Pronunciaition

[Dave (in MA)]

And of course the odd superfluous extra syllable in aluminium.

How about the odd extra vowel in "pronunciaition"?

[Dave (in MA)]

On this side of the "pond", almost nobody uses "whilst", but I was surprised to see "while" in the OP.

[davis]

I type for school psychologists, and it baffles me that most of them pronounce 'comp-i-tents' (as in 'social and emotional competence') as 'comp-i-tensy'. I guess I figure they ought to know better, but they don't.

[Dave (in MA)]

........... vās .................................................. .............. vāz

[WytchCrypt]

Orientated vs oriented as in Floyd's Pompeii film...

"People say we're a drug orientated band, but we're not. You can trust us." - Dave Gilmour

[spellbound]

Recently while watching various US dramas, I discovered something I was hitherto unaware of, in that I noticed several times that Americans pronounce the word vase as vaice. Presumably to follow logic and match with the pronunciation of words like case and base.

Whereas on this side of the pond we don't follow that logic at all. We say, "vahz" .... isn't that odd?

I wonder why we pronounce it like that, vahz.

Be careful not to try to learn anything from American TV. It is often the most ignorant people there who speak with the most authority. Newscasters especially. Can't count the number of times I have caught them in mispronunciations, misspellings (in on-screen graphics), and bad grammar. Also, they lie a lot. I was born in the USA of American-English-speaking parents, and "vaice" is the pronunciation I learned as a child. There is very little logic to American English. In 1970, I remember hearing Graham Nash singing "I'll light the fire, you put the flowers in the vahz that you bought today." The meaning was clear (a vase is what you put flowers in), but the pronunciation was not what I was used to hearing.

[trurl]

I lived on a Lafayette Street in New Jersey many years ago. Everyone in the neighborhood said "Lahf-ee-ETT". Accent on the last syllable.

Yep, that's how we grew up saying it.

[Scott Bails]

Why do some people pronounce the title of their father's sister as "ant" whilst () some pronounce it as "ont?"

[Lopez]

I was always put off by the British pronunciation of the black cat/motor car "jag-you-are." I prefer the American "jag-warr."

[spellbound]

I lived on a Lafayette Street in New Jersey many years ago. Everyone in the neighborhood said "Lahf-ee-ETT". Accent on the last syllable.

Because that's the correct way to say it.

You want to learn about pronunciation from people who say "Joizey."

[trurl]

Orientated vs oriented as in Floyd's Pompeii film...

Ah, that's the other one I was trying to think of!

[Dave (in MA)]

There is very little logic to American English.

There is very little logic to English. (through though tough thought, for example)

[spellbound]

There is very little logic to English. (through though tough thought, for example)

You got that right.

cough
tough
bough

[3LockBox]

I love how, when I was growing up, the planet was always pronounced like "your anus," but now I always hear it pronounced "you're a nus" by any scientist I see on TV.

you can thank technology for that - when deep space probes finally reached Uranus, they discovered heretofore unseen dark rings encircling the planet (not unlike the other gas giants in the solar system) - they didn't want to release a press statement that sounded like they'd just discovered dark rings around your anus.... paraphrased from George Carlin

[davis]

Versailles, Indiana is pronounced 'ver-SAYLZ' and I think the same name in France is 'Ver-SY'. that's how it's pronounced in the Al Stewart song "Palace of Versailles."

and one of my school psychologists pronounces 'sequencing' as 'see-KWEN-sing'.

[3LockBox]

I just wanna know how to pronounce the name 'Roine'

[davis]

Why do some people pronounce the title of their father's sister as "ant" whilst () some pronounce it as "ont?"

that's a great one. I've always said 'ant'. but all of my parents' sisters are gone so it doesn't matter to me now.

[Scott Bails]

I just wanna know how to pronounce the name 'Roine'

[davis]

I just wanna know how to pronounce the name 'Roine'

I read it as 'royn' izzat rawng?

[3LockBox]

davenport or couch?

[Dave (in MA)]

sofa

Oddly enough, even though "davenport" takes its name from a Massachusetts company that made furniture, it's a Midwestern term.

[ronmac]

I lived on a Lafayette Street in New Jersey many years ago. Everyone in the neighborhood said "Lahf-ee-ETT". Accent on the last syllable.

You want to learn about pronunciation from people who say "Joizey."

Well, this Pennsylvanian grew up right near "Lah-fay-ETT" College.

There is very little logic to English. (through though tough thought, for example)

Actually, the only logic I've been able to determine is that it seems to be the most concise of the major languages.

Versailles, Indiana is pronounced 'ver-SAYLZ' and I think the same name in France is 'Ver-SY'. that's how it's pronounced in the Al Stewart song "Palace of Versailles."

Try living near Pittsburgh. Western PA, in general. They say 'ver-SAYLZ' and DuBois is "Do Boyz" (imagine the jokes). I'm surprised the got Duquesne right.

davenport or couch?

I have a sofa, but my mother-in-law has a davenport. Of course, she's 93 and still refers to "colored people." I always ask her what color they were.

[Dave (in MA)]

Of course, she's 93 and still refers to "colored people." I always ask her what color they were.

Maybe we need to ask the National Association for the Advancement of <something you're not allowed to say anymore> for a ruling.

[ronmac]

Maybe we need to ask the National Association for the Advancement of <something you're not allowed to say anymore> for a ruling.

Might as well ask the Black Panthers, too.

[Dave (in MA)]

There is a Berlin (BER-lin) Massachusetts and a Calais (CAL-is) Maine, and contrary to popular belief, there is no such place as WorCHester, MA.