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Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Most of them are laughable, but I did get caught out by one.

- Steve

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Not pronouncing the h in herb is universally accepted in the USA, so that came as a surprise.  So did spit and image - that is not used in the USA.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I'm curious as to if that site is considered an authority.  For example, I had been taught that often can be pronounced either way, and the Miriam Webster dictionary lists both ways.
Same with herb.  It was drilled into us in elementary school that the h was silent.  Miriam Webster lists the prounciation as "'erb, US also & British usually 'hərb".
 

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." - George Bush, Washington DC, 27 October, 2003
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

The regional pronunciations are mostly optional.  I shudder when I hear 'erb, but I shouldn't and wouldn't consider it "wrong".  Unlike some of the ones listed which clearly are.  For example: libel/liable.  Two different words with different meanings, spellings and sounds.  Unless you're Dubya of course.

- Steve

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

The last time I discussed 'erbs with my friend Herb, we were at an 'ockey game.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

At least we are finally free after 8 years of GWB stating "I'm proud to be a merkin."

I think this list shows more about the author's cultural bias than anythin else. If anything "spitting image" is a mispronounciation of "splitting image" (although this has become so widely used that my dictionary lists both)

Perhaps we should all take heed of the OP's sig comment.

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

But not a mention of "hunting down tourists, wherever they hide"?

A.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Yes, this fellow is a bit per(s)nickety.

My dictionary prefers "erb", but I get corrected quite frequently in Australia.

My dictionary also lists forte with the "e" pronounced for all definitions, so I will continue.

As to pronouncing Australia,  I think that should be left to those who speak Strine.  

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

No one in 'straya says 'erb'.

 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I do.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

"Champ at the bit"????????????????   

I don't think so.  Tell that to the horse!

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Click the links, and many times both pronunciations are listed. Then click "hear it" to hear the wrong version according to the author.

And let's not call nucular an American pronunciation. Most Americans I know of (one famous exception) pronounce it properly.
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

How about pacific instead of specific?!

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

And about anyways in place of anyway?

Ciao.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

conversate... similar to mentioned in article.  I hear this regularly now, in place of the root: converse.

From the 100 list, silicon(e) is one I hear and read frequently, usually silicon.

There's an element of academic snobbery in the article.  Dictionary's generally follow a descriptive rather than prescriptive model: English is a living, conglomerate language.  To disavow "aks" when admitting its use for over 1,000 years seems disengenuous.

I am reminded of a choir director's instruction for singing diction was to move forward soft consonants to the next word otherwise they often become hard d's.  Example line of his "Do you hear wha tI hear"; otherwise, spoken and non careful singing, it comes out "Do you hear whad I hear".

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Man, that silicon one really bugs me. Silicon implants? Just imagine...

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

"Dictionary's"

Oops!  In a thread questioning grammar and pronunciation.  Bet you wish you could go back and edit it.

- Steve

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...


One that I hear frequently now and is not on the list is 'mines' instead of 'mine.'  I had one person argue the point insisting it's 'yours and mines.'

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

"Mine's" - yes, that's an oldie - very common from a generation of Glaswegians who would sometimes say things like "Yous are all going to be wanting some of this"

A.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

My pet peeve: ing->ink

"something" becomes "somethink", "nothing" becomes "nothink", etc.

And then furthe down the food chain it gets compounded by some->sump

"something" becomes "sumpthink"

- Steve

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...


And yet further down it becomes "sumfink" or "nuffink"

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Heidth is one of my pet peeves.  The "H" is at the beginning!

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Height?  Agree, it is not heighth.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I don't mind "heidth". "Haitch" on the other hand. Ugh...

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I think "haitch" is cute, probably because I hardly ever hear it here in the States so it sounds charming rather than uneducated.  Though I did know one Mohawk who called me "Haitch-Gee".  Canadian influence, maybe?

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

How about putting the sound of the "h" before the previous letter?  whale = hwhale.  or even:  awhile = hawhile.  

Drives me bananas.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I could have sworn it was "card shark".

 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

my fren want to be a card shark but she didn't know how to play so I shoulder.  Now chicken play real good an cheeses wheelchair her winnings.

 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

The most common one I hear is orientated instead of oriented (as in object oriented).

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I saw a nice one on this site the other day - "for all intensive purposes".

 

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

One that my husband uses frequently is (phonetically) "in-nok-c-u-lus" instead of "innocuous".   

Patricia Lougheed

Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

SomptingGuy,
Interesting reference.  I had never heard the term "back derivation" before and maybe I'll stop gritting my teeth at "orientate".  

The one that I just cant abide is "liaise" for "to form a liaison".  It just sounds stupid.

David

Hint:  ALWAYS spell check in this fora

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

yeah, but liaise is a real word, and apparently used commonly in some english-speaking parts of the world.  

One thing that drives me nuts is the omission of "to be" from sentences (call the dialect Midwestics, perhaps), as in "my car needs fixed, and our progress needs reviewed."
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

zdas04

Maybe a grammar checker too ("ALWAYS spell check in this fora")?

I've seen a lot of folk here use "fora" as the plural of "forum" instead of the more common "forums". Of course it is a genuine alternative, but it sounds poncey to me.

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Thanks, "fora" always sounds wrong to me, so sometimes I use and just ignore that it doesn't look right.

David

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

"Forums" is much better.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

You'll be suggesting that data is singular next winky smile

- Steve

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Back in '98 when I was writing up my PhD thesis I used "data" as singular throughout (again it's one of those things where the dictionary says either, but my personal preference is for singular). At the end of the 4 hours of torture which was my viva, the external examiner told me I had passed and then went through the 20 or so minor corrections he wanted me to make. He shook my hand and I was half way out the door when he said "Oh, and by the way, 'data' is plural ...". I was too scared and drained to argue!

M

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I've always considered data as plural because one is a datum.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I looked up the Fora V Forums thing a while back.

As I recall, in a context like this site 'Forums' is more correct.

I can't recall the details now but I was dissapointed as I though 'Fora' sounded smarter and I need all the help I can get in that department.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Whichever of "fora" or "forums" you choose (more of a sociological issue than a grammatical one), they're both plural.  "This fora" (up a few posts) is not correct.  Not yet anyway, and I doubt it's heading that way since the word isn't commonly used.  (I forget the name of the Usenet "law" that says any spelling or grammar flame must include an error of its own.)

"Data", on the other hand, is receiving increased support for use as a mass noun (like "water" and "furniture"), grammatically treated as singular.  I try to avoid using "data" as a subject altogether because no matter which verb form I choose, someone will think it sounds wrong.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I've often been torn about the "data" issue.  In GD&T, "datums" are used, but it never sounded quite right to me.  Of course, the subject is confusing enough without injecting a new term, and I think to do so would only invite derision.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

When I see the word "datum", most frequently it's being used as a benchmarking point rather than simply any old data point.  So to me "datums" means something different from "data".  But then I'm from the "mass noun" camp, where "data" has come to mean something more like "information".

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Talking about mispronunciation.... my wife caught me using dictation in word. She said she wanted this on her computer and so I installed speech recognition as commanded.

The good news is that the wife isn't talking to me at the moment and its not because I've done anything wrong, its because she is busy trying out speech recognition.

The bad news is that speech recognition is obviously in its infancy, if what it writes when I speak is anything to go by, and English is my wife's 7th or 8th language.
 
She is in the speech training section where she has to read he text into the microphone and her English isn't that good.
Microsoft is having a problem with her accent, her frequent mispronunciations and a tendency to use German phonetical pronunciations ("vert" for "word") but she has lived in England now for sufficiently long that she has adopted the British "talking to foreigners too lazy to learn English because they are deaf" shouting method. So she is now shouting in German accented English at her computer.

So, its now one hour in and I'm being deafened. Her English may not be so hot but her Anglo Saxon is pretty good, and some of the words she is using to her computer are the ones I have often wanted to use to Big Bill Gates, but I suspect Big Bill's software is even more in trouble with Anglo Saxon than plain English.

I look forward to the days when we get closer to true artificial intelligence, that's the day when my wife's computer will need therapy, probably treatment for Post Traumatic Shock and certainly for hurt feelings...
she just called it an **** idiot, but at least she isn't shouting at me.

 

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Al-um-in-um

Where did "al-u-min-ium" come from?

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

That one used to bother me too, until I took the time to look it up.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Google is your friend - see http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/aluminium.htm. It's that American/British thing.

Regarding data and datum(s), I'm totally with you HgTX. Another one - I normally would use formulae when I have a lot, but found myself recently using formulas. That's evolution I guess. I can't imagine ever wanting to use fora though.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

For some reason, fora actually sounds correct to me.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

Not sure why fora doesn't work for me, maybe too close to flora (not that I have anything against plants, or margarine).

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

I must confess, I'd never heard of a "cardsharp"  It's always been a card shark in my experience...including the cheesy yet addictive 80's game show.

Edward L. Klein
Pipe Stress Engineer
Houston, Texas

"All the world is a Spring"

All opinions expressed here are my own and not my company's.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

The actual word is cardsharp, although I don't know the etymology.  It has been changed in common usage to card shark probably because of the similarity to pool shark, which itself is a play on words between billiards and swimming.

RE: Mispronunciations - an eye opener...

jgailla...I knew you'd put that extra degree to use at some point!!

jmw...I've been using artificial intelligence all my life!

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