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 ...
That's just one of many Appalachianisms--and "city" should accompany it.
Nah-vah-duh (often heard on newscasts) instead of Neh-vada, drives the locals crazy.
I’m interested in the history of the language and how English has developed in different places, so I am glad for the diversity and variations and that traces of the older language remain. I was visiting Carl Sandburg’s Home in NC some years ago and heard some other visitors speaking what I believe was a mountain dialect. I didn’t understand much, but it was fascinating to hear.
“along with “pacific” when people should say specific”
Might not be a mispronunciation, it might be a slip of the tongue or mondegreen (mistakenly using the wrong word).
There’s a tv show I watch where one character does that constantly, with some funny results, like “worst case Ontario” and “beauty is in the eye when you hold her”.
huh....yet so many are named Lee-roy and not Luh roy.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard “medieval” pronounced with four syllables, or with an “ee” in the first syllable.”
I’ve heard it, but oddly enough, only from Brits and Canadians, not Americans.
BFL
I’ve noticed that many folks do not pronounce the second “T” in words with a double “T”. Example: button.
I hear it pronounced but-en rather than but-ton.
My lettered parents corrected my "pee-can," learned from copying all my grade-school chums, indicating that the pronunciation sounded sort of vile to the tutored ear, especially at church suppers.
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I have, many times.
I remember my parents arguing about the right way to pronounce pecan. My mom was from CA and my dad was from AR.
Oh definately a reason. After a few nobody bothers to pronounce the first “c”.
32. medieval – The word has four syllables. The first E may be pronounced either short [med] or long [meed]. Say /MED-EE-EEVAL/ or /MEE-DEE-EEVAL/, not /meed-eval/.
I apologize. What I have heard is Med_ ih -eeval. Usually while watching a show about someone involved in the study of medieval history.
Saying ‘pe-kahn’ just sounds so affectatious and pretentious, like someone trying to sound high class when you know they aren’t...................
How did nuclear come to be pronounced nook yuh lehr ?
If you are enunciating the word correctly, yes, you do! Look in your dictionary. Remember, the word irregardless is irredundant! < BG >
John, why does the spellcheck accept irregardless?
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