Talkin’ Funny
Dooce is writing about how she (wrongly!) pronounces the word Crayon, and her readers are posting away with their various interpretations.
Having grown up in all kinds of crazy places, from New England to California and Utah to the Midwest, I don’t think I have much of an accent. When we first moved to Iowa, I couldn’t believe these crazy people - waRsh? Ruht (root)? Ruhf (roof)? And what on earth is “pop?” Later, in college in Wisconsin, I learned that some people think a water fountain is something called a… “bubbler.” That’s just plain weird.
So here are my pet peeves of mispronunciation, excluding the above ’cause they’re just too obvious.
- “meer” for “mirror”
- “innernet”
- “ersher” or “ershel” for “usher”
- “nu-Q-ler” - the newest way to grill your “tofu pup”
- From my days as a tux lackey back in college - any incarnation of “cummerbunk,” “cunkerbunt,” or anything else you can come up with to mean cumberbund (and yes, the b is pronounced, though lightly)
- Any word with a glottal instead of “nt” - think “fow’an” for “fountain,” “mow’an” for “mountain,” etc
- “shouldn’t of,” “couldn’t of” etc where “have” is replaced with “of,” or worse, “uh”
- “himm” for “hymn” - there’s a difference between “mm” and “mn” !!
- “pee-anist” - do you play the “peee-ano?” It’s “pianist” with the emphasis on the second syllable, like “piano.” (That one’s for you, George, but it’s bugged me for years!)
- “saxerphone”
- IllinoiS - with the S pronounced
- lonG - with the G pronounced
- Any use of “irregardless” - though that’s more grammar than pronunciation
Got any additions?
Comment by CDS
May 15, 2006 @ 9:18 pm
J,
I drink soda and pop. Sorry.
And I know what a bubbler is, but I’ve never called it that.
What is the difference between “mm” and “mn”?
(I sat here doing both for a minute and couldn’t get it.)
I like the “s” in Illinois… it annoys people in this state delightfully. (I’m gonna pay for that one– see below.)
My pet peeves:
• It is Wisconsin. Not Wiscahhhnsin. Get it right, people.
• Adverbs end in “-ly”. You do not feel bad. You feel badly. Saying it wrong is bad. You are saying it badly.
• On the topic of adverbs, don’t get me started with “Hopefully”. I don’t even want to discuss this one. It is such a lost cause, I’ve given up hope.
That’s enough for now.