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Common mispronunciations

(104 Posts)
grannyactivist Thu 13-Mar-14 00:30:16

Here are the top ten common mispronunciations apparently. I was surprised not to find 'secretary' and 'February' in there. What would you add to the list?

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 13:17:09

mice, even then, though it does sound a bit cheeky, the customer always being right and all that...

...because the word used in English does not have to be pronounced in the same way as the word used in Italian (or whatever foreign language). Think "Paris", for instance,

or the Scottish word 'ashet' from assiette. There will be many others.

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 13:47:18

Well Bags, when I asked her which part of Italy she was from she told me that she was from Croatia, and that she had only been working there for a week. I think I did her a favour as the many Italians who eat there would perhaps not have been as polite as I was.

MiceElf Thu 13-Mar-14 13:54:15

And now I've looked at the original article I see bruschetta is there! Whoops. However, they are wrong, wrong, wrong about Greenwich which they assert is Gren edge. All the locals say Grin itch.

And I now confess to having pronounced facsimile as fass im mile for years until I heard someone say aloud.

Galen Thu 13-Mar-14 14:23:02

Or gigot for leg of lamb

NfkDumpling Thu 13-Mar-14 14:25:30

I always wondered which was right for bruschetta. My pet gripe is ashoom for assume. Or is it correct to put an h in the middle?
Accents are obviously excluded from this list - eg, in Norfolk it sustifcate for certificate; fillum for film.

Daisyanswerdo Thu 13-Mar-14 14:39:01

With respect, Grannyknot, I don't see how Ki-LOM-etre could ever be correct. It's most likely widely accepted useage, but how do they pronounce Centimetre? Kilo-metre is based on 'metre'.

One of my other pet cringe-making pronunciations is 'eye-dyllic'; and I've always said 'brushetta', because I've only ever seen it written. I wonder if it's said 'brusketta' in the US, making it like skedule and schedule.

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 14:48:12

Ki-LOM-meter is correct in North America whether we like it or not.

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 14:48:40

Except it's more likely to be ki-LAM-idder

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 14:50:12

I have never heard bruschetta pronounced. I might have got the k from chianti but....

is it brush or brus?

Marelli Thu 13-Mar-14 15:00:10

DefinAtely is definItley one of the most annoying mis-pronunciations. It seems the norm to pronounce it this way now hmm

KatyK Thu 13-Mar-14 15:04:34

I once watched a programme featuring Gino D'Acamp, the Italian chef, who was trying to get someone to pronounce bruschetta properly. He said it is not as in brushetta, it is brusketta. smile

chloe1984 Thu 13-Mar-14 15:08:14

Afterwads instead of afterwards

DebnCreme Thu 13-Mar-14 15:11:00

I used to be a 'secetree' in the 'nucular' industry and I actively dislike the month of Febury I am in agreement with ga, absent and Soutra my teeth have been set on edge just thinking about those words.

Ana Thu 13-Mar-14 15:11:34

That's probably because we say it fast, chloe. I don't think I've ever pronounced it 'after wards' though!

DebnCreme Thu 13-Mar-14 15:19:16

Something that really makes my toes curl is 'haitch' rather than 'aitch' but I feel this has been discussed long and hard elsewhere.

Redrach Thu 13-Mar-14 15:23:16

JessicerEnnis instead of Jessica Ennis, Draw instead of Drawer, Somethink instead of Something, likewise Nothink and Anythink. And my biggest pet hate - "H" pronounced "Haitch", not the correct "Aitch".

Charleygirl Thu 13-Mar-14 15:32:32

Galen gigot of lamb is the Scottish version of leg of lamb.

KatyK Thu 13-Mar-14 16:01:53

My DH says 'secetary' and also 'sulvineers' instead of souvenirs and 'katchup' instead of ketchup confused.

Lilygran Thu 13-Mar-14 16:25:30

Momento, anyone? But I like interred instead of interned and the other way round.

grannyisland Thu 13-Mar-14 16:25:50

I, too, hate nucular. The one that seems to be more and more common on tv & radio is 'serious' for 'series'. Weird but true - maybe I notice it more because my BiL says it!

rosequartz Thu 13-Mar-14 16:34:41

Joolery

KuhRIBBean instead of CariBBEEan ( if you see what I mean)
I must confess I only found out recently how to pronounce bruschetta correctly.

Ana Thu 13-Mar-14 16:44:40

Burgalry

shysal Thu 13-Mar-14 16:46:50

I wonder why people from the CarRIBBean (as they pronounce it) often say arks instead of ask.

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 16:51:32

Actually, given its spelling (double b), Ca-RIB-ian makes more sense. And again, this is a N.Amer/Brit difference. I think speakers of English on another continent might be allowed a few differences, no?

thatbags Thu 13-Mar-14 16:53:41

They have just turned sk into ks, that's all. My kids did this all the time when they were small, not with ask but with plenty of other words. Peninsula became pelinsunna, pasta became spada and lots more.