I had you pegged as someone enraged over the constant mangling of Mictlantecuhtli

Jesus, people - there's an "i" at the end!!! That means you DO pronounce the "l".

Loosers.

[Xipe Totec]

115. Yea, and that's a short I,

as in Горький, not a long I as in Некультурный.

Some people are so Некультурный... :P

[Iggo]

102. I know, huh!

People are all "Pa-RAN-ga-RI-cu-TI-ri-mi-CUA-ro."

Lame...

EDIT: Wait just a durned minute. Isn't it Pa-ran-GA-ri-cu-TI-ri-MI-cua-ro?

[Bucky]

112. Fer shizzle

my DUizzle.

[Xipe Totec]

113. What the Pho?

[JCMach1]

66. the pronunciation police can bite me!

[Rabrrrrrr]

74. I assume the "bite" in your sentence is to be pronounced "bee-TAY"

[JCMach1]

116. Pronunciation is always transient...

besides, which dialect would be correct anyway?

Old English
Middle English
Modern British English
CEV?

I also wave my private parts at the grammar police.

[Lionel Mandrake]

208. If a language is a dialect backed up by an army,

then the correct dialect would be the one with the biggest army.

[SKKY]

69. And please, please, do not ever use the word Irregardless....

...BECAUSE IT ISN'T EVEN A WORD!!!!!!!

[ScreamingMeemie]

73. Ahem...and I quoteth...

"The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however."

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless

It was even used in the National Spelling Bee. But I still won't use it because of mean people like you. :P

[madinmaryland]

76. The reason that I claim that it is not a word, though it is in general use,

is that my mother being an English Teacher reinforced to me that "irregardless" is not a word and is grammatically incorrect. Technically if you dissect the word, "irregardless" makes no sense (i.e. the "ir" actually negates the "less" part of the word, making the word actually not mean anything).

:shrug:

[SKKY]

77. Ok, well, you have a point, sort of...

...it's a nonstandard word, which means it's as much a word as "Ain't" is. I'M NOT MEAN!!! Now if you asked me, "Hey ALiberalSailor, can we go get something to eat?" and I replied, "Well I don't know. Can we?" THAT would be mean. I had an English teacher that would drive me bug fuck crazy with that. It cured me of it though.

[progressoid]

80. But they do say to, "Use regardless instead".

I'm a little shocked the spelling bee used it. Wow.

[ScreamingMeemie]

87. Any word that shows up in Mirriam-Webster is fair game.

it messed up the kid who got it big time. But then, my kid was knocked out on amaryllis. Don't tell wannaB I told you that.

[loveable liberal]

72. ECKSETTERAH. EXPRESSO.

its Et Cetera for christ sake. I love espresso.

[Kutjara]

98. A workmate once seriously ordered a "cup of chino"...

...at a cafe. Unfortunately, I was taking a sip of water at the time, with predictable results.

[Kali]

122. so was I when I read that

:spray: good thing I had a paper towel handy

[loveable liberal]

132. That is just plain brutal.

I am surrounded by people who use 'expresso'. I say nothing. I must admit recently I was surprised by the spelling of disdain. I could have sworn it was distain.

edit: to make sure I spelled disdain correctly.

[Odin2005]

224. ROFLMAO!!!

:rofl:

[ScreamingMeemie]

75. People who say Phantom for fathom, my sil included.

I've heard it a lot lately and it drives me nutso.

[ailsagirl]

85. flammable and inflammable are synonymous

don't know why :shrug:

[MadrasT]

90. For all intensive purposes

Instead of "intents and purposes". :banghead:

[AngryAmish]

99. "Perhaps I am taking the wrong tact"

Drives me nuts

[pokerfan]

100. Caucases /Caucasus

driving me nuts. And it's biathlon and triathlon, not biathalon and triathalon.

When did "For all intents and purposes" morph into "For all intensive purposes?"

And long-lived uses the long 'i' that rhymes with eye.

[mcctatas]

101. There are people in my University classes that say....

Scientifical Research. If it were only one person, I'd chalk it up to individual stupidity, two or more would be an anomaly, but when I hear it over and over? :wtf: does that say about the state of higher education?????

[Bucky]

103. Flaccid: the first C is (ironically) a hard C. Said the same as the double-c in Accent.

"Flaksid", not "flassid", which is a flaccid way of mispronouncing that word.

[madinmaryland]

108. Are you trying to get this thread locked??

:rofl:

[Bucky]

109. Are balloon-themed discussions forbidden by DU rules?

Thanks for the "head up". I'll be more careful from now on when I talk about things I blow.

[CBHagman]

121. Love the "beating a dead horse" smiley.

:rofl:

That one really needs to be added to DU.

[Bucky]

106. You say "Virginia" but I say "Vagina"

Let's call the hole thing off.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

133. I've met Virginians who call it Vahginia..

[Zavulon]

114. Did you look these up at the liberry?

We have one in DC pretty close to Judishooary Square. :rofl:

[Kali]

123. then/than

I would rather eat glass THEN mispronounce a word.:grr: You may be pronouncing it correctly but it is the WRONG word dumbass.

[Z_I_Peevey]

124. I have one--no, two--no, make that three. Perhaps four.

Less vs. fewer.

Between (him, her or them) and I. It's between him and me, people. You can say "He and I don't get along." But you can't say "There is bad blood between him and I." It makes all my own English teachers cry.

And martial law. It's martial law. Not marshal, or even Marshall.

And of course, lose vs. loose, which I believe many of us took a butt-chewing over recently.

I sometimes have spectactular typos myself, but sheesh, are these things that difficult?

[Rob H.]

127. Two more: "Yurp" instead of "Europe"

and "Yurpeans" instead of "Europeans," just two of the many mispronunciations brought to us by President Drunky McBumblefuck.

[Fleshdancer]

128. Screw the R in February

I don't care if anyone thinks I'm stupid for not sounding like a slurred drunk, I will never acknowledge the R in that word.

[Bear down under]

217. Then you deserve ...

... to be beaten with goatskin thongs wielded by naked Senators!

February is not really an English word but a Latin one. The sacred thongs with which two Senators chosen for their youth and good looks struck any woman within reach as they ran naked through the streets of Rome during the spring festival of Lupercalia were called februa. They were cut from the hide of a goat that had been sacrificed in the temple of Jupiter, and it was believed that any woman struck by them was guaranteed easy childbirth. They gave their name to the month in which the festival took place, Februarius or February.

[bluethruandthru]

135. It's Sherbet...not Sherbert!

I actually saw a sign in a grocery store pointing the way to the Sher-Bert!!!

and...

Twice this week at work someone has asked me about Vanilla Envelopes!!! It's MANILLA!

[Nailzberg]

137. Short-lived is my current pet peeve.

Although I don't think those mispronouncing it are stupid. Just victims of a lazy society that has been saying it incorrectly for many years. Hell, I can't be bothered to write proper English most the time, so I can't be too upset.

[Paladin]

140. "Real-uh-ter" Drives Me Up The Freaking Wall

That pronunciation is big in Texas, even among a lot of educated, otherwise discerning people. I even saw a TV ad one time with a realtor hawking his services, and HE even referred to himself as a "real-uh-ter." I left his office a phone message that night, telling him to pull his head out of his ass and learn to pronounce his profession correctly. Just trying to help....

[MrSlayer]

147. Picture/Pixture.

Fucking annoying.

[eauclaireliberal]

149. "Eye-tally-en"

Every time I hear some Bubba mouth it, I want to kick the shit out of him.

[krispos42]

174. I had some fun with that once

This girld I was dating, her mom said "Eye-talian". I'm half-Italian, myself, and she was mostly German. So i mispronounced "German" with hard 'g' sound instead of the normal 'j' sound. Like "Grrr-man", you see.

She laughed. :-)

[Lethe]

157. u left out the worst ones

have

i "have" to go to the strip club to ease my psoriasis.
I "have" to get a perscription
I "have" to go to summer camp and canoe-kayak on the alpine lakes.


this is the abomination of the english language. Have is possesive, whereupon none of these sentances are possisive. Use "must" or something more inventive.

[Common Sense Party]

163. Do you have a link to a rule on that? I've never heard of such a thing.

In this case, just as in Spanish, have is not showing possession, it is simply a "helping verb."

In Spanish, we also say tengo que ir a la tienda, tengo que obtener el remedio, etc.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've never heard that a helping verb is improper grammar.

[Lethe]

165. i'm not saying it's wrong, i'm saying it's stupid

and it doesn't make sense

[fishwax]

191. "to have (a duty/responsibility) to ..."

That particular usage (I have to go to the store, etc.) actually stems from the possessive meaning.

[muriel_volestrangler]

176. 'have' is not just posessive; it's an auxiliary verb used for the past, as well as compulsion

I love your suggestion of "something more inventive" - you want people to make things up, rather than use one of the established words?

[reyd reid reed]

159. What about

Would of
Could of
Should of

drives me absolutely batty.

And...'tooken'. "You could of gone if you'd of tooken out the trash when I told you to."

Yes. I hear that kind of sentence all the time and, let me tell you, it sets my teeth on edge. Heh...yesterday, in the car, my youngest grinned and said, "I'm gonna say something that's not a word but I'm gonna say it anyway...tooken. Tooken, tooken, tooken." Then he cracked up.

[Common Sense Party]

160. "WaRshington." Yeah, I'm lookin' at you, Newt Gingrich.

Of course, my mom says it also. She also says "waRshing machine". I'm not sure why.

[nytemare]

162. Coincidentally, people from Washington/Maryland say Warshington.

I pronounced it that way until I was about 12.

[Common Sense Party]

166. Do they? I always thought it was a Midwestern thing,

since my Mom was from Iowa/Illinois.

But then I heard Gingrich pronounce it that way, and I don't think he was from the Midwest originally.

(My feeling: if you can't pronounce "Washington," you shouldn't serve in office in Washington.)

[Lil Missy]

172. Nor should we have anyone in office that cannot pronounce nu-CLE-ar.

warsh and Warshington are also pet peeves of mine.

[Odin2005]

226. Carter and LBJ pronounced it "nukular" it's an archetypal example of metathesis.

That is, switching sounds around in a word. It's an accent thing and a very common sound change. In old English "bird" was "bryd" and "horse" was "hros"

[nytemare]

185. It may be a mid-atlantic thing.

My parents both said it. It took me until I was 12 or so not to say it that way. I think it is sort of like the Mass/New Hampshire thing where they say "ah" or "eh" instead of "ar" or "er", like cah and yahd.

[Odin2005]

225. It's a St. Louis thing according to Wiki. n/t.

[PVnRT]

216. That's dialect, not mispronounciation

And yes, there is a difference.

[rainbow4321]

218. I say "warsh", also

It's the pronounciation I grew up around. Warshington, warsh, etc...



Back in elementary school (1970's) I was sent to the "speech teacher" because I had inherited my father's New York accent..and apparently, back then, this was not a good thing if you lived in Central Jersey. I had NO r's in my words, whether they belonged there or not.
After a year of being missing regular class time so I could go to the speech lesson/class and STILL falling back on the NY accent, my parents had had enough with the school district when they wanted me to keep going to the class because of "my speech problem".
Mom had the speech teacher over to our house and said "ya know, the accent is not going away...it's how WE talk and, no, she will NOT be going to your speech sessions anymore".
Ugh..still have horrible memories of sitting there having the teacher drill me on "carrrrrr", "starrrrrr", and every other word that had a frigging r in it..over and over and over!

[nytemare]

164. The grass island in the middle of the road is a MEDIAN!

Not a medium.

[moriah]

167. As my 2nd mother used to say.... "Do you sofTen your hands as you do dishes?"

That is one of my pet peeves too.

[struggle4progress]

169. Ain dat da troof!

[valerief]

171. ER-YOO-DITE vs. ER-EE-YOO-DITE. Which is right? nt

[Digit]

175. Thank you for #1, Realtor

Drives me batshit crazy.
Now, at long last, I am a Broker...rather difficult to mispronounce.

Say it with me...I am a Broker, so now I am broker than you.

[Inchworm]

177. "felp" and "corking" were good ones I've heard several times

Start felping the roof. When I get done corking this window I'll help.

:silly:

[RedShoes]

180. you're wrong about often...it's either. look it up. nt

[skooooo]

182. Do me a favor and never read Mark Twain!

[yardwork]

183. Off-tun is my pet peeve. I hate it when people say that.

They think they're pronouncing "often" correctly but they're not. They come off as pretentious AND uninformed.

[Common Sense Party]

213. Are you objecting to the pronunciation of the "t"?

Because there's absolutely nothing incorrect or pretentious about it.

Pronunciation: \ˈȯ-fən, ÷ˈȯf-tən\

[yardwork]

219. It is never preferred. It has been considered incorrect by every source until very recently.

It always sounds pretentious. Don't use it.

[Common Sense Party]

227. Thanks for your concern. I'll continue to say it the way I always have,

with a T.

[ChazII]

184. My pet peeve

is 'idear' for idea.

[goodgd_yall]

195. It's a regional thing

People from certain parts of the Northeastern part of the U.S. and people from the U.K. or it's former colonies tend to do that. I did for a long time; I picked it up from my New Yorker parents.

[Speck Tater]

188. My pet peeve: Oregon.

To natives the pronunciation of "Oregon" is ABSOLUTELY indistinguishable from the musical instrument "organ". It is NOT OR-ee-gahn.

[goodgd_yall]

197. It's like people from Biloxi

being annoyed by the pronunciation "Bi-LOX-i." Those who know better say "Bi-LUX-i."

[yellowdogintexas]

205. or this one: it's Loo-uh-vul not Louieville! (for Louisville, KY, home of the Ky Derby

of course

You can always tell a non native Kentuckian by the way that is pronounced and also

Versailles. Which is a small city in KY, and is pronounced VerSAYLES by native Kentuckians.

ONly the rest of the world pronounces it Ver sigh

[Karenina]

192. These threads are like a RECURRING nightmare!

:rofl:

[Occam Bandage]

194. Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum,

Si þin nama gehalgod. To becume þin rice, gewurþe ðin willa, on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg,and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum. And ne gelæd þu us on costnunge, ac alys us of yfele. Soþlice.

(I like how people get mad at lenition, and then also get mad at fortition to restore the pre-lenited consonant)

[goodgd_yall]

196. Does it drive anybody nuts here to hear "lay" used incorrectly?

As in "I have to lay down now" ?

I'm thinking it's such a common error that it doesn't grate on the ear as many of these other mistakes.

[yellowdogintexas]

204. yes. it. does. nt

[ashling]

198. physical year

Massatusetts

[fizzgig]

199. you're wrong about often

according to my dictionary, off-ten is an acceptable pronunciation

[Skittles]

200. im-PORDANT

ugh - a Southern mispronounciation of im-por-tant - I cringe when I hear this

[Recovered Repug]

209. Not mispronunciations but wrong usage.

Insure / ensure and your / you're.

[snailly]

212. romanic for romanTic

ugh

[Common Sense Party]

214. Often has a t. It's perfectly correct to pronounce it.

Either pronunciation is acceptable and correct.

Pronunciation: \ˈȯ-fən, ÷ˈȯf-tən\

[MaggieSwanson]

215. Pet peeve: "spaded"

rather than "spayed".

As in "I had my cat spaded last week". It makes me want to call the ASPCA every time.

[Odin2005]

220. I ****ing hate pronounciation and grammar Nazis.

Languages change, if that offends (which I pronounce as "offenz") the language snobs that to dang bad. saying such dialectal differences are "stupid" and "uneducated" is elitist and classist snobbery. Jimmy Carter pronounces "nuclear" as "nook-u-ler" and he's an F-ing nuclear engineer by training; is Carter "stupid" and "uneducated"? Anyone? Beuhler?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_change
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_(linguistics)

Metathesis is one of the most common types of speech errors. The pronunciation of ask as /æks/ goes back to Old English days, when ascian and axian/acsian were both in use. Some other frequently heard pronunciations in English that display metathesis are:

* /ˈæstɚˌɪks/ for asterisk
* /ˈkælvəɹi/ for cavalry
* /ˈkʌmftɚbl̩/ for comfortable
* /ˈfɔɪlɪdʒ/ for foliage
* /ˈɪntɚˌdus/ for introduce
* /ˈɪntɹəgl̩/ for integral
* /ˈnukjəlɚ/ for nuclear
* /ˈpɝti/ for pretty
* /ˈɹɛvələnt/ for relevant

The process has shaped many English words historically. Bird in English was once bryd, horse was hros, wasp is also recorded as wæps and hasp, hæps. The discrepancy between the spelling of iron and the usual pronunciation is the result of metathesis.

Metathesis is also a common feature of the West Country dialects, and amongst children when they acquire new words, such as pasghetti for spaghetti.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissimilation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elision

Examples of elision in English (help:Pronunciation):
comfortable: /ˈkʌɱfɚtəbəl/ → /ˈkʌɱftɚbəl/
fifth: /ˈfɪfθ/ → /ˈfɪθ/
him: /hɪm/ → /ɪm/
laboratory: /læˈbɔrətɔri/ → /ˈlæbrətɔri/ (American English), /ləˈbɔrətri/ (British English)
temperature: /ˈtɛmpərətʃɚ/ → /ˈtɛmpɚtʃɚ/, /ˈtɛmprətʃɚ/
vegetable: /ˈvɛdʒətəbəl/ → /ˈvɛdʒtəbəl/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apheresis_(linguistics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncope_(phonetics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epenthesis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel_breaking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_vowel_changes_before_historic_r#Mirror-nearer_merger



I pronounce:

mirror as "meer" (mirror-near merger)

arctic as "artic"

February as "Febuwary"

Internet as "Innernet"

probably as "probly" (see "haplology")

Every one I know does the "suppose to" thing, it's simply a side effect of the D ad T bleeding together in NORMAL speech.

Oh, and I split my infinitives (OH THE HORROR!!!), say double negatives (which used to be fine, most languages have no problem with them, untill the language Nazis started thier BS), use "ain't" (which was a perfectly acceptable word until the language snobs started using it for elitist, classist purposes in the 1800s, so people that say "ain't isn't a word are WRONG!!!)



A nice website on the future evolution of English that will make the Language Nazis go apoplectic:

http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/futurese.html

Let me get one thing clear: there's nothing wrong with languages changing over time.

When looking at a biological "family tree" (such as the evolutionary history of the horse), the general public insists on seeing any movement as intrinsically "progressive", moving from "primitive" to "advanced" designs. Yet somehow when looking at the linguistic equivalent (such as the development of the Romance languages from Vulgar Latin) they see exactly the reverse - any change is proof that the language is in decline. In reality they're just as wrong both times!

The attitude is perfectly understandable; membership of a linguistic community is an important social marker, so people often get neurotic about the way they speak, and cling to the security blanket of vaguely remembered schoolroom mandates, despising those barbarians who split infinitives or mispronounce "shibboleth". Ironically, it's this same group-membership effect that's responsible for many of the changes (see below), but the degeneration the purists warn against is an imaginary danger anyway. English has gone from being a minor Germanic tongue on Europe's fringe, with a vestigial system of inflections signposting case, mood, gender and so on, to being a much more weakly inflected language dominating the global landscape. Every step of the way, old fogeys moaned that it was going to the dogs; but although the noun-gender system of Old English has crumbled away entirely, it turns out not to have been a structural support in the first place... and the simplifications have been balanced by increased complexity in other places, such as in the sheer size of the vocabulary.

[HEyHEY]

222. You merkins talk like that?

Most of the "proper" ones seemed normal to me.

[Odin2005]

228. Hey, don't get lippy, my upper-midwestern accent is not too different from Canadian English!

I even have the infamous "Canadian raising" of "ay" and "ow" before un-voiced consonants, famously parodied as saying "oot and aboot" for "out and about."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_raising

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[lazyriver]

229. Espresso not ex-presso