Mispronounced words that make me crazy

[ahkiatt]

My mom's friend: I can't speak good English. I was Chinese helicopter(educated)

 

[Muusers]

Ones that irritate me:

Porsche ---> Porsh

asterisk ----> ass tricks

nikey (in pronunciation) ---> naik

it's something the dutch do a lot

 

[peterbright]

Effect & Affect misuse.

 

[NJL]

Kawasaki Concours 14 - Concore, not Concourse

Tejano - Not Tay Hano

 

[Gard]

Come down to New Orleans and we'll drive you beserk with this.

Speaking of New Orleans, it's pronounced Nawlins, but not in the way most tourists say it - too much emphasis on the "Naw". Just say it like you're the laziest SOB on the planet, and you'll just about have it. Also, New Orleeens shouldn't ever be used unless it's in song, and New Orlee-Ans shouldn't be said by anyone, ever.

Heck, there "ask" turns into "axed"!

They even wrote a song with it back in the early 70's:

"Dey went on down to the Audubon Zoo
An' dey all axed for you
Dey all axed f'you
Yeah, dey even inquiah'd about 'cha!"



Another Nawlins favorite:

Burgundy Street in the French Quarter.

New Orleans is of French heritage, right?

Burgundy = BUR-gun-dee, right?

Not in Nawlins!

Burgundy Street = bur-GUH-dee Street





...huh???



As for pronunciations that drive me literally up a wall:

Nuclear

C'mon folks, how difficult is this word, really?

How do you get from "nuclear" to "new-cue-lure", for Pete's sake there's no "U" after the damn "L", is there?

:scowl:

I'm an equal opportunity hater on this particular mispronunciation, as crazy as the present White House resident makes me with it, it was even worse when a former resident of said abode, of a different political party, who happened to also be a FORMER NUCLEAR ENGINEER IN THE US NAVY couldn't say it right either.

 

[manicbassman]

1) using loose instead of lose
2) using payed instead of paid
3) using burglarized instead of the far shorter and easier burgled

OK on the last one, perhaps we Brits confuse the issue by using vandalized when you would probably expect us to remain consistent and use vandaled...

 

[gold_member_321]

Well living in Maine, the accents get pretty thick. You just replace any R's with AH.

So it would go Lobstah, Cah, Mothah, fathah, etc etc.

The expression on tourists faces is priceless, its usually a combination of confusion and what the ****.

 

[bassteban]

Saying 'fretboard' when referring to a fretless. That's like calling a eunuch a man, man.

 

[bassteban]

Well living in Maine, the accents get pretty thick. You just replace any R's with AH.

So it would go Lobstah, Cah, Mothah, fathah, etc etc.

The expression on tourists faces is priceless, its usually a combination of confusion and what the ****.

Pahk the cah.

 

[Dan1099]

Blast, my poor short term memory and hurried typing let me down.

Did you click on the link I posted? However, I don't see you referencing anything yourself

I'm an American. We only use Wikipedia over here.

 

[FL Knifemaker]

3) using burglarized instead of the far shorter and easier burgled.

Ha!! Yes, I agree. Good pernt!!!

 

[Benjamin Strange]

Another Nawlins favorite:

Burgundy Street in the French Quarter.

New Orleans is of French heritage, right?

Burgundy = BUR-gun-dee, right?

Not in Nawlins!

Burgundy Street = bur-GUH-dee Street

Yet another favorite: Caliope (cal-I-oh-pee) St. becomes (cal-ee-ope). How is it that a city that can pronounce Tchoupitoulous St. can't pronounce even the simplest of words?

 

[lowendmafia]

1. Irregardless is not a word
2. Orientate is not a word
3. Reiterate is actually not a real word either since iterate means to repeat, so reiterate would mean to re-repeat.

 

[baba]

"Dey went on down to the Audubon Zoo
An' dey all axed for you
Dey all axed f'you
Yeah, dey even inquiah'd about 'cha!"

The Meters get a pass to do whatever they want.

 

[MonetBass]

+ a lot

how can it be pronounced 'aloominum'!? I jsut don't see how.

Because over here -- and on the periodic table, BTW -- it's spelled ALUMINUM. No extra 'i'.

 

[KeithBMI]

Ones that irritate me:

Porsche ---> Porsh

How the hell do you pronounce Porsche then?

 

[Atoz]

How the hell do you pronounce Porsche then?

Por'-shuh

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

3. Reiterate is actually not a real word either since iterate means to repeat, so reiterate would mean to re-repeat.

It seems that Messrs Merriam and Webster disagree with you, sir.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Reiterate

 

[frostymoose]

+ a lot

how can it be pronounced 'aloominum'!? I jsut don't see how.

I remember making a check in my chemistry textbook last semester to settle it once and for all, and it is indeed aluminum. I don't know how you crazy Brits do it over there, but we definately spell it without an I.

Here's what I don't get - MELK. That's the worst mispronunciation I've ever seen. It's certainly not a long or unusual word.

 

[René_Julien]

How the hell do you pronounce Porsche then?

Por'-shuh

I always wondered why in English Porsche is pronounced this way.
While in German it is just (foneticly) Porsch, one syllable.
Why not pronounce it the easy way like in other languages?

But then again, brand names over the languages barriers get always pronounced the best fitting in the language the name is used in.

For example (staying with cars): Chevrolet.
In my dutch language it gets pronounced: Chevro-let, we pronounce the letter 't' because then it doesn't feel like a word from another language.