Mispronouncing words
Have you ever heard someone pronounce a word incorrectly and wondered whether to correct him or her? How about your pronouncing a word a certain way and discovering years later you had been saying it incorrectly (horrors)? How about pronouncing a word a certain way and later thinking you were saying it incorrectly because everyone used a different pronunciation, but then discovering you were right all along?
So here are three examples--one of which I had been saying incorrectly:
Lupine
Homage
Vladimir Nabokov
How do you say those words? Say it aloud and see the correct pronunciation below.
LUPINE: Many say "lu-pin." Merriam Webster says: "lu-pine" ("pine" as in "pine" tree), which is what I have been saying. But the pronunciation is all over the place, depending on which dictionary you consult: http://www.memidex.com/lupine+adjecti...
In other words, say it anyway you want and you're correct. To be able to say it perfectly, however, you should be standing in a field of lupine.
HOMAGE: Many say "Oh-MAJE." which rhymes with French cheese "fromage." Merriam Webster: "HOM-idge," (this is my approximation of MW's phonetic transcription). The French spell it: "hommage," with the stress on the first syllable. I have mispronounced this word as "oh-MAJE" all my adult life. I used to think that people who said "HOM-idge" would be embarrassed to know they had said it incorrectly. Tables turned. Whichever way you say it, it's nice to pay that to certain people important in your life and not just those who are famous.
VLADIMIR: Many say "VLAD-duh-meer." Nabokov said it is pronounced "vlad-DEE-mer," and here I am not using the precise Russian phonology. But as Nabokov explained, "Vladimir" rhymes with "redeemer."
NABOKOV: Many say "NA-buh-coff," with the stress on the first syllable. The correct pronunciation approximates: "Nah-BOH-kav," with that stressed "o" being said in way that is close to "cough," or "caught."
Few people pronounce Vladimir Nabokov's name as he would have wanted. The important thing is whether you love his books enough to refer to them by his name. "Speak, Memory" is a must-read, especially for writers and those who love memoirs.
So here are three examples--one of which I had been saying incorrectly:
Lupine
Homage
Vladimir Nabokov
How do you say those words? Say it aloud and see the correct pronunciation below.
LUPINE: Many say "lu-pin." Merriam Webster says: "lu-pine" ("pine" as in "pine" tree), which is what I have been saying. But the pronunciation is all over the place, depending on which dictionary you consult: http://www.memidex.com/lupine+adjecti...
In other words, say it anyway you want and you're correct. To be able to say it perfectly, however, you should be standing in a field of lupine.
HOMAGE: Many say "Oh-MAJE." which rhymes with French cheese "fromage." Merriam Webster: "HOM-idge," (this is my approximation of MW's phonetic transcription). The French spell it: "hommage," with the stress on the first syllable. I have mispronounced this word as "oh-MAJE" all my adult life. I used to think that people who said "HOM-idge" would be embarrassed to know they had said it incorrectly. Tables turned. Whichever way you say it, it's nice to pay that to certain people important in your life and not just those who are famous.
VLADIMIR: Many say "VLAD-duh-meer." Nabokov said it is pronounced "vlad-DEE-mer," and here I am not using the precise Russian phonology. But as Nabokov explained, "Vladimir" rhymes with "redeemer."
NABOKOV: Many say "NA-buh-coff," with the stress on the first syllable. The correct pronunciation approximates: "Nah-BOH-kav," with that stressed "o" being said in way that is close to "cough," or "caught."
Few people pronounce Vladimir Nabokov's name as he would have wanted. The important thing is whether you love his books enough to refer to them by his name. "Speak, Memory" is a must-read, especially for writers and those who love memoirs.
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Jul 23, 2015 01:35PM
I do this a LOT, but I stopped being embarrassed by it many years ago when I heard Garrison Keillor talk about it on A Prairie Home Companion. He said he'd pronounced "Egyptian" with four syllables and a hard "g" throughout his youth and he explained that it was a symptom of being a voracious reader. So now, when I hear someone mispronounce a word, instead of correcting them, I steer the conversation toward books.
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Fun post!One word that's been driving me crazy lately is "realtor". When people say "real-a-tor" it sounds awful and simply isn't spelled that way. There is no "a" in the word, so why put it there! This is the way language and culture works, evolving over distance and time, but it still hurts my ears...
And then, I myself am bilingual and should have no authority on how words should be pronounced. I say "fragile" as "fra-gyle", for example. With that said though, there is a difference between pronouncing words differently and adding actual syllables to a word that have no business being there.
As for Vladimir, it isn't easy when we have names of authors who have "foreign" names. How should one know how to pronounce Vladimir if one does not know many Vladimir's in one's life? You tell me! ;)
This is a fun discussion. How does one correctly pronounce Aunt? Ant of Ahnt? Is Vase correctly pronounced Vayz or Vawz? There are also regional dialects. We have a lot of fun with the dialect in the area where I live. Here the word downtown is pronounced dahn-tahn and radiator is pronounced rad-ee-a-der.
Foreign words? Around here there is a town called North Versailles correctly pronounced Ver-sales.
And finally, who can forget a certain former president's pronunciation of nuclear?
I often hear news commentators, including meteorologists, pronounce "Arctic" as "Artic". Many of these people are experts in their fields. I don't understand it!Where I live, "aunt" is pronounced "ahnt". An ant is a critter which spoils picnics. How about Route? Here we say, "root", elsewhere I hear"rowt"!
Barbara wrote: "I often hear news commentators, including meteorologists, pronounce "Arctic" as "Artic". Many of these people are experts in their fields. I don't understand it!Where I live, "aunt" is pronounced..."
Root is something that grows underground, just like ant is a critter though I'd bet some of my aunts are critters too.
Realtor mispronounced drives me crazy, as does masonry mispronounced as ma-sun-AIR-y. As with realtor, that extra "a" syllable appears!
The pronunciation that surprised me most was "colonel" pronounced with an "r" in the middle, almost like "kernel". This comes from my husband who was born and lived all his life in the US, and from his friend who taught at Teachers' College for many years, a very well-read person. Cannot get an explanation from anyone how "r" got into "colonel"! Does anyone have an answer?
Colonel comes from 16th century French, coronel and colonel. The second spelling is like the Italian colonello. While the spelling in French tended to be COLONEL, with the L, the pronunciation tended to be CORONEL, with the R sound, which ended up sounding like kernel.
My husband and I were just discussing this! I apparently pronounce a lot of words incorrectly, as I'm an avid reader and grew up in an area where wash was often pronounced with warsh, library as libary, supposedly as supposebly and so forth, so I've mostly only seen "difficult" words written instead of spoken. (My husband recently corrected me on my pronunciation of archipelago, which was so off base, I won't embarrass myself further by sharing how I was pronouncing it.) I feel like a fool when this happens, especially since I'm a writer as well! So we've decided we should get a word of the day calendar to educate ourselves.
Sarah wrote: "My husband and I were just discussing this! I apparently pronounce a lot of words incorrectly, as I'm an avid reader and grew up in an area where wash was often pronounced with warsh, library as li..."Sarah, I give you much credit for sharing your errors with us. The bothersome thing for me is people who know they have repeatedly mispronounced words- such as Bush with his "nucular"!
Sarah, you will love a Word of the Day calendar. There will be obscure words, of course, but you will love learning about words that look or sound familiar but you never bothered to look up!
Dictionary.com has a feature where they play the pronunciation of words.
I get Word of the Day in my email every day from Merriam-Webster.com Love it.
I love this topic! When I used to be a jeweler, I was amazed at how many people were interested in jewl-er-y. It does take some time and effort on the part of the lips to say jew-els and jew-el-ry, so many people wanted to look at jools and jool-ry. For the record, I have never known how to pronounce homage, and both pronunciations seemed wrong, so I've tried to avoid ever saying that word. Now I know!
I have always enjoyed words and their derivations. It's interesting how the British say "herbs", when we Americans say "erbs" for the same word. There are other differences, of course. Robin, "homage" is the correct pronunciation for homage, but the French eliminate the "h". Actually I have heard it pronounced both ways here. Dictionary.com suggests it with the "h".
Previously I was a secondary (junior and senior high school) teacher, so mispronunciations drive me crazy, but evidently I am not immune myself. Since I also studied French and taught it, I tend to pronounce words in the "French way" and even use the French spellings (eg: theatre instead of theater. Later, I became a Realtor (which is properly always capitalized) that mispronunciation also drove me crazy! By the way, have you ever heard people say "misprounciation"??? (crazy!)I have lived in Arkansas for many years which is correctly pronounced Ar-kan-saw, but recently heard that people in Kansas like to rhyme it with the name of their state! (It's origin is an "Indian/Native American word.) Locally, I have heard many people mix up the words idea and ideal, often using the wrong one for what they mean! This drives me crazy, too. However, I rarely correct other people unless it is someone in my immediate family like my grandchildren because I want them to learn the correct way to say words and use them! The absolutely worst usage I have heard in the past few years is someone (usually young) saying "Me and him went to the movies together." It's like scratching on the chalk board to this ex-English teacher!!!
I meant to type "mispronounciation" as the wrong way.By the way, in case you didn't study English grammar,
"me and him" are always used as OBJECTS (eg: He gave it to ME and Him.) He and I are always SUBJECTS of sentences (eg: HE and I went to the movies together.) And, Yes, you always put the other person FIRST!
That's the "lesson" for today. (LOL) Don't intend to insult anyone's intelligence or education, but that tends to be so prevalent these days.
Leslie, the way people confuse subjective and objective cases annoy me also. Several of us in GR call ourselves the "grammar police" and discuss the many ways people misuse English. The problem seems to be growing! I have even heard radio announcers on NPR use poor grammar!By the way, I live in Massachusetts, where many people drop their "R's" (I don't). Instead of inserting an "R" in an appropriate place, it will appear in words like idea(r)!
I'm familiar with Massachusetts & Boston pronunciations. We lived in Manchester, NH (NU Hamp-sheah!)many years ago.Also, our son lived and worked in Boston (for the MA Legislature) and married a young lady born and raised in Cambridge. We also have a niece & her husband who now live in Gloucester (Glah-ster!) Our son can do a perfect imitation of a "Southy" Boston accent, and of course, our daughter-in-law has the real thing, although her accent is so soft that it almost sounds Southern! and they now live in Charlotte, NC!
I guess I first heard those pronunciations when JFK ran for and then became Pres. I took a "History of the English Language" course a couple of years ago, and it covered all English history in the UK and all parts & accents of the US. Very interesting! One of the important points was that we in the US generally pronounce words the way they did in England/UK back in Colonial times and modern English people have changed their pronunciations over the last 200 years, thus the different accents & pronunciations between the countries now.
Never could understand why New Englanders drop some "r's" and add others to certain words! My family moved around alot when I was growing up, but mostly in the South, Mid-West and West, so I have a somewhat "Southwestern" accent. Lots of relatives in California make fun of my "Southern" accent, but I told them they are the ones with California accents, "Dudes!"
Just a couple of points! It's Nu Hampshah and Glosstah! The Kennedy family's pronunciations aren't typical of anyone in Mass.! They presume to be "elite"- or what ever it is.
Did you ever watch on PBS, or read, The Story of English?
Oh, yes, one of my favorite programs! Actually have thought about purchasing that series so I could watch it again. Fascinating history using that one village throughout all those eras.
Since I speak French, I know many words of French origin are pronounced a certain way in French. However, they came into English with a different pronunciation. I never expect anyone to say a word the way it would be said in the original language. Essentially, it is a matter of how certain vowels are pronounced or which letters are silent. But, it is silly for people, especially restaurants to use a lot of French words in their Menu, and then pronounce them totally wrong, such as "Au Jus" and then say "juice".So, Homage is OMige in English, but ohMahge in French.Therefore, either is really correct when speaking English. Also, Americains like to say "No Problemo" as an expression, even though it should be feminine, "problema" in Spanish. But, I see no need to correct people about these things.
"No problemo" instead of "no hay problema" is a bit of a pet peeve for me, as is "mi casa es tu casa" instead of "mi casa es su casa." Of course, these are more grammatical than pronunciation problems. Since English grammar is no longer emphasized in US school curriculum, perhaps this casual approach carries over when learning other languages.
I suddenly notice that everyone, including on radio and TV says, "I am waiting "on" him". I grew up hearing you wait "for people" and a waiter waits "on a table". I will never get used to hearing waiting on. It seems to have crept into the language in the past year or two.
Also, few people use the word "few" anymore. They use "less" for everything .
I still think it is correct to say I have "less time", but "fewer people" attended the event , a quantity you can count. I wonder if this is still taught in school.
Finally, I always heard veterinary as a 4 syllable word "vetinary" ....lately most people pronounce all the letters giving it 5 syllables vet ter rin air y. In thé US we tend to say every letter. In Canada they do not. However, I begin to wonder if I learned these words correctly or if there are regional differences.
As for homage. In English it is "ahmige". In French we say "ohmage". Both have a silent H. A not silent H is usually British like Herbs.
How about the addition of an "sh" sound to any word beginning with "st"? Thus, "street" becomes " shtreat" and "stoop" becomes "shtoop ". I am not fond of this shtick. How did it originate?
Carole wrote: "Since I speak French, I know many words of French origin are pronounced a certain way in French. However, they came into English with a different pronunciation. I never expect anyone to say a word ..."I just noticed this entry! I am not fluent in French, but I did study it for several years. I have also noticed that many others mispronounce these words, Carole. I try to maintain the correct way to say these French words.
Maryjane wrote: "How about the addition of an "sh" sound to any word beginning with "st"? Thus, "street" becomes " shtreat" and "stoop" becomes "shtoop ". I am not fond of this shtick. How did it originate?"
The 'sh' pronunciation may be a regional dialect but I also have another idea as to it's origin. A number of my friends who read the Mutts comic strip have fallen into the habit of pronouncing 's' words with a lisp like the main character Mooch. It's an inside joke that other readers recognize.
I am not familiar with the use of the "sh" sound.I cannot understand why people pronounce Arctic as "Artic". I have repeatedly heard this, even spoken by admired speakers., including weather reporters.
I don't know. I am embarrassed when I am being corrected tho. /shy/ but I love learning. but if other person understand it, do we really need to 'correct' the way a person pronounce it?
Orchid, I think that you are not a native English speaker, so people should understand if your pronunciation is not perfect. I tutor English to immigrants, so I give you much credit for all of your efforts. Sometimes people may be trying to be helpful to you, but it seems rude to me for strangers to correct you.
I'll never forget the laughter from my third grade schoolmates when, reading aloud, I pronounced "gnawing" with a hard g. I was a voracious reader, but my father never finished grade school and my mother just barely managed to do so. I was happy to glean the meaning from the context while reading and therefore I never paid attention to the pronunciation.
Leslie Gudermuth wrote: "Previously I was a secondary (junior and senior high school) teacher, so mispronunciations drive me crazy, but evidently I am not immune myself. Since I also studied French and taught it, I tend to..."Realtor is not capitalized in regular text unless it is the first word in the sentence, just as you would not capitalize accountant, or salesman, or doctor.
Sarah wrote: "My husband and I were just discussing this! I apparently pronounce a lot of words incorrectly, as I'm an avid reader and grew up in an area where wash was often pronounced with warsh, library as li..."I would recommend subscribing to Wordsmith, which gives us a word each day, usually prescribed by a week's particular topic. It's a wonderful site, free or you can donate, from which I have learned and improved my vocabulary power. Plus, it gives us a very wonderful thought to ponder each day. In one simple word, it is wonderful and has enhanced my life tremendously.
I really loved this blog post!! I have never heard the word 'homage' pronounced other than 'OHM-idge' my entire life. Also, I think it's amusing to hear people from parts of the US pronounce 'bag' "bayg" and there are many other examples as well as regional variances of other words, like pronouncing 'almonds' as "aymunds", 'garage' as "ger-arge" (some people back East), 'Arctic' as "artic", etc. . Also many people corrected me when I pronounced the city of "Vallejo" (CA) the correct way in Spanish, which is where the name comes from. I said "Vaye-hoh" and they said oh you mean 'va-lay-hoh" and I said no, you all are pronouncing it incorrectly!! There are so many more examples of this, especially in CA and the greater southwest area of the United States, which I come across on a daily basis. As a bilingual resident and native of San Diego I am always happy to help people learn the correct pronunciation of (Spanish) words, names, etc. :)
The list of words I pronounce incorrectly or, as I like to say it, weird is quite extensive. For "integral" I say "in-TEH-grul" as opposed to "IN-tah-grul." I'll often use the more English pronunciations of "tissue," "issue," and "schedule" (probably because some of my favorite actors are English, and I listen to them a lot). I used to say "pious" wrong, and I still have people who tease me for saying "birfday" instead of "birthday," which is the gift I received from my Philadelphia centered family. I can say "birthday," but I have to think about it. Then there are some names like Tori Amos. Any other time I see "Amos," I say "AYE-muss," but with the ginger haired songstress, I say "AYE-mose" with the second syllable sounding like "most" without the "t."
I say "homage" the exact same way you do, and I had NO idea about Vladimir Nabokov.
Another word many news commentators (and even Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! fame) mispronounce is veteran (vet-er-an). Some of these folks pronounce it as vet-rin. Come already, guys.
Pronouncing the 't' in the word 'often' is very common even among TV and radio personalities. I was taught that the 't' is silent and never pronounce it. I don't find any mispronunciation offensive, I'm sure I am unknowingly guilty of some, I am just astonished, I scratch my head in wonder, that public speakers mispronounce.
I had lupine and homage right, and should have known better with Vladimir Nabokov. I've heard that in Russian the second syllable is emphasized. In English it's often the first syllable, I think.
I had a friend who would correct my pronunciation of usurp by using it in a sentence and pronouncing it upsurp. This happened on more than one occasion. I hope I've never done that.
Happens to me all the time because I learn most words while reading.
The most frustrating mis-pronunciation to listen to is that same word " pronunciation"- I have heard very educated people call it "pronounciation" Urghh.
I am wildly bad at pronunciation, my first & last name was always mis-pronounced so I figure it is my penance to being bad at pronunciation! As I got married to someone with what I thought was an easier name, I looked forward to less corrections only to find I have been saying it wrong as well. Tran is really pronounced "junn"
my late father-in-law used to pronounce placebo as place-bow. It was funny but sweet. I used to say all-bite for albeit, even though I knew what it meant.
This is such a very old post that you may never see my contribution! I will write it nevertheless. I worked in a school where one of the children went to speech therapy twice a week because of how he pronounced his r's. I live in California. This young man sounded just like my grandchildren who live on Long Island. I thought how sad. Were my grandchildren to move to California, would they be told that their speech was "wrong" and needed correcting? Should speech be "corrected" when it is clear and completely understandable? This experience was a good one for me, because it opened my mind to thinking about language a bit more.
I mispronounced words such as:Copse
Bodice
Gesture
Polka dot
Tenterhooks
Endive
Pilates
Often, I still pronounce the t no matter what anyone else says
Regimen
A word that drives me crazy is mischievous, which gets pronounced as if it's spelled 'mischievious'.
