Pronounciation

Tope

One that bothers me is when people pronounce envelope ‘onvelope’.
Not sure why – I think both pronunciations are actually correct, and it’s originally from the French and all, but I just find it irrationally irritating.

I used to work with a woman who pronounced it onvelope, and we had to deal with the post every day, which resulted in many a pronunciation-off between us:

“Have we any white on-velopes left?”
“There’s a box of white en-velopes in the cupboard”

“I need an A4 on-velope for this”
“We’re all out of A4 en-velopes”.

Fun times.

DebDynamite

Lurry instead of Lorry.

I admit, I say lurry. The boyfriend is always taking the piss.

drumlover22

jmayo wrote: »

You watch too much American television and didn't listen when in skool.

Not really, but I'm in college now so I must have done something right :P

jmayo wrote: »

Heck this place is getting like Lidl or Aldi, the same things come around again if you wait long enough.
There was a thread about this some time back and it ended up with people complaining about how locals do not know how to properly pronounce the names of the places where they live. :rolleyes:

Sorry, I was not aware of this, make of thread of the list of threads so we don't get any copies again

HugoBradyBrown

DebDynamite wrote: »

Lurry instead of Lorry.

I admit, I say lurry. The boyfriend is always taking the piss.

And then some say 'truck'!


Hugo Brady Brown

HugoBradyBrown

jmayo wrote: »

You watch too much American television and didn't listen when in skool.



There have always had a bit of a problem with the "sit ee a shun" up there.



It's MAY oooooh just like it's Inda Kinny.

Heck this place is getting like Lidl or Aldi, the same things come around again if you wait long enough.
There was a thread about this some time back and it ended up with people complaining about how locals do not know how to properly pronounce the names of the places where they live. :rolleyes:

And is it Liddle or Leeedle?

I find that the people up Kill Avenue in Deans Grange, who think they live in Foxrock, if you catch them in the shop, call if 'Leeedle". Could they be right? Maybe they are only following orders.

Or maybe they're a leeedle bit right and a liddle bit wrong.


Hugo Brady Brown

DebDynamite

jmayo wrote: »

Heck this place is getting like Lidl or Aldi

All-di or Al-di
Lee-dl or Li-dl

snubbleste

The way Ms. Anne Doyle says sexual sex-uuuh-el

The way Michael Noonan verbalises the word abortion makes me grind my teeth.

snubbleste

Another one is that gets me is birthday commonly heard as bersday

The King of Moo

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

And is it Liddle or Leeedle?

I find that the people up Kill Avenue in Deans Grange, who think they live in Foxrock, if you catch them in the shop, call if 'Leeedle". Could they be right? Maybe they are only following orders.

Or maybe they're a leeedle bit right and a liddle bit wrong.


Hugo Brady Brown

To be strict about things, "Leedl" is the original German pronunciation, but I think it's understandable for English speakers to see "Lidl" and think it's pronounced phonetically, as we don't really ever pronounce the letter "i" with an "ee" sound in English.

HugoBradyBrown

snubbleste wrote: »

The way Ms. Anne Doyle says sexual sex-uuuh-el

The way Michael Noonan verbalises the word abortion makes me grind my teeth.

Or Mr Noonan with his 'billons' and 'millons' and 'Itallans".

And he a schoolteacher and all!

Hugo Brady Brown

HugoBradyBrown

snubbleste wrote: »

Another one is that gets me is birthday commonly heard as bersday

Or burta or birta or birt-a or birt-da.


Hugo Brady Brown

RichieC

eyetalions..... some dubs say gold for goal.. and goaldy...

Richard

"Lozenger" instead of the correct "Lozenge"

"Euro" for the plural instead of the correct "Euros"

http://www.evertype.com/standards/euro/

BOHtox

AhSureTisGrand wrote: »

Chapelizod


How the fück do you pronounce that?

Chapelizid

Omackeral

Originally posted by sophieblake

volka instead of vodka

Oh how I despise that one, what is the basis?

On the other hand, I love saying Michael Caine as My Cocaine

Caveman1

Sky King wrote: »

OP how do you pronounce 'colonel'?

Just curious....

Id pronounce him dead

Omackeral

I've often heard the word 'journal' said as jer-nel. No, just no.

Also, what was the name of the childhood game whereby you threw the ball from one side of the road to the other for points. Would you say it as Kerbs or Curbs?

Richard

Omackeral wrote: »

I've often heard the word 'journal' said as jer-nel. No, just no.

I say "jernal" and "journal" the same

Also, what was the name of the childhood game whereby you threw the ball from one side of the road to the other for points. Would you say it as Kerbs or Curbs?

Again, the same.

orourkeda

drumlover22 wrote: »

I was just watching tv there, and the news presenter pronounced the word lieutenant as "lef-tenant". I've always pronounced it as "loo-tenant" and it really bugs me when people pronounce it "lef-tenant"*. So any pronounciations of words that annoy any of the AHer's here?





*waiting to get told I'm wrong :P

Lef-tenant is the correct pronunciation.

Loo-Tenant exists because americans are too stupid to speak the english language properly.

orourkeda

Growth is not gross.

Three is not free.

Wealth is not welf.

Alice1

It irks me when I hear the word enthusiasm pronounced as enthusi ism - I heard a govenment minister on the television saying enthusi ism.

The other one that really bothers me is scallop - why oh why do some folk pronounce it as scollop?

HugoBradyBrown

Alice1 wrote: »

It irks me when I hear the word enthusiasm pronounced as enthusi ism - I heard a govenment minister on the television saying enthusi ism.

The other one that really bothers me is scallop - why oh why do some folk pronounce it as scollop?

One finds English pronunciation diverging from the fixed orthography, as vowel sounds, in particular, shift over time. See, for example, how people on the other island pronounce 'chicken' as 'chickin'. In time it is possible that the standard spelling will reflect this shift. Semantic changes and clipping of particles (such as the generation of the new transitive verb "to impact") are more easily incorporated into the body of Standard English; spelling changes take place more slowly, and this, in part, accounts for the vagaries of spelling in English. I suppose the advice most conducive to avoiding becoming a Grumpy Old Something is not to take these rather minor matters too seriously, and to adopt a descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to the language. Otherwise, it's a short road to madness.



Hugo Brady Brown

Full.Duck

Ah i forgot, the missus says he-cups. As in hiccups. Wrecks my head.:mad:

Alice1

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

One finds English pronunciation diverging from the fixed orthography, as vowel sounds, in particular, shift over time. See, for example, how people on the other island pronounce 'chicken' as 'chickin'. In time it is possible that the standard spelling will reflect this shift. Semantic changes and clipping of particles (such as the generation of the new transitive verb "to impact") are more easily incorporated into the body of Standard English; spelling changes take place more slowly, and this, in part, accounts for the vagaries of spelling in English. I suppose the advice most conducive to avoiding becoming a Grumpy Old Something is not to take these rather minor matters too seriously, and to adopt a descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to the language. Otherwise, it's a short road to madness.



Hugo Brady Brown

*Ali does the thinned lips thing.

I still don't like it an' I'll be grumpy if I want

tightropetom

drumlover22 wrote: »

I was just watching tv there, and the news presenter pronounced the word lieutenant as "lef-tenant". I've always pronounced it as "loo-tenant" and it really bugs me when people pronounce it "lef-tenant"*.

It comes from an old French variant spelling 'luef' for the modern French 'lieu' (place). So a Lieutenant is a person in place or second in command.

John Doe1

Its SCONNNNNN not scown:D

Fizgig Bandicoot

Most of the pronunciations on R.T.E. Including 'RTE' itself. It's not Ahr-T.E. it's Or-T.E. On the news they always refer to the word sexual as 'seck-soo-al'. Also issue instead of ish-oo and tissue instead of tish-oo really annoy me. It also bugs me when people say on-velope instead if envelope. (Even if they're techinically right.)

HugoBradyBrown

John Doe1 wrote: »

Its SCONNNNNN not scown:D

And 'erbs in the dinner, too, in Blackrock, at least.



Hugo Brady Brown

HugoBradyBrown

Fizgig Bandicoot wrote: »

Most of the pronunciations on R.T.E. Including 'RTE' itself. It's not Ahr-T.E. it's Or-T.E. On the news they always refer to the word sexual as 'seck-soo-al'. Also issue instead of ish-oo and tissue instead of tish-oo really annoy me. It also bugs me when people say on-velope instead if envelope. (Even if they're techinically right.)

The recommended pronunciation of RTE was changed about 10 years ago. Until then, it was as you said - 'Or Tee Eee'. Now it is officially "Ahr Tee Eee". And anyone pronouncing it the old way will get a rap on the knuckles when they close the mic. (The feeling is that the old version made staffers sound as if they were from cainteoirí dúchais from Corca Dhuibhne, in town on the bus pass with the wrong teeth in.)

Listen out, for example, to Bernard Clarke on RTE Lyric FM for a good version of the new pronunciation. Or young Aengus in the newsroom. Even an elder in Radio Centre like Pat Kenny makes a fair old stab at the new version.


Hugo Brady Brown

Achtung! Bono

flutterflye wrote: »

I once read a post where the poster spelled 'knew' in this fashion

"new"

Ha ha! me and my speedy fingers.

sophieblake

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

And 'erbs in the dinner, too, in Blackrock, at least.



Hugo Brady Brown

I like the way you sign your name Hugo Brady Brown

LordSutch

Here's one guaranteed to cause an argument

http://www.shedblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bomb-logo.png

(I'm talking in an English beer context, and not Canadian Busses)!:D

FatherTed

33=Tirty Tree

rich.d.berry

Another one that bugs me is when people say height-th

rich.d.berry

FatherTed wrote: »

33=Tirty Tree

And a turd

ziggy23

chilled-er-en for children
um-ber-ella for umbrella

IsaMtq

The herb oregano....I never know if its oreg-ano or ore-gano ?

Schedule – sked-du-al, not shed-dual

HATE when people call a croissant a qwa-saaan (trying to say it in a french accent(I know it IS French but it just sounds stoo-pid))

The King of Moo

IsaMtq wrote: »

The herb oregano....I never know if its oreg-ano or ore-gano ?

Schedule – sked-du-al, not shed-dual

HATE when people call a croissant a qwa-saaan (trying to say it in a french accent(I know it IS French but it just sounds stoo-pid))

The original Italian pronunciation of "oregano" puts the emphasis on the second syllable, "oregano," but as with most loanwords from other languages, it's difficult to pinpoint a definitive "correct" pronunciation for English-speakers.

LordSutch

IsaMtq wrote: »

(I know it IS French but it just sounds stoo-pid))

Shouldn't that be Stupid?

Antikythera

Alice1 wrote: »

It irks me when I hear the word enthusiasm pronounced as enthusi ism - I heard a govenment minister on the television saying enthusi ism.

Or as Bill Cullen would have it, in-tooooos-yer-zm. AMS does a far superior job (and his show isn't one massive advert).

When people stress the wrong syllable in the word floccinaucinihilipilification, it renders much of what they are saying valueless, in my estimation.

Do_Lers

Em FAAH sis on the wrong sil AAAH bell.

IsaMtq

IsaMtq wrote: »

The herb oregano....I never know if its oreg-ano or ore-gano ?

Schedule – sked-du-al, not shed-dual

HATE when people call a croissant a qwa-saaan (trying to say it in a french accent(I know it IS French but it just sounds stoo-pid))

Ore-gano is the Irish/English way of saying it, oreg-ano is the American way of saying it. Usually I like to think that English pronunciations are the correct way (what with it being their language) but given that the American way follows the Italian, I think they win in this case (although that said, when an Irish person says oreg-ano I think they must watch too much TV).

Sheh-dule vs. skeh-dule is another English vs. American one, where I personally would consider either one fine to use.

charlietheminxx

As someone already mentioned - nuclear.

It's NU-CLEAR and not NU-KEW-LER. Drives me mad!

Also, Pacific instead of specific..... The sheer amount of people who do this

Although, as I would always say loo-tenant for lieutenant, what would I know? I would always take it as a literal spelling, like the way we pronounce "in lieu"

Trevor Kent

"Specific"

Its not bloody "PACIFIC" which I hear all the time, even on the telly.


EDIT: Just seen Charlietheminxx post the same above.

Gophur

Some people get funny (peculiar) with their names
Medbh is one example. In today's world, how is anyone supposed to know (especially outside Gaeltachts) how to pronounce that?

The Brits aren't exempt. Take the name St John (pronounced cin-gin, not Saint John) for example. Why put yourself through life with a name that is pronounced nothing like it is spelled?

I was listening to BBC Radio this week. A newscaster was describing the Jimmy Saville death and his body lying in state in "An Hotel" in Leeds, she pronounced it as An Otel. Surely, even in the depths of Lizzie's England, An Otel is not in any way correct?

HugoBradyBrown

Gophur wrote: »

Some people get funny (peculiar) with their names
Medbh is one example. In today's world, how is anyone supposed to know (especially outside Gaeltachts) how to pronounce that?

The Brits aren't exempt. Take the name St John (pronounced cin-gin, not Saint John) for example. Why put yourself through life with a name that is pronounced nothing like it is spelled?

I was listening to BBC Radio this week. A newscaster was describing the Jimmy Saville death and his body lying in state in "An Hotel" in Leeds, she pronounced it as An Otel. Surely, even in the depths of Lizzie's England, An Otel is not in any way correct?

But just try telling someone with it as a surname that it's pronounced Sin-Jin and you will get your answer!


Further confusion.


Hugo Brady Brown

HugoBradyBrown

Basil or Bay-zil? (The 'erb)



Hugo Brady Brown

LordSutch

Its 'Basil' as in basil brush, boom boom

PS; you might be too young to remember that old fox.

Shivers26

The husbag is in the army and I just sent him a text saying 'how do you pronounce lieutenant' and he text me back 'bástard'

Good man.

Having said that he often refers to them as louie's or LT's so I think they do actually say loo-tenant.

A girl I work with always says pacifically instead of specifically - drives me mad!

The husbags entire family are unable to pronounce couch - they all say couNch. I have no idea why. After a fair bit of teasing about it, he says sofa now instead

HugoBradyBrown

Shivers26 wrote: »

The husbag is in the army and I just sent him a text saying 'how do you pronounce lieutenant' and he text me back 'bástard'

Good man.

Having said that he often refers to them as louie's or LT's so I think they do actually say loo-tenant.

A girl I work with always says pacifically instead of specifically - drives me mad!

The husbags entire family are unable to pronounce couch - they all say couNch. I have no idea why. After a fair bit of teasing about it, he says sofa now instead

Sofa, so good! A couch is where a person of loose or no morals drapes him- or herself.



Hugo Brady Brown