Posted on 11/18/2016 12:35:53 PM PST by EveningStar
Fred Astaire drew laughs back in the Thirties with his song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" in which the lovers can't agree on the pronunciation of words like either, neither, and tomato.
On a personal level, I cringe when I hear someone sound the "t" in often or pronounce pecan with a short "a," but I have to acknowledge that both these pronunciations are widely accepted alternate pronunciations that can be justified by the spelling.
Alternate pronunciations, however, are a different matter from out-and-out mispronunciations. The latter, no matter how common, are incorrect, either because of the spelling that indicates another pronunciation, or because of what is widely agreed upon to be conventional usage. Word of caution: I'm writing from an American perspective.
Here are 50 frequently mispronounced words. The list is by no means exhaustive, but provides a good start.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailywritingtips.com ...
I think the most definitive difference in regions is what they call carbonated beverages.
I was born and raised in the Florida Panhandle and the most common usage was to call all of them Cokes tho some real old timers used to say Co-Colas. “Soft Drinks” is also common as is just naming the exact one such as “A Dr. Pepper”.
My late wife was from Oklahoma and she called everything “Pop”. Other places used different names.
BTW, I say pecan as in Kahn with the emphasis on the “Pe”. I was talking to a little cutie who was born not that far away in South Georgia and I noticed she pronounced it the same was except it was “Can”.
I've been trying to get my wife to stop calling them "crowns" for most of the 27 years we've been married. One of my kids did use "prolly" once, and my head did explode.
Could add look it up in the...”diction-airy” vs. “diction-ry”.
That’s something I bring on a long road trip when I don’t plan on stopping, not something I’d put in a pie.
It is pronounced that was in Kansas too.
Well, you see, it works well in this poem:
It is not the cough that carries you off,
It is the coffin that carries you often.
The word is supposedly, not supposably.
The word is us, not uz.
The word is frustrated, not flustrated.
The word is Pakistan, not Pokiston.
And, finally, it's I couldn't care less. not I could care less.
Ahhhh. It feels good to get that off my chest.
Oh, yes you do. And you better pronounce the “you” in coupon.
That’s definitely an approved alternate pronunciation.
+1
Now let’s have some of the New Orleans krewe tell us how to say “I’ll have beignets on the banquette”.
As in “bu in”?.......or, “ki in”. (Button, kitten, etc.)
People pronounce words different ways in different places-it has less to do with grammar than it does with regional accent-most of MrT5’s family live in Canada-their accent was so different I never got used to it, eh? They came houme after work, etc-not like anything I’ve ever heard before...
My only “real” pet pronunciation peeve is the way some people-of all ethnic groups-in the deep south say “ask” as “axe”-it makes me want to tell them you ask a question, and an axe is what you chop wood with-a lot of people from Louisiana do that...
“And you better pronounce the “you” in coupon.”
Maybe I do; maybe I don’t. It’s the Internet; you’ll never know for sure.
..troublemaker...
I have to admit that one bothers me, too-I want to yell pecahn, damnit!
Or strenth, for strength.
Like when “restroom” is pronounced “can”?
I love it. Thank you!
Exactly!
I count three flagrant violations. Why, it’s as if...I see what you did there.
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