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Post by epaul on Nov 20, 2022 13:44:41 GMT -5
Just talking with Charlene about words, changing definitions, alternate pronunciations, and so forth.
And then I said, "and of course there is this little word that half the country pronounces one way while the half pronounces another, ..." and my mind went blank. I couldn't recall the word. But, about a year or so (who knows) we had a thread about this very word, and we were split 50/50. It is a short, very common word. I believe the pronunciation split involves the "L" as silent or not silent, with the effect of adding an extra syllable if it is pronounced? Or maybe it was something else entirely.
Anyone recall that discussion? I do recall that Cosmic Mike pronounced it wrong, I mean, differently than I do.
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Post by Russell Letson on Nov 20, 2022 13:50:58 GMT -5
I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10. How many guesses would you need to guarantee a correct answer?
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Post by howard lee on Nov 20, 2022 14:00:44 GMT -5
The first word that comes to mind is pecan. This word is pronounced at least three different ways by people I know from various parts of the US.
If there are "L's" involved, might it be "bougainvillea?"
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Nov 20, 2022 14:16:46 GMT -5
I donk prenounce nutting rongers.
Mike
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Nov 20, 2022 14:33:06 GMT -5
Probably yama, I mean llama.
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Post by t-bob on Nov 20, 2022 15:41:47 GMT -5
A word was a different SUITE and the mid-west (suit) and East Coast (suite)
When I was in watching Ohio college near the Southern crackers, I could see those suites with the different jargon (geekspeak) I had looking for a suit (clothes) - I didn't need the furniture.....
The crackers say I need to buy a "tar" (tires) for a car
I used to buy a suit (clothes) in Robert Hall (not a suite)
((( if anybody knows about New York City advertisements - 1950s & 1960s )))
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Post by drlj on Nov 20, 2022 15:49:19 GMT -5
Bougainvillea?? 🙄
Down in Possum Hollar, where Grandpappy Lem lived, they had a similar problem only it was different words pronounced exactly the same.
Take bar, for instance. That can be a place when you get a drink or a big, dangerous animal that lives in the hills. There were black bar, brown bar, and a couple other colors. Now if you were talking to somebody and he suddenly said “Bar” there might be momentary confusion as to whether you were being invited for a drink or warned about a potential attack. If you misunderstood, you might scream and run away, thereby missing out on a bit of white lightning or you might think a free drink was coming your way only to get mauled by a 600 pound black bar that was looking for trouble.
As far as I know, nobody used L words.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2022 16:09:21 GMT -5
Qatar.
Most of us say kuh-TAR
Most of the UK say CAT-ar.
The Arab world rightly says KUH-tr. (Like Cutter but that's not the actually as nuanced as the Arabic word is.)
Why Qatar? Well, it's in the news because the World Cup is starting. I also pronounce "2022 World Cup" as a "Blatter Infection." ::rimshot::
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Post by jdd2 on Nov 20, 2022 16:31:46 GMT -5
Aw, let's call the whole thing off.
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Nov 20, 2022 16:52:20 GMT -5
English has become ubiquitous and it’s native speakers, for the most part, no longer care where words come from or how they should be pronounced. In most other languages, the letter “i” sounds like a long “e,” the letter “e” sounds more like a long “a,” and the letter “r” is most often pronounced by making an ahh sound and ending with a flap of the tongue against the roof of mouth. Arabic words are rarely pronounced the way English speakers say them. For example the word Canaan should probably a have a stop between the second and third “a”s.
Trying to correct pronunciation by native English speakers is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
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Post by billhammond on Nov 20, 2022 16:56:22 GMT -5
English has become ubiquitous and it’s native speakers ... Don't make me drive down there and tear out your apostrophe key, Dub! |
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Post by millring on Nov 20, 2022 17:28:02 GMT -5
subtle
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Post by millring on Nov 20, 2022 17:30:20 GMT -5
forte
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Nov 20, 2022 17:30:50 GMT -5
English has become ubiquitous and it’s native speakers ... Don't make me drive down there and tear out your apostrophe key, Dub! Oops. I just typed i-t-s, the software added the apostrophe and I didn’t notice. I usually pay better attention’s. |
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Nov 20, 2022 17:38:02 GMT -5
Good one. Although it’s usually written with an apostrophe to denote the conjunction. Title
Subt’le |
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Post by millring on Nov 20, 2022 17:38:27 GMT -5
kiln
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Post by millring on Nov 20, 2022 17:39:15 GMT -5
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovocaniconiosis
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Post by millring on Nov 20, 2022 17:39:37 GMT -5
Ed
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Nov 20, 2022 17:40:48 GMT -5
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovocaniconiosis Oh, yeah? Well if you do, you can just clean it up yourself. |
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Post by epaul on Nov 20, 2022 17:41:41 GMT -5
Ok, it probably wasn't an "l". Maybe it was a "d" sound. Some end the first syllable of this word with a clear consonant, others slide through it without emphasizing the consonant (and there may only be the one syllable). The best clue is that we spent at least a page on this forum discussing how we pronounced the word.
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