STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Nuc-yoo-ler

Teresa · Kate Spade

oh my gosh, when i was younger, (okay, until i was about 16) I had the hardest time saying the word women. I basically said woman for both forms. I didn't understand that the O was where the pronunciation changes, not the E and A. Thankfully my aunt is a speech pathologist and she helped me out :) lol

Kelly · Hermes

Instead of "wash" I say "warsh" - this extends to all compound words, like dishwasher, washrag, etc. I also say "torlet" instead of "toilet." I *know* how to say these words correctly, and I *can,* it's just old habits because that's what my dad always said growing up (even though my mom would get upset with him because she was afraid that we'd pick it up....and we all did!)

I feel like such a hick!

blink · Coach

Gawd, a lot lately. I blame mommy-brain!

*Aversion. I keep saying adversion instead.

*Quizno's. long ago in the 90's before I ever saw an ad on tv, my roommate and I called it Queeze-nohs. We didn't know, we were trying to sound italian!! Now I can't say it right unless I concentrate.

*Thai. I know better, but when I think of the word, my brain sees the H and so sometimes I spit out "pad thigh" when I am ordering it. Duh, embarrassing!

*coupon. I say coo-pon, not Q-pon, I guess because my arrogant brain thinks Q doesn't make sense.

*Wichita. I had a sales coworker once who was joking around and pronounce Wichita Falls, TX as Wi-cheetah Falls, it stuck in my head and I have actually said it out loud recently.

*Menu. I know it's minor, but I always say it like min instead of men.

*Porsche. It's just too hard to remember! It's one syllable, but so many people say it with two syllables. Or vice versa?!? I can't remember.

Anyway, because of my issues, I automatically forgive mispronunciations. People are so judgmental about this, but it is not an accurate indicator of intelligence, it's very possibly just something misfiring in the language center of the brain. That's the story I am sticking with anyway. aww Wish I had my psych text book handy....

cahabo · Kate Spade

I say crans instead of crayons. I didn't realize it until recently when my mother said I was saying it wrong.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Uh- I actually say nuc-yoo-ler.

But then again, I also sometimes speak with a Jewish Lady from New York accent. Growing up, I knew one person (and not until 7th grade) with a NY accent and I didn't even hang out with her that much. It's an awesome accent, it just pops out randomly, different times and different words. It's usually the 'A's that get messed up. Sometimes, a Boston accent will come out as well where I drop all my 'R's. Like, I'll say "I'll meet you at the cahh and we can drive to the movies".

Mandy · Kate Spade

My bf calls me on this all the time, but I say 'sher-bert' instead of 'sher-bet'. I really didn't realize that word didn't have a second r until he pointed it out, apparently, this is a southern thing.

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

blink wrote:

*coupon. I say coo-pon, not Q-pon, I guess because my arrogant brain thinks Q doesn't make sense.

I just did a huge project on this and you actually pronounce it in the dialect form that is known as general currency or network standard. Pronouncing it with the Q is generally part of the southern dialect. Hence, you are not arrogant, you just may not be southern.

sfclinevandy · Coach

Mandy... until I read your post, I didn't know sherbet was correct. I always say sherbert too.

The word I have the hardest time with (but luckily it's not a term in regular conversation) is anesthetists. You know... the type of nurse with extra training to put people to sleep like when you get your wisdom teeth out.

My new brother in law and sister in law are hilarious because they are obsessed with expensive things (that's another topic entirely) but don't know the correct pronunciation for brands. I can kinda understand prounouncing Hermes with a hard h, but they also say Cartier, prounounced Cart-e-err. I don't want to be the bitch to correct them so I just let them put on their airs but sound like fools. Come to think of it, they must have problems with non-English words because I know they call Pad Thai, Pie Tie... I guess they think it sounds more authentic.

blink · Coach

sfclinevandy wrote:

Come to think of it, they must have problems with non-English words because I know they call Pad Thai, Pie Tie... I guess they think it sounds more authentic.

OMG, that's hilarious. I had to say it out loud to understand. biggrin

Suasoria · Chanel

Farrah wrote:

I just did a huge project on this and you actually pronounce it in the dialect form that is known as general currency or network standard. Pronouncing it with the Q is generally part of the southern dialect. Hence, you are not arrogant, you just may not be southern.

Good! Because I say coo-pon too.

I had a big problem with the word "genuine" when I was a kid. I always said "genu-WINE" like a carnival barker.

Nuc-yoo-ler doesn't bother me like it does other West Coasters, simply because Jimmy Carter studied nuc-yoo-ler physics in the Navy...so I figure if it's OK for him, it's OK for other presidents.

There are a lot of street or place names around here that come from Spanish, and I forget that other people Anglicize these names, so occasionally people don't understand me.

For street names that start with "Calle" I say "kai-ay" while most people say "kallie."

Actually, speaking of arrogance, it totally bugs me when people don't know the basics of how things are supposed to be pronounced in the language they come from. It's interesting how selective people can be. They know "La Jolla" is "La Hoya," but then other names with J's or LL's they screw up. Or they somehow don't know that the tilda over the n (ñ) changes the pronunciation. There's a neighborhood where all the street names start with "Doña" followed by a feminine name - Doña Dolores, Doña Alicia, etc. - and people call this area "The Donnas." Grrr.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

Here is the ones I only know of since I get made fun of it at work!

Yesterday. I say yestaday!
Jewelry. I say joolery.
Hoisery. I say hoysery instead of hosery?
Fragrance. I'm still confused! Is it said like fraygrance, or fragrance?
Smelled. I say smelt!

Kelly · Hermes

Cortney1982 wrote:

Jewelry. I say joolery.

If I'm reading your phonetic spelling correctly in my head, then that's the way I say it and so does everyone else I know!

fairywings · Dooney & Bourke

- Draw instead of drawer
- Farhead isntead of forehead

These both drive my bf insane!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

It bugs me when other people say "pellow" instead of "pillow" and "melk" instead of "milk."

My boss says "idear" instead of "idea," but that doesn't bug me.

Also, I will never forgive the Chrysler Corporation for giving us the Neon Expresso in the 1990s. That messed so many people up, and I believe it is part of the reason some have trouble trying to say "espresso!"

-- Edited by pollyjean23 at 10:51, 2008-04-11

Escrime · Kate Spade

I mess up "immunization" everytime I try to say it.

One of my friends makes fun of me when I say banana because I pronounce it like I am saying the French word for pineapple (ananas) with a "b" in front of it and without the "s" at the end, so I apparently emphasize the incorrect syllable. I can't help it.

blubirde · Chanel

I'm totally confused about the sherbet thing too. What's the difference between sherbet (which I pronounce sherbert as well) and sorbet? Wait - I'm looking it up. Ha! It's the same thing! My bf and I got in an argument about this the other day. I'm sooo gonna remember this. FYI dictionary.com says sherbet is pronounced like sherbert as well, so it's not technically wrong, just different.

A friend just pointed out to me the other day that I say "exasperate" the problem when I should be saying "exacerbate" the problem. I have no clue how long I've been saying it incorrectly.

Funny story on this topic. I have a total brainiac friend who told me a I tend towards the hyperbole (she's right) but instead of saying hi-per-bo-lee, she said hyper-bowl. I asked her if she meant hi-per-bo-lee and she said no, she meant hyper-bowl. Then she thought for a second and asked me how hi-per-bo-lee was spelled and I said, um, like hyper-bowl. Now our whole group of friends says hyper-bowl in front of the brainiac because the just can't stand the fact she'd mispronounce a world like that. Hee! (This story may translate better in person...)

erin · Chanel

i have a very hard time saying "color." i say "keller." in general i have a very yinzer/pittsburghese accent.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

some have already been said- I'm guilty of sherbert, draw (drawer), joolery (how else would you say it?), and melk

also: radiator (is it rad-e-a-tor or ray-dee-a-tor?) and I always say implimented as implimentated. ashamed

-- Edited by ILoveChoo at 10:02, 2008-04-11

needsfashionadvice · Kate Spade

Suasoria wrote:

Actually, speaking of arrogance, it totally bugs me when people don't know the basics of how things are supposed to be pronounced in the language they come from. It's interesting how selective people can be. They know "La Jolla" is "La Hoya," but then other names with J's or LL's they screw up. Or they somehow don't know that the tilda over the n (ñ) changes the pronunciation. There's a neighborhood where all the street names start with "Doña" followed by a feminine name - Doña Dolores, Doña Alicia, etc. - and people call this area "The Donnas." Grrr.

I would totally be in trouble if I lived where you live because I would have NO IDEA how to pronounce that stuff. I was confused just reading the post lol.