Words that you can't pronounce.

[R_of_G]

Ok here's one for you folks... why do some people put an "R" in words with "wash" in them?

You know what I mean. Most of us have heard someone pronounce Washington as "wershington" or washing machine as "wershing machine". My mother-in-law does it (she's from Kentucky). Interestingly, my father-in-law, also from Kentucky, did not do this.

I can understand how regional dialect differences explains the "eh" sound instead of the "ah" sound, but where the heck does that "R" come from?

 

[marnold]

I can understand how regional dialect differences explains the "eh" sound instead of the "ah" sound, but where the heck does that "R" come from?

Probably the same way that it appears on the end of words that end in "a" like "Ottawa." I didn't know there was an "Ottawar" in Canada.

 

[Robert]

Canadadickiens can sound funny. Listen to one say "far away" - it's like "fuhhr away". Let's go to the "buuhrrr" for a beer. "For" becomes "fuhrrr".

Not sure about "against", Marnold - how does that sound up here then? I must have missed that one.

 

[marnold]

Not sure about "against", Marnold - how does that sound up here then? I must have missed that one.

U.S.: uhGENst
Canadia: uhGAINst

 

[Bloozcat]

None that I can think of. But my wife, who otherwise speaks very well, has a few...

Exacerbate
Worcestershire
Czechoslovakia

Fortunately for her, Czechoslovakia is now just The Czech Republic, so she's relieved...

I've always enjoyed the regional colloquialisms (another difficult word for my wife) in the English speaking world.

When I moved to Ohio as a kid, I used to ask that if a creek is a crick, then why aren't your cheeks chicks? Or, if a roof is a ruff, why aren't your boots buts? Of course having moved to Ohio from New York, I was myself accent challenged in a number of areas... (I quickly lost the New Yawk accent, and I'm glad I did).

Whenever I see my niece from Chicago, I love to mess with her with things like; "Oooh my Gaad" or, "We're goin' up to da' lake in Wiscansin, ya' wanna goh?"

The south has plenty of it's own too, like Eye-talian and IN-surance, and "heuh" for here, to name just a few. In Georgia, Albany is "Albinney", and Cairo is "Cayro". They get Athens right, though. They also like to make one syllable words into two, like "Te-um" for Tim, or "he-um" for him. That last one reminds me of a comedian I once saw on TV who said: "Ever notice how some phrases just sound better with a southern accent, like, haaang he-um?". He is right on that one...

 

[Robert]

How DO you actually pronounce "Worcestershire"? That one I never figured out... I use that for cooking but I can't name it verbally.

 

[Bloozcat]

How DO you actually pronounce "Worcestershire"? That one I never figured out... I use that for cooking but I can't name it verbally.

Wooster-shear, or Worse-ter-shire...I've heard both.

Unless you're from Massachusetts, then it woul be, "Woosta-sheah"

 

[duhvoodooman]

....so people would say "I'm gonna go to Meijers's (MY uhr zizz) and get some beer so I can stand to watch the Lions."

Geez, I'm still laughing at that one.... :rotflmao: :AOK: :rotflmao:

 

[Glacies]

particularly

 

[marnold]

Unless you're from Massachusetts, then it woul be, "Woosta-sheah"

That'd be some wicked powerful Woosta-sheah.

 

[Spudman]

None that I can think of. But my wife, who otherwise speaks very well, has a few...

I can relate. Mine is of Asian decent and just about every English word is challenging.

Forget about ever getting Worcestershire correct from her. I just say "do you mean the dark tasty sauce?" Vietnamese always comes out VietMANese.

 

[just strum]

=

When I moved to Ohio as a kid, I used to ask that if a creek is a crick, then why aren't your cheeks chicks? Or, if a roof is a ruff, why aren't your boots buts? Of course having moved to Ohio from New York, I was myself accent challenged in a number of areas... (I quickly lost the New Yawk accent, and I'm glad I did).

Again, I must remind people that people of Ohio have no accent and are known for the language of perfuction.

Ok, carry on.

 

[Iago]

Wooster-shear, or Worse-ter-shire...I've heard both.

Unless you're from Massachusetts, then it woul be, "Woosta-sheah"

As weird as the way they pronounce "Leicester" = Lester!

Have some trouble with polish words and russian. They have some weird consonant clusters, not that the pronounciation is so different from my language...

Regarding english, I had a problem with saying "Cash Checking" quickly.. that sh and ch right after :thwap:

 

[Guitar-Chris]

Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz always gives me trouble. Or do we have to stick to English?

Hey Duhvoodoman,you now this really important german law? :bravo:

As I deal with this kinda things by my profession, words like that seem nearly normal to me. The crazy thing is: This law really exists, but in reality it is called:

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

And, by the way here you can listen to the correct pronounciation.

 

[peachhead]

Whoa

sounds like she's clearing her throat- but almost in a hot way

 

[Ch0jin]

Hey Duhvoodoman,you now this really important german law? :bravo:

As I deal with this kinda things by my profession, words like that seem nearly normal to me. The crazy thing is: This law really exists, but in reality it is called:

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

And, by the way here you can listen to the correct pronounciation.

OK I'll have a go.

That means something along the lines of a law pertaining to the labeling of cattle and meat and something to do with transferring either the labels or the beef, not sure.

Guitar-Chris,
My German is very poor so I asked one of my colleagues to help, and even though he's from Berlin, he still had difficulty explaining the meaning.

Are you able to translate for us?

 

[Guitar-Chris]

Are you able to translate for us?

I'm glad to understand this in german


Let's give it a try:

It's the regulation to confer the power (the rights) to control (to monitor) the labeling of cattle and cattle-meat.

By the way: it is the longest real existing german word. And german adminstration is world champion in finding these word-monsters :thwap:

 

[Ch0jin]

Thanks Chris :AOK:

I'm now working with my German colleague on the pronunciation

This will be a fun word to use around people who don't understand it's meaning (evil laugh)

 

[KrisH]

According to my friend who knows everything (including, apparently, the rules of English pronunciation) I pronounce words like "heritage" wrong when I end them sounding like "tej" -- the A should be long. She even argued once with someone whose last name was Heritage that he was mispronouncing his own name! Of course, "radiator" with a short A is all wrong. I told her to quit being so radical (with a long A).

I definitely mispronounced Gloucester, until I moved here.

My daughter says "salmon," with an audible L.

Caribbean, anyone?

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I found one: "Good King Wenceslas"

 

[Tone2TheBone]

According to my friend who knows everything (including, apparently, the rules of English pronunciation) I pronounce words like "heritage" wrong when I end them sounding like "tej" -- the A should be long. She even argued once with someone whose last name was Heritage that he was mispronouncing his own name! Of course, "radiator" with a short A is all wrong. I told her to quit being so radical (with a long A).

I definitely mispronounced Gloucester, until I moved here.

My daughter says "salmon," with an audible L.

Caribbean, anyone?

Salmons mon.

I used to work with this dude that used the "sal-mon" pronunciation and ever since then I've always called them salmons adding the "s" at the end for flavor and to be extra goofy.

 

[just strum]

I knew there was at least one, but since I avoid them, I couldn't remember them.

Well, I remember one now.

"inauguration"

So between now and Tuesday I will be saying: "You know, that swearing in thing"

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

A subtle difference in grammer be the US & UK/Canada (the Kiwis & Aussies probably have the same usage as the Brits & Canucks, but I dunno) is the way we treat a conglomeration of individuals.

US) Fender has just released some new amps.

UK/Canada) VOX have just released some new amps.

In the US a group becomes a singular noun when discussing it as a whole.

 

[R_of_G]

In the US a group becomes a singular noun when discussing it as a whole.

I prefer the British way. It seems to make more sense to me. Of course being an American I use the American grammar in speaking/writing.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

My wife bothers me for saying Law-yers rather than Loi-yers.

Is it pop or soda or a fizzy drink?

Some mispronunciation comes from only having seen a word in print while never having heard anyone speak it.

Many, many years ago my best friend was talking to me about how ethereal something was.

I had no clue was he was talking about as he was pronouncing it like this

E thee real

The thee was unvoiced not like the thee of "tis of thee".

 

[just strum]

It's pop in the Cleveland area.

 

[R_of_G]

Is it pop or soda or a fizzy drink?

That one's regional for sure. When I moved to Florida I had to get used to that. In NJ, everybody just called it coke.

Some mispronunciation comes from only having seen a word in print while never having heard anyone speak it.

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I am sure there are many words I know in print that if I ever tried to say them I might be way off.[/QUOTE]

 

[marnold]

I can't say, "I'm out of gin" without bursting into tears 1/2 way through.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Hey Duhvoodoman,you now this really important german law? :bravo:

As I deal with this kinda things by my profession, words like that seem nearly normal to me. The crazy thing is: This law really exists, but in reality it is called:

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

And, by the way here you can listen to the correct pronounciation.

I thought it was the name of the Pittsburgh Steeler's quarterback.

 

[Robert]

"time to clean the house" are words I can't pronounce when they are put together in that order...