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 ...
Elec tor al, not E lec tor ehl
> I don’t agree with all of these.
Ditto.
Their ‘Intellectual Property’ lawyers likely instructed them that spelling the name in that way would strengthen their claim to the trademark.
What about pock E stan
Thank heaven “nuclear” didn’t make the list!
Back on the old “PASSWORD” tv game show the password was deer. The celebrity gave the clue “doe”. The contestant answered “knob”
That’s funny, where I’m from we warsh our sqwash.
Wuhp cream
Never met a southerner who didn't say the H.
I could care less. Irregardless of how this guy may feel, my own feeling is that my head will literally explode if I have to hear from another grammar Nazi.
I am surprised “supposedly” did not make the list, along with “pacific” when people should say specific.
Perhaps it has something to do with peanuts size?
Artic is something you see in a museum.Arctic is where you need mittens.
Around here it is Pah-Kahn ... like Star Trek II Wrath of Kahn.
Pee-CAHN, pee-CANN, or PEE-can? You know, like the pah.
One that bugs me — not a word but an expression — is the use of the adjective instead of the infinitive in the expression “It needs _______.” As in “It needs washed” or “It needs painted.”
No, it needs TO BE washed or it needs PAINTING. The verb “to need” is transitive; it requires an object. And an object, by definition, cannot be an adjective.
How’s that for grammar nazism?
Pee can
I don’t think I’ve ever heard “medieval” pronounced with four syllables, or with an “ee” in the first syllable.
I work at a university and a staff member came to me once and said there was a student asking about a course and she gave me a sticky with “Mid-Evil History” written on it (by the staff member). I wonder how many people thinks that’s actually what it is?
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