Here’s a treat for you, a sporadic new feature.
Words that I have mispronounced, in some cases for years.
I’ll present the pronunciation according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, and my own mispronunciation.
For the first installment of this feature, you get a twofer!
Hyperbole (Correct)
Hyperbole (Splotchy)
I can’t promise this will be a regular feature, as people often nod their head and smile when I talk, and probably are too polite to correct me.
Lol, they probably didn’t know what on earth you were saying. Great post, I also mispronounce words from time to time. A friend recently corrected my pronunciation of “wikipedia”.
PJ, in some ways, not understanding me would better than realizing I am a mispronouncing twit.
I’m curious, how were you pronouncing “wikipedia”? I’m relatively sure I have that one correct.
Your pronunciation of “hyperbole” matched that of my freshman English teacher, who endlessly repeated the same bad joke about it being a game for nervous football players
The Kat, who is The Most Brilliant Woman in the World, mispronounces certain words, and it makes me crazy. Caught her saying Her-MOE-nee” instead of “Her-MY-(uh)-nee,” and she refuses to change! Making me insane, Splotch, making me insane.
The spousal unit says “heary-archy” instead of hierarchy.
bubs, well if an English teacher can’t get it right, I don’t feel so bad.
d, how does she pronounce Voldemort? I think that one’s a lot harder than Hermione.
s_tothe_d, that’s actually kinda cute.
Splotchy – I nod my head politely just reading your blog…
Actually, someone I truly admire and respect has for years pronounced “stoic” as “stoyk” — and I cannot bring myself to let him know. But I smile just thinking about it.
Regards,
Tengrain
After hearing that I am hopeful that a “Best of Splotchy – the Mispronounced Collection” will be available for download soon.
Using it in a sentence…
“Your bravado is ache’n to the hyper-bowl of my last opponent… He never seemed to understand my threats either.”
Also, how often do you have the opportunitiy to use either of these words? What kind of wine-and-cheese crowd do you run with?
I think I said something like “why-ki-pedia”.
Tengrain, I imagine him saying that like a Brooklynite with a thick accent saying “stork”.
franiam, if I can muster enough mispronunciations, I’ll make it available, along with some dance remixes.
CTC, ouch, I can imagine myself saying that, in my best (worst?) know-it-all voice. As you might guess, any attempts I make to mingle with the wine-and-cheese crowd end poorly.
pj, that’s nice, kind of a Hawaiian flavor.