Things I've learned...

Well, at the risk of getting myself tied to a track somewhere...

I'm usually pretty easy going, but I get a bit bent out of shape when I hear "miss-CHEE-vee-us" instead of mischievous. Those letters just aren't IN there :cry:

You say my-ca-doo, I say mi-cah-doh,
Let's call the whole thing off...

And of course it's not, "Canadian, ay?"

It's Can-ay-jen, eh? :rolleyes: :D
 
I'm afraid everyone is guilty of this sort of thing.
No one, even those of us who live here, ever pronounces "Los Angeles" correctly.

Many years ago when I was living in the Netherlands (correctly said something like "Nader-lontz") for a while. Dutch friends frequently kidded me on the way I said Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Nijmegen, and Utrecht (not to mention the town name no non-Dutchman can ever pronounce: Scheveningen . But I got them back when I discovered they spelled (and pronounced) California as Californie, and they all thought the American car, Buick, was pronounced something like "Byuk".

And of course we can snigger at the Brits who so disdain their cross-channel neighbors, that they refuse to ever pronounce French words correctly. Like Valet, Ballet, Filet, (and, I suppose, Chevrolet.)

BillS
 
Re: The President

Originally posted by fifer
What gets my goat is when the leader of a country that has soldiers in another country looking for weapons of mass destruction , yet in every news conference he says NUCULER instead of NUCLEAR .
And these guys could have their finger on the trigger!!????
Mike
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That's just a stereotype that people who speak or act differently must be stupid and ignorant. Yankees think southerners are hicks. Southerners think Yankees are arrogant SOBs who talk out of their nose. How you talk and act have nothing to do with your intelligence. I would pit any of you against Steven Hawkins who can’t even talk. DASH
 
Originally posted by cidchase
I hear ya, Rory. I've spent some time in the Republic of Texas myself, and my ex-wife was from Stanton.
My two favorite historical places are the USS Constitution and the Alamo.
My only problem with Texans is that they can't admit that real BBQ is pork and not beef!!!:cool: :cool:

my ex-father-in-law barbecues a goat every July 4th!!
Tasted like chicken........
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Not only is real BBQ pork and not beef, it should be marinated in a vinegar-based sauce, not Tomato!

(The only real BBQ comes from east of I-95 in NC)
 
Then what does "And these guys could have their finger on the trigger!!????" have to do with mispronouncing words? It appears to me you are impling they are not up to your standards somehow because they can not pronounce NUCLEAR the way you think it should be. So if you can tell me how I misread your post i will say I'm sorry in writing. DASH
 
Hey Dash,
It appears to me you are implying they are not up to your standards somehow because they can not pronounce NUCLEAR the way you think it should be.
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I think this thread IS about mispronouncing and YES there is a standard. If I am in my LHS ordering a Mallet and he hands me a hammer I can explain and get corrected and we can all chuckle in amusement. If I'd pronounced it correctly I would have a locomotive and wouldn't feel stupid. This mistake may be thought forgivable considering the spelling but if I had added another syllable I doubt that I would be forgiven as easily.

All words in all languages have a correct pronunciation, grammar and spelling that's why they work and how communication takes place. Enunciation and accent are entirely different matters they can make a word sound different but not wrong. It doesn't matter where you come from or if you have a hare-lip you will get a new locomotive wheras I get a hammer or worse yet a really awful haircut.

If you are taking exception on account of some politician then it is indeed sad. I can think of no politician since the beginning of time that didn't make language teachers cringe. A command of language is not a requirement for leadership as Canada's ex-Prime Minister has proven so lucidly.

(poli - from Greek = many
tics = burrowing bloodsucking parasite)
 
Back in 1977 when I took AMTRAK to get to college in Iowa the conductor called out the names of towns in "Eye-Oh-Way". I never heard any resident of the Corn State call it other than "Eye-Oh-Wuh". Different pronounciations add color and interest, especially on a train ride! :)
Ralph
 
I lived in North Carolina for about 3 months..Just for fun translate this..

While your out and about,pick me up a pack of Nabs,a sodie and a bub.:D

At first I had no idea what my good friend wanted..I finally figured it out and remember it till this day.:D

Of course our good neighbors and friends up in Canada says "aboot" for about and "on Holiday" for vacation or days off from work.:thumb:

Of course the British have their lingo..I was talking to a very good friend of mine from south of London while back while he was"touring" the US and he told me that He had to put his luggage in the boot of the lorry that he had let while he was on Holiday.Of course he would have his tea and biscuits while I had my coffee.:thumb:
We met some years ago as he is married to my oldest sister's husband's sister or my brother in laws sister which ever comes first.I never was to good at explaining things like that.LOL!:D
 
Bub=Light BULB! :eek: :D
Nab= Those packs of cheese and crackers like you would buy from a vending machine.
Sodie = A bottle or can of pop(soda if you live in the Northeast)..
 
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