quote:Originally posted by Lunasa: My english is naturally Canadian-english, but I've had to make adjustments over here. Still, every now and then I get laughed at. The main ones are to-may-toe/to-mah-toe and stay-tus/stat-us. When I use to-may-toe in a sandwich shop, I get blank stares. Probably because most of the staff are foreign, and have a limited amount of English.
I've heard both Car-ah-mel and car-mel used for Caramel, and will accept either. I think I use Carmel.
The one thing that really bugs me about British english is clerk (klurk). The British pronounce it klahrk. Now, I know they invented the language, but HOW does one get an 'A' sound in there????
Easy. We took the second 'A' sound you removed from caramel and recycled it.
Humm, so where did you put the leftover 'E'? I'm sure I could use that somewhere, if you're not!
-------------------- "England and America are two countries divided by a common language." - George Bernard Shaw Posts: 555 | From: Ireland | Registered: Apr 2003
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The one thing that really bugs me about British english is clerk (klurk). The British pronounce it klahrk. Now, I know they invented the language, but HOW does one get an 'A' sound in there????
I'll ask my friend, the sergeant.
Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Humm, so where did you put the leftover 'E'? I'm sure I could use that somewhere, if you're not!
Why we stuck that on the end of Missour-ee! Just before we got thrown out of our colony.
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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The one thing that really bugs me about British english is clerk (klurk). The British pronounce it klahrk. Now, I know they invented the language, but HOW does one get an 'A' sound in there????
I'll ask my friend, the sergeant.
Before you friend answers, make sure he's had clearance from his Leff-tenant. (Lieutenant.)
Of course, if he's in the marines, I guess he could clear it with the Boatswain. (pron: Bosun)
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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-------------------- Silence should never under any circumstances be construed as agreement. A lot of the time, it's simply a reflection that someone just said something so stupid that no response could possibly do it justice. - Ramblin' Dave Posts: 8528 | From: Nottingham, England | Registered: Feb 2000
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The sergeant has spent some time in Derby, but was originally from Berkshire.
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I also got confused by Hey Baby. I concluded that the only thing she could possibly be saying was 'i'm just sitting on camel meat', but kind of rolling the 't' at the end.
Oh, and also, clit-or-is, ape-ricot, caramel has two As for a reason, baz-il, or-eh-gah-no (a thought- do Americans pronounce 'origami' as 'oh-riggamee'?!), and my Nan (from London) says Mondee.
Do you have any wine? All of this would go a lot smoother in an altered state of reality. Posts: 779 | From: Southampton, England | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: The sergeant has spent some time in Derby, but was originally from Berkshire.
I was trying to think of a witty addition involving coxswains, Towcester and Leominster but decided it was beyond me. As well as sliding gently away from the original point which was differences in pronunciation rather than some of our more nonsensical issues with place names over this side of the pond.
quote:The sergeant has spent some time in Derby, but was originally from Berkshire.
He may be from Berkshire but he's still a berk. And his name's Cholmondleigh.
-------------------- I want you to lay down your life, Perkins. We need a futile gesture at this stage. It will raise the whole tone of the war. Posts: 4495 | From: Surrey, UK | Registered: Jun 2000
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Do the British pronounce every vowel? It seems to me a silly idea to first see how to spell a word and then decide how to pronounce it. But isn't standard British pronunciation of 'military' with three syllables?
quote: or-eh-gah-no (a thought- do Americans pronounce 'origami' as 'oh-riggamee'?!)
I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you saying that if people stress a certain syllable in one four-syllable word, they must stress that syllable in all four-syllable words?
Posts: 1699 | From: New York | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by evilrabbit: Oh, and "Missoura" is an entirely valid pronunciation, used by many people from the state (like my mom).
No! It's NOT valid. It's an i for pete's sake! The people from Missouri that say it that way are wrong wrong wrong. I think we should just change the i to ee so there's no more confusion.
Seriously, I think that it's a regional thing. (What isn't though, really?) In my experience, it's those from the northern part of the state that say 'uh' at the end. What about my fellow Missourians? How do you say it?
Well, my maternal grandparents live in West Plains and say "Missoura", and my Dad lives in Springfield and says "Missouri", my paternal grandparent live in Cuba (MO, not the island) and, hm, can't remember how they say it. I think with an "i".
-------------------- "My sandwich choice is uncertain, until I actually order. It's like Schrodinger's Sandwich." "Is plutonium involved in this sandwich in any way?" "Maybe." Posts: 496 | From: Whitby, ON, Canada | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: A question that I find interesting though - for French speaking Canadians, and/or European French, does this same pronunciation argument occur between these groups. I would also welcome answers from those living in South America, versus those living in Spain or Portugal.
But please answer in English (any flavo(u)r you like) as I don't speak French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Although I am not French myself and so may not be the ideal person to answer, I can attest quebecois French sounds different from Parisian French, and there are also regional accents throughout France. Although I am not a native speaker of French, I could tell that there was a difference in the French spoken by Parisians from that spoken by my quebecoise friend.
Posts: 293 | From: Los Angeles | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:a thought- do Americans pronounce 'origami' as 'oh-riggamee'?!
I'm not American, but I would say 'or-gah-mee'. I would also say 'cli-TOR-us', 'di-VIH-sive', 'bah-sil' 'er-egg-ah-no', and 'care-ah-mel'...wanna fight 'aboot' it?
-------------------- "For me, religion is like a rhinoceros: I don't have one, and I'd really prefer not to be trampled by yours. But it is impressive, and even beautiful, and, to be honest, the world would be slightly worse off if there weren't any." -Silas Sparkhammer Posts: 3239 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: A question that I find interesting though - for French speaking Canadians, and/or European French, does this same pronunciation argument occur between these groups. I would also welcome answers from those living in South America, versus those living in Spain or Portugal.
But please answer in English (any flavo(u)r you like) as I don't speak French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Although I am not French myself and so may not be the ideal person to answer, I can attest quebecois French sounds different from Parisian French, and there are also regional accents throughout France. Although I am not a native speaker of French, I could tell that there was a difference in the French spoken by Parisians from that spoken by my quebecoise friend.
Thanks for your reply, that partially answers my question. What I was really interested in is that do the Quebecoise and the French get all bent out of shape and bicker with each other about the 'correct' spelling or pronunciation of words?
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:a thought- do Americans pronounce 'origami' as 'oh-riggamee'?!
I'm not American, but I would say 'or-gah-mee'. I would also say 'cli-TOR-us', 'di-VIH-sive', 'bah-sil' 'er-egg-ah-no', and 'care-ah-mel'...wanna fight 'aboot' it?
Origami clitoris divisive basil oregano. Sounds like a bad attempt to bypass a spam filter.
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I saw Christiana Amanpour rant in an interview about people who pronounce Iraq as "eye rac". She was adamant that it is pronounced "ear ac".
-------------------- Assume that all my posts will be edited at least once. Dyslexic -- can't spell, can't type, can't proofread. Posts: 8317 | From: Reading, PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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I saw a documentary on the BBC a few weeks ago which followed an Iraqi doctor showing the conditions in Iraqi hospitals. He pronounced it ear-ach (with the ach sound ending with a sort of hiss - hard to describe.) I'll go with the native speaker.
No cite, but some many years ago, I visited Chartwell House, home of Winston Churchill. On display there is a framed letter he wrote bemoaning the fact that foreigners cannot be bothered to pronounce the names of their towns and cities properly. Along the lines of:
Why do the French insist on calling Paris 'Paree.' Or the Germans persist in calling Munich 'Munchen.'
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: A question that I find interesting though - for French speaking Canadians, and/or European French, does this same pronunciation argument occur between these groups. I would also welcome answers from those living in South America, versus those living in Spain or Portugal.
But please answer in English (any flavo(u)r you like) as I don't speak French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Although I am not French myself and so may not be the ideal person to answer, I can attest quebecois French sounds different from Parisian French, and there are also regional accents throughout France. Although I am not a native speaker of French, I could tell that there was a difference in the French spoken by Parisians from that spoken by my quebecoise friend.
Thanks for your reply, that partially answers my question. What I was really interested in is that do the Quebecoise and the French get all bent out of shape and bicker with each other about the 'correct' spelling or pronunciation of words?
I only know one "true" French person who has moved here and she said that she had had some problems . And like me, she is entitled to French lessons...
-------------------- Focus On The Family- An opinion group who think more about Gay Sex than gay people do- Rick Mercer Posts: 590 | From: Rawdon, Quebec | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: A question that I find interesting though - for French speaking Canadians, and/or European French, does this same pronunciation argument occur between these groups. I would also welcome answers from those living in South America, versus those living in Spain or Portugal.
But please answer in English (any flavo(u)r you like) as I don't speak French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Although I am not French myself and so may not be the ideal person to answer, I can attest quebecois French sounds different from Parisian French, and there are also regional accents throughout France. Although I am not a native speaker of French, I could tell that there was a difference in the French spoken by Parisians from that spoken by my quebecoise friend.
Thanks for your reply, that partially answers my question. What I was really interested in is that do the Quebecoise and the French get all bent out of shape and bicker with each other about the 'correct' spelling or pronunciation of words?
Purely anecdotally, but my quebecoise friend living in Paris said she had some difficulty making herself understood and on a few occasions she was teased about her accent.
Posts: 293 | From: Los Angeles | Registered: Dec 2003
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For what it's worth, I call 'em "ter-MAY-tuhs".
I call potatoes either "TAY-ters" or just "spuds".
My dad likes calling coyotes "KEYE-yootz". That one really bugs me. I can accept "KEYE-yotez" and I can accept "keye-YO-teez". I laugh every time I hear my dad say it his way.
And since Missora has been mentioned, what's the deal with Warshington?
People in this area tend to use strange pronounciations as well. North Dakota turns into "NOR-tah-KOH-da". The town of Dickinson, ND gets the most fanfare, as residents of the town tend to call it "DICK-uh-sen".
But the one that is probably the most controversial is the town of Norfolk, NE. The actual correct pronounciation is "NOR-fork".
I'm not even going to start with Louisville and New Orleans.
Posts: 23 | From: Fargo, ND | Registered: Jul 2006
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My father pronounces the word 'sandwich' as 'sang-witch' (dropping the 'd' and substituting a 'g') and it bugs the hell out of me everytime I hear him say it.
Does anybody else in the entire English speaking world use this pronunciation?
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by bjohn13: And since Missora has been mentioned, what's the deal with Warshington?
My aunt once saw, on the side of the road, a sign reading "For sale: Warsher and Dryer."
-------------------- "My sandwich choice is uncertain, until I actually order. It's like Schrodinger's Sandwich." "Is plutonium involved in this sandwich in any way?" "Maybe." Posts: 496 | From: Whitby, ON, Canada | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Eddylizard: My father pronounces the word 'sandwich' as 'sang-witch' (dropping the 'd' and substituting a 'g') and it bugs the hell out of me everytime I hear him say it.
Does anybody else in the entire English speaking world use this pronunciation?
Not quite, but an English friend of mine says I say 'samwich' more than 'sandwich'. She's the only one who's ever commented on it though.
-------------------- "England and America are two countries divided by a common language." - George Bernard Shaw Posts: 555 | From: Ireland | Registered: Apr 2003
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My grandmother says "sammawich" and it's really irritating. I think she does it on purpose to be funny though, because she draws it out.
I say "FEB-ru-ary" for the second month and I get teased about it a lot.
-------------------- Me: "He's 19? Uh oh, I bought him a beer." A: "You contributed to the deliquency of a minor in drag!" "Sweet spell check: keeping drunks off the radar since 1995."- IND GodRe-AnimateGreenPorkBush Posts: 3986 | From: Illinois, jealous? | Registered: Nov 2005
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