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Word pronunciations you've been too embarassed to ask

Off Course
#141

[QUOTE=RugBug;2946182]
While it’s true that two "L"s in Spanish are pronouced like a “Y”…there are many words that we don’t follow that rule with. Examples: Amarillo, Armadillo. Thus, I say Grew-La. :lol:[/QUOTE]
Gah!
No, truly, you must pronounce “grulla/o” in actual Spanish.

Ah, but it’s derived from chaparral…soft ‘ch’ which is why a lot of people call them ‘shaps.’

Again, in English. There is no “sh” sound in any Spanish dialect I’m familiar with. English pronunciation may be “shaparral”, but that doesn’t make it correct.

#142

Well, wouldn’t that depend on the deriviation of the word?

Etymology of the word is muddy. Some say American English around 1844. Some say the Spanish word it supposedly derived from isn’t even a word. :shrug:

#143

I’m in Alabama so regardless of whether it’s correct, here’s how it’s said around here:

chaps-chaps
bosal- bozzle
mecate- mek ah tee
romal- rommel
grulla- groola
arab-Ayrab -just kidding. sortof.
ariat- like lariat minus the ‘l’
mattes- matts

I speak decent Spanish so I know a lot of those words are americanisms or even southernisms. But I’ve no need to make a big deal out of it- pronouncing it ‘boZAL’ like it should be. Around here it’s a bozzle. out west I’d wait til someone said it if I could, and go with it. It’s not that important, really. So long as both parties are on the same page.

#144

[QUOTE=lindac;2945722]
uberstrichen ?[/QUOTE]

Okay, I still haven’t a clue.

Is it You-ber-strike-en?

You-ber-str-ick en?

oober-strike-en?

Someone help me out here. :smiley:

#145

Uberstreichen

  • Oooh. Bear. Strike. en or Oooh.Bear.Strek.en (depending on area of Germany, the latter would be Bavarian I beleive, the former…Northern. It has been a while so I could have my vernaculars mixed)

O with an umlaut is pronounced like an er, so Konig (king in German by the way), is Kernig

#146

[QUOTE=seeuatx;2946945]
Uberstreichen

  • Oooh. Bear. Strike. en or Oooh.Bear.Strek.en (depending on area of Germany, the latter would be Bavarian I beleive, the former…Northern. It has been a while so I could have my vernaculars mixed)

O with an umlaut is pronounced like an er, so Konig (king in German by the way), is Kernig[/QUOTE]

Oooh-burr-strike-en is how I would pronounce it. But that’s just me and my strange austrian dialect that I picked up from my brother. :wink:

As far as umlauts, I was always told that you should form the letter with your mouth and then say the letter E. It’s also handy to note that an umlaut really is just a type of contraction for an added E in the word, so Konig (with umlaut!) could also be spelled “Koenig”. Uberstreichen (with umlaut!) = Ueberstreichen. That kind of helps me with visualizing the pronounciation.

#147

Haha. It’s been 4 years since my last german class. I need my book, lol. I do remember that there are several different vernaculars, so It can just be who teaches you, and where they are from. For example, my first German teacher in 8th grade was American, but had lived in Berlin, She pronounced Ich… as Ick, which is the most common. But the south western Germans and those closer to the French areas often pronounce it as Ish.

Which brings up the Courbette question

Cour.bet or Cour.Bay

and Passier

Pass.E. er. ,Pass. e. air, or Pass. E. A

#148

I KNOW that
scubed
is
s-cubed

But I always see it as
scub-ed (maybe a scuba instructor?)

#149

I have been told that it (“sh”) is one of the differences between Spanish form Spain, and Spanish from Central/South America.

#150

Volte is like volt, right?

I always heard it Vol-Tay.

#151

[QUOTE=talkofthetown;2942742]
Ditto…wow, do I feel dumb. :lol:[/QUOTE]

It’s not, as if you didn’t know :D.

‘She is such a little minx’ (devilish/mischievious/impudent character) which is pronounced ‘minks’. Similar to pronunciation of the short-tailed cat breed known as a ‘manx’.

#152

“Draught” and “Draft” are simply alternate spellings of the same word. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Ireland or England, and whether you are talking about draught horses, draught beer, or the draught that blows the papers off the desk when someone forgets to close the door.

Just as “plow” and “plough” are alternate spellings of the same word.

#153

Small village in Yorkshire near where I’m from originally, tourists pronounce it as it’s spelt “ChopGate” (makes sense right chop gate)…nope, its actually pronouned “choppy yat” :lol: :lol: But, I’d still never ever try to say those darn Welsh names! :eek:

#154

Oh - oh - not horsey unless you’re in the mounted brigade but what about -

‘lieutenant’ and how some say it ‘loo-TEN-ant’ and others say ‘LEF-tenant’.

Anybody see an ‘F’ in there anywhere? (unless you’re cussing at the officer…)

Also ‘worcestershire’. I say it ‘war-CHEST-er-shur’, but natives I think say ‘war-stir’. Where did two syllables go?

#155

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;2943355]
Oh my goodness no. “Melk” is a city in Austria!! “Melking” a cow is not correct. It’s the way Canadians pronounce it, dontcha know eh? :lol: It’s drifted down into MI, WI, MN. Same way with grocery “bage” and come over to my “hose” instead of house. Here, we call it the “Uper” accent. lol! Sort of the Speedy Gonzales accent.[/QUOTE]

As a canuck, I’ve never said ‘melk’. Neither has my dairy farmer/hay supplier. What part of Canada did you hear it said that way in?? :eek:

#156

You are confusing the city (Worcester- 2 syllables) with the county (Worcestershire - 3 syllables).

And I never pronounce the initial “r”.

Wuh-ster or Wuh-stuh
Wuh-ster-shir or Wuh-stuh-shir

(I was born there.)

#157

Holdover from Norse pronunciation.
Still MEANS “gate”.
In old English there was a letter called “yogh”, with a “gh” sound in some dialects, and a “yh” sound in others. As it was dropped from the modern alphabet, in some places it was replaced by g, in some by y, and in others (.e.g., Scotland) by z.

That is why the correct pronounciation of the Scots name “Menzies” is “Menghies”

#158

[QUOTE=babygreenqueen;2945734]
her-meeze saddles but air-may scarves and lingerie (lahn-jair-ee) (lon-jury)

brett FAVRE (FARV) whats up with that?[/QUOTE]

Clearly he’s from a family disowning its heritage, or he can’t pronounce his own name.

Oh, and I’ve got the french guy (last name Pate - ‘pah-TAY’) standing beside me.

‘Pah - de - deux/dieu’ is the closest pronunciation, the ‘deux’ french for two being closer in pronunciation to the french word for ‘god’ than it is to ‘de’. Similar to the word ‘oeuf’ (egg). Say it almost like with your mouth shaped in an ‘O’.

Weeeeeee

#159

[QUOTE=seeuatx;2946996]
Haha. It’s been 4 years since my last german class. I need my book, lol. I do remember that there are several different vernaculars, so It can just be who teaches you, and where they are from. For example, my first German teacher in 8th grade was American, but had lived in Berlin, She pronounced Ich… as Ick, which is the most common. But the south western Germans and those closer to the French areas often pronounce it as Ish.

Which brings up the Courbette question

Cour.bet or Cour.Bay

and Passier

Pass.E. er. ,Pass. e. air, or Pass. E. A[/QUOTE]

Courbette:
Core-Bay

Passier:
Pass-Ear or Pa-sear (depending on how literal you take the breaks in there as far as accenting syllables and such)

And I’m TEARING MY HAIR OUT about the “ish”/“ick” even though I think I know how you’re actually saying it…“Icccchhhhh”…

#160

Yeah, we all know that, but it sure is fun seeing all the people trying to prounounce it…kind of like Wooster & Woostershire :lol: :lol: :lol:

But, the absolute BEST is trying to desipher a Geordie…especially when he’s drunk…and Gannin dawn tha rava! :smiley:

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