# Commonly misprounced words



## punisher73 (Sep 28, 2011)

So as not to derail the other thread about Obama, I thought I would start a new thread about words that people always mispronounce.

NucUler instead of nuclear

Sherbert instead of Sherbet


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## Blindside (Sep 28, 2011)

Calvary instead of cavalry.


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

LOL.  Great thread. 

Some that I hear a lot: 

Laxadaisical instead of lackadaisical

Fixin or "affixin to" instead of fixing

Acrost instead of across

Calvary instead of cavalry

One we get all the time up here in Seattle:  Expresso instead of espresso

Relator instead of realtor

Another one that particularly bugs me:  Mute instead of moot.

Edit:  Just thought of another one:  Oldtimers disease instead of alzheimers.


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## Carol (Sep 28, 2011)

The non-LE folks at work tend to say "incidences" instead of "incidents".


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## Tez3 (Sep 28, 2011)

Lauranorder for law and order

minimialistic instead of minimalist

elf and safety for health and safety... though a lot of people now deliberately use the former sarcastically!

woteva... just wrong on so many levels!

furore.. a favourite word in the media gets pronounced with the e ... fu roar e ...don't use the e please!


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> furore.. a favourite word in the media gets pronounced with the e ... fu roar e ...don't use the e please!


Reminds me of a blond joke.


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## Jenna (Sep 28, 2011)

Oh I hated GW Bush talking about them pesky nucuular weapons lol.

aster-ix ~ rearranging the phonetics of asterisk 
sek-et-ry ~ leaving out the first r in secretary

Of course yous Americans mispronounce the most abundant metal in the earth's crust: alumin-I-UM! (Or maybe that is us folk here in the UK mispronouncing alumin-UM) lol... I am just joking!!


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

Jenna said:


> Oh I hated GW Bush talking about them pesky nucuular weapons lol.
> 
> aster-ix ~ rearranging the phonetics of asterisk
> sek-et-ry ~ leaving out the first r in secretary
> ...


Yeah, well you guys mispronounce "beer."  It's completely wrong.  It's not "ail."  It's "beer."  Drink too much, and sure, you might get sick, but let's not get lazy, guys.  It's beer.  Beer.  Very simple.  Beer.  

And it's pint, not point.  You don't want a point of ail.  That's just flat out wrong.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 28, 2011)

One that has been driving me nuts all day because Bill Clinton was here yesterday

Clinin instead of Clinton...it has been driving me nuts...and they are even pronouncing his name Clinin ON THE NEWS!!!!!!:hb:


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## Nomad (Sep 28, 2011)

While we're at it,

It didn't happen *on accident*, it happened BY accident (on purpose, by accident).

Just a little pet peeve that I hear often.


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## Tez3 (Sep 28, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Yeah, well you guys mispronounce "beer." It's completely wrong. It's not "ail." It's "beer." Drink too much, and sure, you might get sick, but let's not get lazy, guys. It's beer. Beer. Very simple. Beer.
> 
> And it's pint, not point. You don't want a point of ail. That's just flat out wrong.



Ale is a type of beer not another word for beer per se.
http://beer.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=beer&cdn=food&tm=38&gps=659_290_1253_644&f=00&tt=11&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.brewingtechniques.com/library/styles/2_2style.html

It was originally made with barley not hops.  As for a 'point' there'll only be some people from one part of the country that say that lol!


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## granfire (Sep 28, 2011)

Jenna said:


> Oh I hated GW Bush talking about them pesky nucuular weapons lol.
> 
> aster-ix ~ rearranging the phonetics of asterisk




I am sorry, but  Asterix is the correct spelling.


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## Tez3 (Sep 28, 2011)

granfire said:


> I am sorry, but Asterix is the correct spelling.



Ah one of my favourite men! Bring me a menhir!


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## MaxiMe (Sep 28, 2011)

cheshire drawers instead of chest of drawers


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## JohnEdward (Sep 28, 2011)

I could write a laundry list on this, from every ghetto to every white trash redneck trailer park in this country, then  through the Bronxs to East LA.

My biggest one is Clothes not close. You put clothes on, and you close the door.  

Then these follow:

And not Ant (all words ending in d and made into a soft d followed by a hard t)

Inflammable not Imflammable. (confusing n an m in words)

Accentuate not Axcentuate (such words)

Affidavit not Affidavid

Candidate not Cannidate (no, sorry am married)

Excited not Eggcited (all simpler words where x is pronounced gg)


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## MaxiMe (Sep 28, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> redneck trailer park in this countryInflammable not Imflammable. (confusing n an m in words)


yes please lets not go Jeff Foxworthy comedy tour on this one.

It's salsa not sailsa


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## CanuckMA (Sep 28, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> Ah one of my favourite men! Bring me a menhir!



Used to love those comics.


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

It's zhoo-zheesu.  Not jew jitsu.


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## JohnEdward (Sep 28, 2011)

Also it is umbilical cord not ambilical cord.

It's git r done not get her done.


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## Tez3 (Sep 28, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Also it is umbilical cord not ambilical cord.
> 
> It's git r done not get her done.



Americans pronounce umbilical differently from us as they do cervical. 
American Um bee lical.....English Um bil ical
             Cer vie kal .......           cerv i cal


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## Nomad (Sep 28, 2011)

Please don't *AXE* me another question!


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## Senjojutsu (Sep 28, 2011)

The seafood "SCALLOPS".

At least in New England two pronunciation denominations:

SCAAAALOPS  or SCAAAWWLOPS

DAMN -  now I want some along with some fried clams and french fries;  be still my beating heart with clogged arteries.


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## crushing (Sep 28, 2011)

I'll warsh the close after I take out the gerbage, so throw me down yer londry.


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## Carol (Sep 28, 2011)

Senjojutsu said:


> The seafood "SCALLOPS".
> 
> At least in New England two pronunciation denominations:
> 
> ...



Its SCAAAWWLOPS 

Now don't go making fun of us New Englanders!  You know I train in _mah-shill oughts_ :lol2:


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> Americans pronounce umbilical differently from us as they do cervical.
> American Um bee lical.....English Um bil ical
> Cer vie kal .......           cerv i cal


I've never heard anyone say umbeelical.  I've only ever heard oombilical or umbilical.

Cervical, pronounced servikal.  Never heard cerviekal.

This is pretty interesting.  It's neat to hear what you guys across the pond think we sound like!


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## MA-Caver (Sep 28, 2011)

Resume and not resume


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## Tez3 (Sep 28, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> I've never heard anyone say umbeelical. I've only ever heard oombilical or umbilical.
> 
> Cervical, pronounced servikal. Never heard cerviekal.
> 
> This is pretty interesting. It's neat to hear what you guys across the pond think we sound like!



We hear it on telly programmes talking of which... during the last Olympics sports commentators started telling us that competitors were meddling/were going to meddle and our cyclists in particular were meddling well! this caused a lot of confusion with letters to newspapers asking what was going on, turns out the television types mean 'medalling' which is nonsense of course, they were winning medals. It seems it's an American habit! There are others..read on..!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/08/good_use_of_language_should_be.html


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

Since this is a thread about words, can I ask what "misprounced" means?  As in the title of this thread, "Commonly misprounced words."


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## Steve (Sep 28, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> We hear it on telly programmes talking of which... during the last Olympics sports commentators started telling us that competitors were meddling/were going to meddle and our cyclists in particular were meddling well! this caused a lot of confusion with letters to newspapers asking what was going on, turns out the television types mean 'medalling' which is nonsense of course, they were winning medals. It seems it's an American habit! There are others..read on..!
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/08/good_use_of_language_should_be.html



Huh.  Sounds like the author of the article is a little uptight.  Most of the folks leaving comments, as well.  Come on, guys.  Remove the branch from your nethers and relax a little.


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## granfire (Sep 28, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Huh.  Sounds like the author of the article is a little uptight.  Most of the folks leaving comments, as well.  Come on, guys.  Remove the branch from your nethers and relax a little.



aren't we cheeky today?!


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## Sukerkin (Sep 28, 2011)

Steve's hankering for a slap with his louche attitudes to linguistic rectitude :grrr:.

Languages evolve, aye, most especially English but WE will be the ones to decide what is appropriate, thank you very much .


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## Buka (Sep 28, 2011)

A popular fish served here in New England is scrod. But that is not a species of fish at all, it is really the past pluperfect of the verb to screw.
As for mispronunciations, my favorite here in New England is "politician". It's correctly pronounced A-hole.


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## Monroe (Sep 28, 2011)

I think a lot of it is accents. 

My Grandparents would drive the lot of you insane. 

London:
Do i' plop-lee = Do it properly. 
Me = my
Innit = Isn't it.
-ink = -ing
Cla'am = Clapham
double negatives
f = th

West Country: 
Thee bist = You are
How bist = How are you
Ayebee/hebee = I am/he is
Chillurn = Children
Refer to items as though they were men. He = That's

And in Canada I've learned: 
Sounds like a donkey heehawing = Canadian telling you to f*** off. 
Ta-ran-na = Toronto
Prolly = probably
airiss = or this
baig (pronounced like vague only with a b)= could be bag or they could mean beg
Could care less = couldn't care less
bin = been


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## granfire (Sep 28, 2011)

Monroe said:


> I think a lot of it is accents.
> 
> My Grandparents would drive the lot of you insane.
> 
> ...



LOL!!!

I read a book by Pat Macintosh a little while back: Scottish English in medieval times....
Having a good background in German dialects actually helped once I got into it! :lol:


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## Carol (Sep 28, 2011)

Accents are a story unto themselves!

I was heading up to the mountains early one morning for a hike.  I got about two-thirds of the way there when I decided to pull in to a diner for breakfast.   A local fellow sitting near me at the counter smiled, and asked if there a lot of "beeyahs" out there.  Granted I was a bit sleep-deprived, but I swear it sounded like he was asking me if there were any *beers* out there.  Strange question for 6-something in the morning, but hey, maybe the dude just got out of work?  

Then I realized he was asking if there a lot of *bears* out there.   Oops!


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## granfire (Sep 28, 2011)

Carol said:


> Accents are a story unto themselves!
> 
> I was heading up to the mountains early one morning for a hike.  I got about two-thirds of the way there when I decided to pull in to a diner for breakfast.   A local fellow sitting near me at the counter smiled, and asked if there a lot of "beeyahs" out there.  Granted I was a bit sleep-deprived, but I swear it sounded like he was asking me if there were any *beers* out there.  Strange question for 6-something in the morning, but hey, maybe the dude just got out of work?
> 
> Then I realized he was asking if there a lot of *bears* out there.   Oops!



man, in Spring hubby was in the hospital for 2 weeks. His roomy was some old black dude. the first few days he looked like he wasn't gonna make it, but then he got better and started talking...and talking and talking....and I did not understand a SINGLE world he was saying. I just smiled and nodded, hoping I wasn't going to laugh when he told me somebody dies or something.....


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## JohnEdward (Sep 28, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> We hear it on telly programmes talking of which... during the last Olympics sports commentators started telling us that competitors were meddling/were going to meddle and our cyclists in particular were meddling well! this caused a lot of confusion with letters to newspapers asking what was going on, turns out the television types mean 'medalling' which is nonsense of course, they were winning medals. It seems it's an American habit! There are others..read on..!
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/08/good_use_of_language_should_be.html



Holy carp! I now know how to pisz-off a BBC sport viewer. I love the use of "Americanism."  I fear they would all commit linguist suicide, if the sat through one of our color commentaries. Or, suffer our advertisements or commercials or other sources of creative language we employ.  After reading the blog and all the comments, 61 to be exact. It sounds like an English teachers pet peeve convention.    After reading the blog, I now chuckle thinking of "metaling" sounding the same as meddling, and "laps" as for swimming being visually amusing.


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## David43515 (Sep 29, 2011)

First, I`m from Ohio, not Ohiya. Second, it`s "daylight saving time" not daylight saving*s* time. Adding the "S" at the end of savings makes it sound like you`re actually storing the acumulated light in a bank account somewhere.


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## Tez3 (Sep 29, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Holy carp! I now know how to pisz-off a BBC sport viewer. I love the use of "Americanism." I fear they would all commit linguist suicide, if the sat through one of our color commentaries. Or, suffer our advertisements or commercials or other sources of creative language we employ. After reading the blog and all the comments, 61 to be exact. It sounds like an English teachers pet peeve convention.  After reading the blog, I now chuckle thinking of "metaling" sounding the same as meddling, and "laps" as for swimming being visually amusing.



It actually annoys most of us not just a few English teachers, the sound of over excited high pitched sports commentators coming out with the most inane drivel and Americanisms is enough to make a saint swear. I watched the Winter Olympics on Eurosport, a calm oasis in the desert of linguistic hell. Americanisms sound fine from Americans but ersatz ones not so much. It's the verbal equivalant of the white English kids walking around with their jeans around their knees shouting 'wassup' at each other, a very sad sight indeed.


Cornish....'I'll do it dreckly'.... it's like manyana but without the sense of urgency.
Also the habit of addressing everyone as 'my lover' or 'my ansome'


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## granfire (Sep 29, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> It actually annoys most of us not just a few English teachers, the sound of over excited high pitched sports commentators coming out with the most inane drivel and Americanisms is enough to make a saint swear. I watched the Winter Olympics on Eurosport, a calm oasis in the desert of linguistic hell. Americanisms sound fine from Americans but ersatz ones not so much. It's the verbal equivalant of the white English kids walking around with their jeans around their knees shouting 'wassup' at each other, a very sad sight indeed.
> 
> 
> Cornish....'I'll do it dreckly'.... it's like manyana but without the sense of urgency.
> Also the habit of addressing everyone as 'my lover' or 'my ansome'



Ersatz?
Dreckly????!!!!!



Knew that one guy: 'Komme direkt' meant, I will eventually show up. Could be 5 minutes or 5 hours....


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## Monroe (Sep 29, 2011)

granfire said:


> LOL!!!
> 
> I read a book by Pat Macintosh a little while back: Scottish English in medieval times....
> Having a good background in German dialects actually helped once I got into it! :lol:



I just remember being a little kid and staring blankly at them. _Who the hell are the chillurn and why are they cold? I think I'm a chillurn. What is an urn? Why am I a cold urn?_


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 29, 2011)

People say: "I could care less" (now think about what that actaully means based on the situtation the phrase is applied to)

When it is actually

*I couldn't care less. *


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## JohnEdward (Sep 29, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> It actually annoys most of us not just a few English teachers, the sound of over excited high pitched sports commentators coming out with the most inane drivel and Americanisms is enough to make a saint swear. I watched the Winter Olympics on Eurosport, a calm oasis in the desert of linguistic hell. Americanisms sound fine from Americans but ersatz ones not so much. It's the verbal equivalant of the white English kids walking around with their jeans around their knees shouting 'wassup' at each other, a very sad sight indeed.
> 
> 
> Cornish....'I'll do it dreckly'.... it's like manyana but without the sense of urgency.
> Also the habit of addressing everyone as 'my lover' or 'my ansome'



Clearly, reformer Americans like Noah Webster where unhappy with the Mother England and wanted their own identity, and part of that was to screw with the English language to piss off (a term that makes no sense either, but I love it.) ya'll in England. It has worked it seems.  I can see how the English are irritated with the bastardization, and slang of the American language. Very much in the same way as you pointed out with our slang, i.e. Wasssup. The American language unlike the English language was greatly influenced by African slave code, and the evolution of that. The immigrant English, Scottish, Irish, themselves. As well as other immigrants especially 1800's to 1940's.  American language and it's slang was influenced by criminal code as well. Even old Cockney Rhyming slang is still in use today as American common expressions and slang.  Take for example, an old term I use to use and hear, 'pony up.' meaning as we use it to pay moneymeaning to pay up or make good on an obligation, comes from the word _pone _which is derived from the Latin _ponere_, to seize.  Which a few years ago, pony came back into vogue as 'pwned' (poned), relating to being pwned- being defeated by another. That was popularized by the youth. Yes, I can see how it irritates the Brits. I see it like the youngest sibling annoying the older one. The whole affair is humorist, i.e. when I really thought of how 'metaling' was heard as meddling, tickles by dry sense of humor.


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## Steve (Sep 29, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Clearly, reformer Americans like Noah Webster where unhappy with the Mother England and wanted their own identity, and part of that was to screw with the English language to piss off (a term that makes no sense either, but I love it.) ya'll in England. It has worked it seems.  I can see how the English are irritated with the bastardization, and slang of the American language. Very much in the same way as you pointed out with our slang, i.e. Wasssup. The American language unlike the English language was greatly influenced by African slave code, and the evolution of that. The immigrant English, Scottish, Irish, themselves. As well as other immigrants especially 1800's to 1940's.  American language and it's slang was influenced by criminal code as well. Even old Cockney Rhyming slang is still in use today as American common expressions and slang.  Take for example, an old term I use to use and hear, 'pony up.' meaning as we use it to pay moneymeaning to pay up or make good on an obligation, comes from the word _pone _which is derived from the Latin _ponere_, to seize.  Which a few years ago, pony came back into vogue as 'pwned' (poned), relating to being pwned- being defeated by another. That was popularized by the youth. Yes, I can see how it irritates the Brits. I see it like the youngest sibling annoying the older one. The whole affair is humorist, i.e. when I really thought of how 'metaling' was heard as meddling, tickles by dry sense of humor.


pwned actually came around not from the root "ponere" but from online vernacular.  Hitting the P instead of the O is pretty common, particularly when you're excited!!!!111   It then worked its way into spoken language, much as LOL (pronounced Lole) and ROFL (pronounced rawfull).  

So, if Brits are so uptight about Americanisms, you guys must be having an absolute fit with internet memes and webisms.


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## Sukerkin (Sep 29, 2011)

LOL ... pwned 

I actually thought that "pwned" was a filter evasion as "owned" just carried too much baggage on American servers.


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## Monroe (Sep 29, 2011)

Meh, I'm not bothered by Americanisms. I'm a fan of "fixerupper." Much better than salvage. I've been concerned with translating. Valley Girls have spread across the North American continent and following a conversation with this accent I can wonder: _What just happened to me?_


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## granfire (Sep 29, 2011)

Monroe said:


> Valley Girls have spread across the North American continent and following a conversation with this accent I can wonder: _What just happened to me?_



Like, total brain melt! Oh Em Ge.


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## JohnEdward (Sep 29, 2011)

To the Brits, Ok, what is worse sounding to the ear Americanism or Australianism?


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## Sukerkin (Sep 29, 2011)

Interesting question.  Americanism's are a torment inflicted upon the sacred language of the English whilst Australianism's are augmentations and extrapolations upon said language to enhance it's expressive qualities for the ordinary wonders of life :bows:.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 29, 2011)

Sukerkin said:


> Interesting question.  Americanism's are a torment inflicted upon the sacred language of the English whilst Australianism's are augmentations and extrapolations upon said language to enhance it's expressive qualities for the ordinary wonders of life :bows:.



So says the guy that calls an elevator a lift and  the hood of a car a bonnet and don&#8217;t get me started on what you call Cigarettes and I won't even go into what you are referring to when you say fanny pack 

Well now I'm off to play my Didgeridoo


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## Steve (Sep 29, 2011)

Sukerkin said:


> Interesting question.  Americanism's are a torment inflicted upon the sacred language of the English whilst Australianism's are augmentations and extrapolations upon said language to enhance it's expressive qualities for the ordinary wonders of life :bows:.


Now, that's just silly.  

It will come as no surprise to most that the USA has influenced the English language in a positive way more in the last 200 or so years than England had in the previous 1000.  What you call "Americanisms" is more correctly labeled skilled neologism.  We're very good at it, and since Shakespeare, England has largely faded.

Without us, you wouldn't know what to call the nausea and headache you guys experience daily.  It's called a hangover. 
Without us, you wouldn't be commuters, eat hamburgers or stay overnight in a hotel.   We totally rock.  

Being somewhat serious, I think it's really interesting that in a country where the language is used with such color and in so many, varied dialects, you get so uptight about Americanisms.  It tickles my funny bone.


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## JohnEdward (Sep 29, 2011)

Y'all are just still mad we revolted from the Mother tongue. :lol: 

I have to agree with Steve. It affectionately tickles my bastardized funny bone.


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## girlbug2 (Sep 29, 2011)

People pronouncing "wash" as "worsh" is something that's bothered me since childhood. Is it a regional accent? I'm from the West. To me it sounds as if the "r" is being strongly emphasized, more so than it should merely from the effects of an accent. 

Also maybe somebody can explain about the pronunication of the supposedly silent "h" in When, Where, and What. Now and then I hear people say "what" and it seems as if they are carefully emphasizing the "h" sound. Is there a diction school that teaches this or is this an affectation on the part of the speaker? I'd really like to know.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2011)

One that REALLY bugs me is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida it was SUPPOSE to be In the Garden of Eden :uhyeah:

Doug Ingle was either  drunk when he sang it or drunk when he wrote it wrote it... it all depends on which version of the story you want to believe


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## granfire (Sep 30, 2011)

Xue Sheng said:


> One that REALLY bugs me is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida it was SUPPOSE to be In the Garden of Eden :uhyeah:
> 
> Doug Ingle was either  drunk when he sang it or drunk when he wrote it wrote it... it all depends on which version of the story you want to believe



booze and pot...the wonders of poetry! ^_^


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## Tez3 (Sep 30, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> pwned actually came around not from the root "ponere" but from online vernacular. Hitting the P instead of the O is pretty common, particularly when you're excited!!!!111  It then worked its way into spoken language, much as LOL (pronounced Lole) and ROFL (pronounced rawfull).
> 
> So, if Brits are so uptight about Americanisms, you guys must be having an absolute fit with internet memes and webisms.



It's not just about the actual words it's about British youths apeing American gang culture that is the most worrying, the language they use is part and parcel of that. All young people like their own slang to annoy and confuse the adults but so much of what is coming over in rap and films is violent, sexist and unpleasant, the follow through actions of stabbings etc is also worrying.
Sports commentators here using Americanisms just makes them sound fatous, inane and stupid. Americanisms are uniquely American and should stay that way! It only irritates when an Americanism comes out of an English accented mouth!


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## JohnEdward (Sep 30, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> It's not just about the actual words it's about British youths apeing American gang culture that is the most worrying, the language they use is part and parcel of that. All young people like their own slang to annoy and confuse the adults but so much of what is coming over in rap and films is violent, sexist and unpleasant, the follow through actions of stabbings etc is also worrying.
> Sports commentators here using Americanisms just makes them sound fatous, inane and stupid. Americanisms are uniquely American and should stay that way! It only irritates when an Americanism comes out of an English accented mouth!



I personally find it amusing that some Brits, and understandable so, when hearing Americanism twinges the ear. But I say, y'all will eventually get use to it when our Americanism cult sports campaign takes over the BBC, and makes them a bunch of worshiping mind-less drones doing our linguist color commentary bidding. Future BBC commentator "Bra, it looks like America will be metaling once again in the swimming relay on this last 25 meter lap."  

Seriously, I feel gang slang, and allot of related ghetto slang (not referring to Jewish people, and if I where Jewish I would find the word ghetto offensive) offensive, because of the criminal gang code woven into colloquialisms that have crept their way into the common language absent of any true understanding of their meaning and purpose. Adopted just because for the sake of being vogue. It is similar to the reason for the Cockney Rhyming Slang (CRS) to hide criminal activity. Though the criminals who use CRS are far less vicious and violent than what we see here today in this country, and England as I can tell has not popularized criminal culture close to the extent as we here in America have, i.e. gansta rap, glamorizing  gansta culture.


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## Steve (Sep 30, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> I personally find it amusing that some Brits, and understandable so, when hearing Americanism twinges the ear. But I say, y'all will eventually get use to it when our Americanism cult sports campaign takes over the BBC, and makes them a bunch of worshiping mind-less drones doing our linguist color commentary bidding. Future BBC commentator "Bra, it looks like America will be metaling once again in the swimming relay on this last 25 meter lap."
> 
> Seriously, I feel gang slang, and allot of related ghetto slang (not referring to Jewish people, and if I where Jewish I would find the word ghetto offensive) offensive, because of the criminal gang code woven into colloquialisms that have crept their way into the common language absent of any true understanding of their meaning and purpose. Adopted just because for the sake of being vogue. It is similar to the reason for the Cockney Rhyming Slang (CRS) to hide criminal activity. Though the criminals who use CRS are far less vicious and violent than what we see here today in this country, and England as I can tell has not popularized criminal culture close to the extent as we here in America have, i.e. gansta rap, glamorizing  gansta culture.


Isn't the chav culture exactly this?  I don't know, but from what Tez has posted, it seems that England is in many ways mirroring what's going on over here.


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## Monroe (Sep 30, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Isn't the chav culture exactly this?  I don't know, but from what Tez has posted, it seems that England is in many ways mirroring what's going on over here.



That's essentially it. Chav's are trying to be "gangsta." I would say it's being equally glorified in the UK.


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## punisher73 (Sep 30, 2011)

stevebjj said:


> Since this is a thread about words, can I ask what "misprounced" means? As in the title of this thread, "Commonly misprounced words."



I would say that it was my witty attempt to get the thread going, but it was just a typo on my part and not double checking my work like I try to.


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## Carol (Sep 30, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> I personally find it amusing that some Brits, and understandable so, when hearing Americanism twinges the ear. .



Really?  I think put-on regionalisms are horrid to listen to.    New Hampshire hosted the NASCAR race over the weekend, and someone on a local radio station was doing their drops from the race in a fake southern accent  It sounded awful.  It wasn't intended to be satire, either. 

It would be fine if the person was from the south and never lost the accent, but a North Country voice trying to do a southern drawl?  That's all kinds of wrong.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 30, 2011)

How did "Commonly misprounced words" get to how much people are annoyed by Americanisms?


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## Tez3 (Sep 30, 2011)

Xue Sheng said:


> How did "Commonly misprounced words" get to how much people are annoyed by Americanisms?



Brits aren't annoyed by Americanisms, they are annoyed by Brits using them! Americans would probably be annoyed if their broadcasters started talking with bad English accents trying to sound like Scouse (Liverpool), Geordie ( Newcastle) Brummy (Birmingham) etc. English people should talk English that the rest of us can understand, the Scots and Irish have the Gaelic, the Welsh their language so English people should have English. americanisms are for Americans, they sound silly when some air headed commentator with a northern English accent starts using them. The medalling thing is a case in point, on the radio for example, you can't tell the difference between medalling and meddling so the commentary turns into nonsense. As to making nouns into verbs, that's nonsense too. Bad English means messages are confused, meanings muddled and vital information lost. There is a reason for good English, it imparts correct information and is melodious on the ears, language shouldn't grate on you, words and sentences should be a pleasure to read and hear.


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## JohnEdward (Sep 30, 2011)

Carol said:


> Really?  I think put-on regionalisms are horrid to listen to.    New Hampshire hosted the NASCAR race over the weekend, and someone on a local radio station was doing their drops from the race in a fake southern accent  It sounded awful.  It wasn't intended to be satire, either.
> 
> It would be fine if the person was from the south and never lost the accent, but a North Country voice trying to do a southern drawl?  That's all kinds of wrong.



Reminds me of when Madonna sported an undefinable lousy and fake British accent.  That was horrible upon the ear.


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## JohnEdward (Sep 30, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> Bad English means messages are confused, meanings muddled and vital information lost. There is a reason for good English, it imparts correct information and is melodious on the ears, language shouldn't grate on you, words and sentences should be a pleasure to read and hear.


 Well...that describes me allot. Bad on the ear, rough with the tongue, pulp butcher, and contemptible to every English teach I had. By God that is what it means to be an American speaker of English.


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## JohnEdward (Oct 1, 2011)

Spanglish (mix of spanish and english), the sound of it irritates allot of Mexicans. It is primarily spoken as slang, and by Mexican Americans. It equalizes it seems the  same anguish that Brits suffer from hearing Americanism by Brits.  One Spanglish word is, watcha meaning watch, and various other things, another is trucka (truk kay) for truck.


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## Tez3 (Oct 1, 2011)

The chavs here aren't the same as the 'gangsta' they are two different groups altogether.
I think what people are confusing is accents, dialects and different names for things for bad English. Bad English is bad English, it's not having different adjectives for things, it's using nouns as verbs and making clumsy words up. It's appalling in any English speaking country. The use of cliches shows a lack of imagination as well, 'level playing fields, blue sky thinking, ' etc etc ad nauseum.


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## JohnEdward (Oct 1, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> The chavs here aren't the same as the 'gangsta' they are two different groups altogether.
> I think what people are confusing is accents, dialects and different names for things for bad English. Bad English is bad English, it's not having different adjectives for things, it's using nouns as verbs and making clumsy words up. It's appalling in any English speaking country. The use of cliches shows a lack of imagination as well, 'level playing fields, blue sky thinking, ' etc etc ad nauseum.



That is understandable, and clear as a bell. Though I do agree with verbs as nouns is degrading to a language, language is simply sounds and symbols representing an idea, or object, putting it simply.  The language and rules of English have been dictated by necessity and vogue. Language is malleable and ductile. It is highly susceptible to change and influence. Look at the English language 100s ago here and in England, it has changed, and will change in a 100 years. Some say language is alive, always changing and should change. A disservice to it would to keep it stagnant. Here in the US we have Jargon in various professional fields that is so prevalent that it has become it's own language. We have, like mentioned, before, gangs and other groups braking the rules of language so badly it sends English teachers screaming. We have the youth constantly creating new ways to bend, break, and ignore the rules of English and making their own. We have professionals do the same like English teachers (dictating there inclinations on the language), writers, authors, professional athletes, groups like skate boarders, and color commentators, screwing with the language as you said.   All of which creeps into our main stream language. And in time, some of it takes and same of it doesn't changing the English language. 

It may tweak the ear of the British to hear another Brit say an Americanism. It may tweak the ear of some American's to hear Ebonics (for the lack of a better term off hand), or that of color commentator, or political pundit, but once it happens it gets infections.  Simply because communication verbally and written can get dull and boring. And as much of an out cry from the British public about the BBC sport announcers using Americanisms, Americanism are going to stick. England and the US, are now tight with each other, we are BFFs. As a result, the English language will change because of the need for communication and influence between each. I think some of y'alls ears are going to sore for awhile. Think of Americanism this way, if any Brits who want to annoy their in-laws, pull out one of those good Ol' Americanism.


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## Tez3 (Oct 1, 2011)

English in England is always changing and rarely, to be honest, does words or expressions that are used by sports commentators get picked up and used by the public. They sound false and try to be too 'fashionable', they are usually ignored in use, young people here are far too imaginative to use naff soundbites, they make their own up and it's those that get picked up by the general public.
We've had many years of American imported films and television programmes but few Americanisms have survived into general use. The derision users receive isn't worth it lol! 
I work in a military environment, one that is notorious for it's own jargon, all home made. Despite years of being Allies, Americanisms haven't crept in. Much of the gang culture here doesn't use American slang, it uses West Indian, the gang culture here while similiar to America's but where theirs is more Latin orientated, ours is West Indian, influenced by the Yardie gang and criminal culture. We do have the kids with their jeans round their knees trying to be 'gangsta's' of course. Our inner city kids aren't so much influenced by Americans, they have their own influences, one of course is the one we fear, the Moslem extremeism. Others are based on the country of origin of the youth, something that has come up time and again in discussions about being British and speaking English. The fact that among themselves most immigrants don't speak English is a cause for concern, although we have had and I think always will have a huge Indian influence on our language, we have many Asian words that have been in use for a couple of centuries and are still used.
I really can't see anytime soon Americanisms becoming the norm here, besides we'll watch the Olympics on Eurosport where the commentators although not all English speak impeccable English!


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## JohnEdward (Oct 1, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> English in England is always changing and rarely, to be honest, does words or expressions that are used by sports commentators get picked up and used by the public. They sound false and try to be too 'fashionable'...!



We had Madonna. :lol:


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## JohnEdward (Oct 1, 2011)

Tez3 said:


> I really can't see anytime soon Americanisms becoming the norm here, besides we'll watch the Olympics on Eurosport where the commentators although not all English speak impeccable English!



Be patient it will. We are bound to take over the English language, and have every Brit sounding like Snoop Dog, and or using "my bad" during a Wimbelton interview. Google Americanism, Annoying Americanism etc, and the search results are mind boggling. It really "grates" the Brits, Americanism, they do. I wonder if y'all didn't go postal listening to Yoda when watching Star Wars. Is it anti-American sentiment this wave against Americanism. If so it's cute. If I ever go to England I will not say a word and use hand gestures unless someone pisses me off.  Then it is all out Americanism they shall suffer of my tongue, in the most contrived British accent I can muster. Right now, I have a hankering for Chinese take-out, y'all (said, in a pathetic attempt to put on a British accent of some sorts.)  


How to torture a Brit? Take them to a Ren Fare.


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## Tez3 (Oct 1, 2011)

JohnEdward said:


> Be patient it will. We are bound to take over the English language, and have every Brit sounding like Snoop Dog, and or using "my bad" during a Wimbelton interview. Google Americanism, Annoying Americanism etc, and the search results are mind boggling. It really "grates" the Brits, Americanism, they do. I wonder if y'all didn't go postal listening to Yoda when watching Star Wars. Is it anti-American sentiment this wave against Americanism. If so it's cute. If I ever go to England I will not say a word and use hand gestures unless someone pisses me off. Then it is all out Americanism they shall suffer of my tongue, in the most contrived British accent I can muster. Right now, I have a hankering for Chinese take-out, y'all (said, in a pathetic attempt to put on a British accent of some sorts.)
> 
> 
> 
> How to torture a Brit? Take them to a Ren Fare.



I think you have some odd ideas about us! Americanisms don't annoy us, we look down on them and laugh! You don't actually seem to realise how amusing we think you are! Anti American? Not in the least, we like to think we indulge you as we would favourite nieces and nephews.


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## Gnarlie (Aug 1, 2012)

Returning to the OP briefly:

Skellington for skeleton
Donimo for domino
Bockle for bottle
Eyaaa for here you are (common in Manchester)
An hotel for a hotel
Pronounciation for pronunciation

The use of the word "why" with an unnecessary preposition:

"why are you getting angry for?"

People who spell their name "Featherstonehaugh" but insist that it be pronounced "Fanshaw". 

All into Room 101 please. 


Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


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## Touch Of Death (Aug 1, 2012)

girlbug2 said:


> People pronouncing "wash" as "worsh" is something that's bothered me since childhood. Is it a regional accent? I'm from the West. To me it sounds as if the "r" is being strongly emphasized, more so than it should merely from the effects of an accent.
> 
> Also maybe somebody can explain about the pronunication of the supposedly silent "h" in When, Where, and What. Now and then I hear people say "what" and it seems as if they are carefully emphasizing the "h" sound. Is there a diction school that teaches this or is this an affectation on the part of the speaker? I'd really like to know.


When I was young, I thought I lived in Warshington, and the capital was in Washington. LOL


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## granfire (Aug 1, 2012)

Gnarlie said:


> People who spell their name "Featherstonehaugh" but insist that it be pronounced "Fanshaw".
> 
> 
> 
> ...




:lol:


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## Randy Strausbaugh (Aug 1, 2012)

kroddy rather than karate
boosh rather than bush
leftenant rather than liutenant
Nerk rather than Newark
kewpn rather than coupon
flares rather than flowers
outtare rather than out there
Sinjin rather than St. John


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## K-man (Aug 1, 2012)

Randy Strausbaugh said:


> leftenant rather than liutenant
> 
> Sinjin rather than St. John


Depends on whether you speak English or American.


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## Big Don (Aug 1, 2012)

Steve said:


> It's zhoo-zheesu.  Not jew jitsu.


Are you sure?


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