How about the second month of the year? Most people don’t pronounce the first “r” in February.
English words you have mispronounced for a long time
- Thread starter Bryan Barnfellow
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And I think most say Wensday for the middle day of the week.
MC Rider
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And some folks seem to have their own dialect.
Guy Martin for example. Just try and follow what he says.
https://youtu.be/Q9db1XPKSk8
Guy Martin for example. Just try and follow what he says.
https://youtu.be/Q9db1XPKSk8
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
A personal pet peeve of mine is the large number of folks who pronounce "st" as if it where "shhhht" So "strength" becomes "shhhhtrength" Street becomes "shhhhtreet. I began to notice this in the Islands - even on TV News broadcasts. I've heard lots of teachers use this pronunciation, so I'm sure it is self perpetuating here.
I began noticing some "important" people like Michelle Obama doing this. Where the Shhhhh sound comes from, I can not fathom. With all the problems in the world, it's really not a big deal, but it's now something I can't ignore though I wish I could. YMMV
I began noticing some "important" people like Michelle Obama doing this. Where the Shhhhh sound comes from, I can not fathom. With all the problems in the world, it's really not a big deal, but it's now something I can't ignore though I wish I could. YMMV
grasshopper
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How about your hometown. Nawleans? In Mississippi I lived on a street named Tamburlain, prononced timber lane
grasshopper
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I grew up on Long Island, and west coast folks thought I spoke British English. On the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia, the watermans dialect has a lot of old English usage. Perhaps from the original colonial days.
Help me out. As a Canadian, do you pronounce Calgary as "Cal-gury" (short "u") or "Cal-gary" (long "a")?
In Arizona, there is a city in the north central area of the state - Prescott. Arizonans pronounce it as "Presskit".
I get a kick out of the way New Yorkers pronounce Houston Street in Manhattan as HOW-stun. It always gets a strange look from visitors.
W2R
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Ugh. That is so annoying! Maybe these are the same people that say "li-berry" instead of "library".
rk911
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dad pronounced golf...'gawluf'. he was from Brooklyn.
rk911
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howzabout "Goethe" street in Chicago. i always thought it was "go-thee". and Chicago itself is usually 'sha-caw-go'
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Generally it's pronounced "Nu ORlee-uns" (slowly and musically said) or maybe "Nu AWlee-uns". But I can hardly blame anyone for thinking "Nawlins" is how we say it - - it's pronounced that way in so many Hollywood productions. Just never, never say "New Or-LEENS". That really grates on the nerves.
F is a native New Orleanian and has lived here all his life, except for briefly working out of town on contract now and then. So he has what is known as a "Yat" accent - - sounds like a Brooklyn accent but slowed down a bit. When he did a contract in NYC he just speeded up his speech and everyone there thought he was from Brooklyn.
It's really annoying to him that Hollywood actors portraying New Orleanians usually use what we regard as a strong Georgia/Alabama accent, even when the movie is filmed here! You'd think they'd notice we really don't sound like that.
Grew up in Chicago(land). We said "'Sconsin" for Wisconsin. Davenport (never heard of sofa or couch until much later). Kay-ro for Cairo, IL. Aunt pronounced like "ant" not "ahnt."
Now I'm in Minnesota and yes, natives from outside the Cities sound like the film Fargo. Years ago there was a humorist who wrote a fun book, "How to Talk Minnesotan." It is true to fact. They say "ahnt" here. They eat hot dish and bars. They do the long goodbye. They say, "goin' with?" for "are you going with me?" "That's different" is a back handed insult. And they really do say "Uf dah!" on special occasions.
Now I'm in Minnesota and yes, natives from outside the Cities sound like the film Fargo. Years ago there was a humorist who wrote a fun book, "How to Talk Minnesotan." It is true to fact. They say "ahnt" here. They eat hot dish and bars. They do the long goodbye. They say, "goin' with?" for "are you going with me?" "That's different" is a back handed insult. And they really do say "Uf dah!" on special occasions.
CRLLS
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For mauve, the shade of light purple, do you say mahv or mohv?
Montecfo
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But in some quarters in the South its neither "ant" nor "aahnt", it's "ain't". Rhymes with saint!
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Just leave out the second "c" in Connecticut and you'll be fine.
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A think is a thought. A thought is a thing. AC/DC was therefore correct.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Growing up, I thought it was Cincinnat(ah) instead of Cincinnati. My dad always sad "crick" instead of creek.
I've always said mawv.
38Chevy454
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Locals in KY pronounce the town of Versailles as Ver-sales, not the more typical way Ver-sigh. Louisville is usually Lew-ah-vul to most locals. But it is funny to hear Lewie-ville, Lewis-ville, Lou-vul, as other pronunciations. I used to live in Louisville many years ago, as locals would say there is no ee in Louisville.
My current city Cincinnati is commonly heard as Cin-cin-nat-ee, but also Cin-cin-at-uh as mentioned by Koolau; or the shortened slang Cincy is quite common. Another shortened slang sounds like Natee usually spoken as "the 'Nati". Another local city around me is Dayton. Most common to hear Date-un, but sometimes Day-ton.
My current city Cincinnati is commonly heard as Cin-cin-nat-ee, but also Cin-cin-at-uh as mentioned by Koolau; or the shortened slang Cincy is quite common. Another shortened slang sounds like Natee usually spoken as "the 'Nati". Another local city around me is Dayton. Most common to hear Date-un, but sometimes Day-ton.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Heh, heh, I've always pronounced it purple. DW had to 'splain to me what mauve was. ("Please go get my mauve scarf." "Yer whut?")
This one drives my SIL nuts. She's from the Philly metro area, and was a French minor in college. There's a road between Lexington (where she lives) and Versailles. She'd be giving directions, or asking directions and was blown away with the ver-sales thing. After 20 or so years, she's gotten used to it but it still bugs her.
On the Mary, Merry, Marry front - I'd add Ferry and Fairy. I was, literally, taught those words as homonyms in elementary school, as examples of a homonym - along with Bare and Bear, and of course There, Their, and They're. This was in San Diego.
DH, from Philly, is in the camp of different pronunciations for Mary/Merry/Marry and Ferry/Fairie. It is usually only and issue when we are in the NW and need to take a Ferry and he starts mocking my pronunciation and I ask him if he wants to take the "furry" to Bainbridge (or where-ever) because his pronunciation is so weird.
Another regional thing is whether you stand 'in line' or 'online'.... To me, online is on the internet, in line is when you are in a queue. My friends from NYC and northern Jersey are firmly in the online camp.
As long as we're now so far OT in this, there is a little town north of Cincinnati named Pisgah, pronounced Pizzgee.
And I have a friend who lives in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is pronounced Byoona Vista.
And I have a friend who lives in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is pronounced Byoona Vista.
When I was in college I spent one year end holiday break with a local mate. He lived in Santa Monica, pronouncing it “San Harmonica”.
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I was testing you all. It was actually Judas Priest.
