Page 1 of 16 12311 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 305
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Chesapeake, VA.

    Word pronunciations that irk or perturb you?

    I know this should probably have waited until the off-season, but I decided to give it a whirl now.

    Are there any words you hear people pronounce in a way that just annoys you? Maybe it’s just flat-out wrong. Or maybe the word can be appropriately pronounced in two ways, but you greatly prefer one over the other? I’ll just give you a few that bug me.

    1) Species. Properly pronounced spee-SHees, not spee-sees. I’m not going to look it up right now, but I suspect both are on the “ok” list. But people who know what they are talking about pronounce it with the SH sound.

    2) Negotiation. Again, this word is properly pronounced neh-go-SHE-a-shun, not ne-go-see-a-shun. When did we develop this aversion to the SH sound?

    3) Often. The t is silent, people. The word is pronounced OFF-un, not OFF-Tun. Think about it. You don’t say listen liss-tun, you don’t say soften soff-tun. Again, I am aware that dictionaries are now offering both as “ok.” We all know that just means the dictionaries have given up, because too many people have been saying it wrong. On the plus side, I suppose if somebody says OFF-tun it at least suggest that the person knows how to read, at least.

    4) Beijing. When did everybody decide that Chinese people speak French? The proper pronunciation of the city name is bay-JING, not bay-ZHING (trying hard to spell that God-awful pseudo-French sound that everybody seems to make when the word clearly calls for a freakin’ J). Ever listen (pronounced liss-sun, by the way) to Chinese people talk? Heard a lot of stuff that sounded like French? Yeah, neither did I.


    There are a lot more, but I will stop here for now, because I want to know what pronunciations make you see red, if any.
    "We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world." --M. Proust

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
    Quote Originally Posted by rsvman View Post
    I know this should probably have waited until the off-season, but I decided to give it a whirl now.

    Are there any words you hear people pronounce in a way that just annoys you? Maybe it’s just flat-out wrong. Or maybe the word can be appropriately pronounced in two ways, but you greatly prefer one over the other? I’ll just give you a few that bug me.

    1) Species. Properly pronounced spee-SHees, not spee-sees. I’m not going to look it up right now, but I suspect both are on the “ok” list. But people who know what they are talking about pronounce it with the SH sound.

    2) Negotiation. Again, this word is properly pronounced neh-go-SHE-a-shun, not ne-go-see-a-shun. When did we develop this aversion to the SH sound?

    3) Often. The t is silent, people. The word is pronounced OFF-un, not OFF-Tun. Think about it. You don’t say listen liss-tun, you don’t say soften soff-tun. Again, I am aware that dictionaries are now offering both as “ok.” We all know that just means the dictionaries have given up, because too many people have been saying it wrong. On the plus side, I suppose if somebody says OFF-tun it at least suggest that the person knows how to read, at least.

    4) Beijing. When did everybody decide that Chinese people speak French? The proper pronunciation of the city name is bay-JING, not bay-ZHING (trying hard to spell that God-awful pseudo-French sound that everybody seems to make when the word clearly calls for a freakin’ J). Ever listen (pronounced liss-sun, by the way) to Chinese people talk? Heard a lot of stuff that sounded like French? Yeah, neither did I.


    There are a lot more, but I will stop here for now, because I want to know what pronunciations make you see red, if any.
    Expecially

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Virginia Beach
    Eggs-zavier (the University)

    Probly

    Per-scription

  4. #4
    "Expresso" instead of espresso. There's no "x"!

    Also, saying "jai-ro" for gryo.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lynchburg, VA
    Mis-chee-vee-us
    Nuke-u-lar

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sea Island, GA
    These all made me laugh. Especially ecpeshally.

    How about “set” vs sit.

    But what really makes my skin crawl is bad grammar..And what I find the most grating is the use of “I” as an object. As in “that was a lot of fun for Frank and I.” My most irritating memory was a thank you note I received from a Princeton grad... “thank you for attending Sam and I’s wedding”

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Atlanta 'burbs
    Tar Heels - it’s properly pronounced “Cheat-ers”, people. Irks me to no end!!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    It’s hello not “hey-whoa”.

    It’s interred not “un-turd”.

    It’s choppin broccoli not choppin “brock-o-lie”.

  9. #9
    Tarheel. It's not supposed to be pronounced the way it is spelled. I would give it's proper pronunciation, but the wankerizer would get me if I did.

  10. #10
    Sal-man for salmon and chimley for chimney. And however I pronounce the words 10, pin, can, and dog. I am from Surry County and those words have extra y's and w's coming out of my mouth. I don't love it but it's the way it is.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    Or-uh-GONE

    Nuh-VAW-duh

    Call-uh-RAW-doe
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Tripping William View Post
    Or-uh-GONE

    Nuh-VAW-duh

    Call-uh-RAW-doe
    In all these instances, I defer to the locals and their pronunciations.

    Drove me nuts when I worked in Paso Robles, CA to hear the non-Spanish pronunciation, but that's what the folks that lived there said so...

    When in Rōm.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    I'm pretty laxadaisical about the entire issue...(I had a boss once who had so many we had to keep track in a notebook...my favorite may have been exasturbate)

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    On the Road to Nowhere
    TruBlu beat me to it. But how early do you expect me to get up on a Saturday morning?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    In all these instances, I defer to the locals and their pronunciations.

    Drove me nuts when I worked in Paso Robles, CA to hear the non-Spanish pronunciation, but that's what the folks that lived there said so...

    When in Rōm.
    It is funny how these things evolve. I agree that one is kind of cringey, but then we don't think twice about saying Los Angeles, Paris, Italy, Mexico, or many others with the American pronunciation...

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    In all these instances, I defer to the locals and their pronunciations.

    Drove me nuts when I worked in Paso Robles, CA to hear the non-Spanish pronunciation, but that's what the folks that lived there said so...

    When in Rōm.
    Should I add “New Hamster”?
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    ^ fun favorite!

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    I'm pretty laxadaisical about the entire issue...(I had a boss once who had so many we had to keep track in a notebook...my favorite may have been exasturbate)
    You'll get taken to jail for doing that in public. Trust me on that.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    From the pie thread: Pecan

    You know all the wrong ways.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluedog View Post
    "Expresso" instead of espresso. There's no "x"!

    Also, saying "jai-ro" for gyro.
    Even worse when they spell it wrong.

    FIFY

Similar Threads

  1. Unusual is not the word I'd use
    By Bostondevil in forum Elizabeth King Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-15-2014, 01:06 PM
  2. Any word on Thad Lewis?
    By 6th Man in forum Elizabeth King Forum
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 11-25-2008, 05:01 PM
  3. Word Search
    By EarlJam in forum Off Topic
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-21-2007, 01:23 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •