Mispronunciation Meme Part II

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English, language, memes, mispronounced words, mispronunciation, pronunciation, videos, vlogs, words

Okay, following yesterday’s meme, here’s the video of me saying the words, followed by the answer key. Now, because I already knew the answers (PH tested me on these when we were geeking out over the weekend), I cheat a little bit and discuss the correct pronunciations in the video. So if you haven’t done it yet, be warned!

Answer key.

Click the links to go to Dictionary.com and hear the pronunciation, as well as to see notes on it. I put my screw-ups in red for you to admire!

1. Correct: arK-tic, Ant-arK-tica. Incorrect: aRtic, AntaRtica.
2. Correct: Mauve should rhyme with cove, FO-lee-age. Mispronunciation: mawv, FOIL-age.
3. Correct: eLEC-toral, CAND-idate. Incorrect:elecTORal/electorial, CANNidate.
4. Correct:  diF-theria. Incorrect:diPtheria
   
5. Correct:  eSSpecially, eSSpresso. Incorrect: eXspecially, eXpresso.
6. Correct:  Film, Feb-Ru-ary. Incorrect: fil-im, febYuary (becoming accepted).
7. Correct:  LibRary, lie-able. Incorrect: libArry, libel.
8. Correct:  moot should rhyme with hoot and toot. Incorrect: moot rhyming with mute and cute.
9. Correct:  Off-en, MIS-chiv-ous, just like “mischief” with an ous at the end. Incorrect: off-ten (becoming accepted),Mis-CHEE-VEE-ous.
10. Correct:  probaBly, pRe-scription. Incorrect: Prolly, pEr-scription
11. Correct:  Real-tor, REL-e-vant. Incorrect: Ree-la-tor, REV-e-lant
12. Correct:  RES-pit. Incorrect: res-PITE.
13. Correct:  UT-most, vol-UP-tuous. Incorrect: UP-most, vol-UMP-tuous.
14. Correct:  Suppose-edly, ZO-ology. Incorrect: Suppose-ably, ZOO-ology.
15. Correct:  mEEm, pro-NUN-ci-ation. Incorrect: Mee-mee/may-may, pro-NOUN-ci-ation.

The original link is here.

It’s worth reading because there are some fun misunderstandings of common phrases, too. I couldn’t do that in a written meme, however, because writing it gives it away!

Many of the words this guy lists tend to be regional variations on pronouncing/slurring vowels, especially schwas (how’s that for a word that starts with four consonants?!). This is where Perfect Husband and I tended to differ. While he says things like “mannaise” and “fed-ral”, I say may-on-naise and fed-er-al, because I was raised to do so. Ditto with pronouncing “wh” words differently from “w” words, particularly words like “whet” or “which” that have a different meaning if pronounced “wet” or “witch”.

I tried to avoid many words like that, because I don’t think that’s mispronunciation so much as accent or quick speech.You’ll notice I didn’t pick on whether you said “clothes” or “close” in number 3. Bonus points if you actually pronounce the TH, though, especially if you’re a fast talker.

Also, I out-and-out disagree with some of his claims. He mentions “Tijuana” as a commonly mispronounced word, along with “forte” but Dictionary.com would disagree with him, and if we can’t trust Dictionary.com, who can we turn to in times of trial such as this?? I think that saying people mispronounce “Tijuana” is like complaining that we mispronounce “Paris”: even if it’s not how the French say it, it’s the English word for that city, you know? Besides, “Tijuana” is a slurring of Tia Juana (Aunt Jane) to begin with, even in Spanish.

Some of these “mispronunciations” are becoming accepted (as noted) but are still under debate, so I let them in – let the debate rage! Sadly, my mispronunciations are not under debate.

So… how did you guys do? Someone join me in educated embarrassment, and encourage your own readers to join you in shame as well! If there are lots of us, we could form a group of people who fight for the right to pronounce it res-pite!

And I thought I was good with words…

Mispronunciation Meme!

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meme, mispronounced words, pronunciation

Perfect Husband found a fun webpage, and it has spurred me into making a NEW pronunciation meme.

The webpage was about commonly mispronounced words (yes, that’s our idea of fun). We spent almost an hour going through the list, with PH spelling the word for me and then asking me to pronounce it, comparing it with how he pronounces it (his family is American and it shows in some of his speech) and then checking to see if I did it right. I was surprised by some of the “mispronunciations” this page lists.

Many of them I pronounce “correctly” (which the author of the page defines as the original pronunciation). Some of them I do not. Some of them PH pronounces correctly, which I do not, and I pronounce correctly, which he does not.

So now I’m curious about the rest of you.

So.

Want to play?

FIRST: Take a video of yourself reading the following sentences aloud. Try to be honest and pronounce words the way you usually do, instead of how you think they should be pronounced (because then you’ll look really silly if you’re wrong and no one will believe you when you say “I normally say it right!”).

1. There are no penguins in the Arctic, but many in Antarctica.
2. I like the mauve flowers and lovely foliage in this garden.
3. I liked the electoral candidate’s clothes.
4. I died of diphtheria in Oregon Trail.
   
5. I especially need an espresso on Monday mornings.
6. I haven’t seen a film since February.
7. Be careful going up the library steps – you’re liable to fall.
8. The point is moot.
9. My son is often mischievous.
10. My doctor will probably write a prescription.
11. I am going to ask my realtor if all this jargon is relevant.
12. We went to Tijuana for a well earned respite.
13. I did my utmost to convince her that she isn’t fat – just voluptuous!
14. Supposedly this guy has a degree in zoology.
15. The meme is about pronunciation.

Tomorrow: I will post a vid of ME saying these words, and an answer key, you can learn what words I pronounce wrong!

I bet you can’t wait.

YEAH.

Pronunciation Meme

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memes, pronunciation, vlog

Look I found a meme on Postcards From Oblivion! It’s about pronunciation and colloquialisms! You record yourself saying words so everyone can laugh at the way you say them!

Questions:

• Your name and/or username
• Where you’re from
• The following words: Aunt, Roof, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught, Orange, Coffee, Direction, Naturally, Aluminum, Herbs.
• What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house? [on the night before Halloween?]
• What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
• What do you call gym shoes?
• What do you say to address a group of people?
• What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
• What do you call your grandparents?
• What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
• What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
• What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

Here’s mine! There’s a Babby in it!

If you turn up the sound at the last bit of the video where I start running out of things to say, you’ll get a bonus of Babby’s complainy-pant noise!

Now you do this meme so I can laugh back at you. Or diagnose the meaning behind Babby’s whine-pant.

EDIT: And by “rainshower” I meant “Sunshower” because my brain and my mouth don’t communicate well.