pron-un-see-ay-shun

[Svenskaflicka]

In Swedish, it's Maa Trrrrreeeees.

And nuclear should be pronounced new-cle-ar.

 

[sanchopanza]

Ever hear the term "rich as Croesus"? I heard it pronounced on tv once as Crow-ee-sus. Pfft some people.

 

[raphy]

Sorry Sancho, I've always pronounced it Kwa-zee..

Kwa-zigh-mo-doh would just sound too weird to me.

 

[MathGirl]

Ever hear the term "rich as Croesus"?

Dear San,
Everyone who reads Pratchett knows it's "rich as creosote."
MG

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Krösus. When you write o and e together, it means it should be pronounced just like the a in "a car".

 

[gauchecritic]

Krösus. When you write o and e together, it means it should be pronounced just like the a in "a car".

Except of course for amoeba and foetus and probably several other words of greek derivation.

Goeche

 

[Svenskaflicka]

In Swedish, "amoeba" IS pronounced like I said. "Foetus", no. We have another word for that, "foster".

 

[gauchecritic]

In Swedish, "amoeba" IS pronounced like I said. "Foetus", no. We have another word for that, "foster".

Then there's no wonder you all talk funny.

Gauche

 

[pop_54]

Hmmmmmmm

This is not a common word, but one that I wonder about: I read a fabulous book called "Sarum" by Edward Rutherfurd. I am not sure how to properly pronounce Sarum and would love to know. My understanding is that Sarum is an old name for the area around Salisbury, England. For that matter, how do you properly pronounce "Salisbury"?

While we are at it, here are a couple of pronounciation pet peeves:

Realtor - it is not "real-a-tor"
Nuclear - it is NOT "nu-que-ler"! This means you, George W!

Well it depends on where you live how you pronounce Sarum, or how you spell it, in one place name local to Salisbury it's Sarem I believe.

We in the posh bit pronounce it Sare-um, locally with their dialect accents it's as written, Sar-um.

Same as Nu-clear and Real-tor, but we have 'Estate agents' not Real-tor's over here.

pops................

 

[pop_54]

wowee

I most often have found that there are words I know from reading and looking them up that I know what they mean, but have no real idea how they are pronounced, let alone in my muddled little mix of accents. *sigh* So, in order to sound smart, sometimes it's just best to keep my little mouth shut.

*grin* Luckily, on here, you can't hear me pronounce cinnamon!

Whisper

I must pop round and listen to this Cinnamon of yours sweet whispers

 

[Quasimodem]

In Swedish, "amoeba" IS pronounced like I said. "Foetus", no. We have another word for that, "foster".

You must get that from the Aussies.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Then there's no wonder you all talk funny.

Gauche

Brrrrrrrt!

 

[whispering_surrender]

Re: wowee

I must pop round and listen to this Cinnamon of yours sweet whispers

That's a date, as long as I get to listen to you whisper to me in Oxford-ian. *grin*

Whisper

 

[pop_54]

Re: Re: wowee

That's a date, as long as I get to listen to you whisper to me in Oxford-ian. *grin*

Whisper

You're on my dear lady (They talk a bit like that round here all sort of posh like, ponces)

 

[Guest]

salmon

The *l* is silent, unless you live in the South, lol.

 

[DirtyJJ]

Re: Hmmmmmmm

Well it depends on where you live how you pronounce Sarum, or how you spell it, in one place name local to Salisbury it's Sarem I believe.

We in the posh bit pronounce it Sare-um, locally with their dialect accents it's as written, Sar-um.

Same as Nu-clear and Real-tor, but we have 'Estate agents' not Real-tor's over here.

pops................

Thanks pops.... perhaps I will follow the way you in the "posh bit" pronounce it.
While we are at it, since I see you live in Oxford... how do you pronounce "Gloucestershire"? Is Oxford a part of Gloucestershire or is it "Oxfordshire"? And what is a "shire" while I am thinking of it?

JJ - full of questions for intelligent British gentlemen

 

[sanchopanza]

Any self-respecting Englishman hates to be referred to as British.

 

[MathGirl]

Any self-respecting Englishman hates to be referred to as British.

Dear Sancho,
I can understand that. Most Americans don't like to be referred to as 'turd fondling motherfuckers.'
MG

 

[Alex De Kok]

Any self-respecting Englishman hates to be referred to as British.

Speak for yourself. I don't mind at all.

I'd rather be referred to as British than at odds with the Scots, Welsh and Irish.

It's Brit that pisses me off.

JJ - Glos-ter-shire. No such thing as 'Oxfordshire' AFAIK, the county sometimes being referred to as Oxon. (No, I don't know why.) I'll leave it to someone else to explain 'Shire'. Gloucestershire is a separate county altogether to Oxford/Oxon.

Alex

 

[sanchopanza]

I guess its just my Kentish upbringing then.

 

[Guest]

OK, then, following the posts above, for the newbies: Mexicans and other southern "Americans" hate when Yanks refer to their country as America as if it was defined by them alone.

Many U.S. citizens who are of other nationalities (e.g., I am Mexican as far back as can be traced to The Conquest) do not like to be called Yankees (Yangui in Sp.)

As for 'the great American novel', I think it's been done more than a few times, only not by a white Yanqui man or woman.

Xarrumph, Perdita

 

[Madame Manga]

Any French word that I first heard in conversation I can pronounce correctly, which is no virtue of mine--my mother took French in college. Any French word that I first read in print I can't pronounce to save my skin. (I took German.) I'm pretty fair in Spanish place names, which again is not to my credit since I live in California. But I can thereby snicker at people who say "San Jose" with a hard J and the accent on "Joe".

MM

 

[Guest]

Madame, I'm with you on the French. And I have to laugh (vs. getting unbearably angry) at how all the gringo Californians murder all the beautiful Spanish names of cities, streets, etc. Yet, if I pronounce them correctly no one knows what I'm talking about, especially the bus drivers. Vallejo and Arguello are big yokes spake by los yanquis, haha.

Jarumf, Perdita

 

[gauchecritic]

my personal favorites are the everyday ones... like "Wed-NES-day" and "FebRuary"

I use both those, along with pronouncing the 'f' in twelfth.

Why though is it keehotay and quicksotic?

Why is the book 'Don Joo-an' but the lover Don Hwan?

shire
n.
A former administrative division of Great Britain, equivalent to a county.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, from Old English scr, official charge, administrative district.]


Gauche

 

[Guest]

I use both those, along with pronouncing the 'f' in twelfth.

Why though is it keehotay and quicksotic?

Why is the book 'Don Joo-an' but the lover Don Hwan?

Gauche, I've never heard Twelfth w/o the F pronounced, is it common for you?

My experience studying English literature in the states is that the above pronunciations are a British thing. I forced myself (not only for the sake of the rhyme scheme) to say Joo-an when reading Byron, but there were younguns in the class who were p.c. and refused. I told the prof. she should take their grade down for it, haha.

Perdita (of two distinct pronunciations but one meaning)