10 words we've forgotten how to pronounce

The Week ^ | March 9, 2015 | James Harbeck

[Celtic Conservative]

Leicester= Less-turr.

CC

[ought-six]

“The one that makes me crazy is when people pronounce REALTOR as if it was REALATOR.”

I know! And another one that grates on me is pronouncing MASONRY as MASONARY (i.e., mace un air ee).

[Savage Beast]

In Asheville, North Carolina, where Leicester is a suburb, I noticed a dual population. One group pronounced Leicester properly, and the other pronounced it "Lee Sesster".

[Celtic Conservative]

Would that be the toasted cheese, Killick?

CC

[ought-six]

But, in German “oeh” is pronounced as “ay.”

[Paine in the Neck]

In Asheville, North Carolina, where Leicester is a suburb, I noticed a dual population. One group pronounced Leicester properly, and the other pronounced it "Lee Sesster".

Incomers often take over the pronunciation of a place. In NH, there is the Kancamagus Highway. The oldtimers say "kank a maw gus". The incomers and tourists insist on "kank a mang gus". That long A in Kancamagus that gives the "maw" syllable also appears in the Saco River, pronounced "saw ko". More and more, in recent years I'v heard "say ko".

[Savage Beast]

The New Yorkers are absolutely right. Houston or Houstoun is a very old Georgia family. Sam was probably one of them, although I don't feel like checking out that possibility/probability right now. It is pronounced, as you say, "How-ston".

They should be scornful of such a transgression!

[thefactor]

At least we got something right.

[Savage Beast]

Pronouncing a final i like a as in sofa is something I've heard lots of old timers do: Miama, Hawaya, Missoura. I've wondered if it could be related to the old English tendency, still heard sometimes in Appalachia, to pronounce a final a like a y, e.g. Loretty for Loretta.

[Savage Beast]

"Meem" for mime and "crassantt" for croissant set my teeth on edge, I guess because I learned the French pronunciation first. I'm trying to adjust, but it's such a stretch.

[Savage Beast]

"It’s nu-cle-ar weapon not nu-cler weapon"

Yes, and "nu-cu-lar" is even worse.

[SAJ]

The town in Illinois is pronounced just as the one in Georgia.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Anybody past the age of 6 that says axe instead of ask.

[ml/nj]

I had an amusing time trying to get directions to Hertford Street when I first arrived in London (at Victoria Station which is a short walk from Hertford Street).

ML/NJ

[Savage Beast]

"Did we forget how to pronounce them, or did society accept mispronouncing them"

This is one way that language grows and changes.

The French insist on pronouncing foreign words in their foreign pronunciation, but they can do this only in part, and they wind up pronouncing them with a French accent.

The English do just the opposite. They give foreign words an English pronunciation.

Only the other hand, Don Juan is given a French pronunciation in Bizet's Carmen.

[SAJ]

The problem with this thread (unavoidable, sadly) is that there are simply too many adaptive pronunciations of words in the American version of the English language. This has recently been reemphasised to me, because I live in Panamá and am engaged a bit in helping the local students with English pronunciation.

Their teachers, Panameños all, are perfectly bright, but somehow have learned their pronunciation in an Español-ish manner. Even the teachers can not believe the number of adaptive/exceptional pronunciations in English. The pronunciation of common words such as 'woman' drives them a little nuts. I'm using the sentence, "The woman never reads a book." as an exemplar. This helps somewhat, but, brother, for a full course, the number of exemplars would be utterly enormous.

[Savage Beast]

It's important that you pronounce forehead correctly, Arth. Think of the implications for the little girl with the little curl if you continue to pronounce it incorrectly.

[Covenantor]

Had a Belgian coworker who visited his distant relatives in upstate Boo-follow.

[jocon307]

I get it that it’s kind of lumpy to say correctly, but it still irks me. I didn’t know it’s essentially a brand name!

[Savage Beast]

No, in German oe or ö or oeh (for a more drawn out syllable) is pronounced like the e in er but without pronouncing the r. It's the same sound as the French e, as in le.