Author Topic: Pronunciation that makes you cringe  (Read 147209 times)

ian

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #775 on: 17 February, 2021, 09:43:28 am »
Sort of, it's an attempt at Frenchification (original Arcansas, a French transliteration of the Algonquian term for the Quapaw peoples of the area) by dropping the terminal s. There was a long-running tussle over the two pronunciations that resulting the State passing a resolution that would thereafter be officially pronounced -saw and not -sas.

The possessive is a bit prickly, Arkansas' versus Arkansas's. Apparently, the State legislature prefers the latter.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #776 on: 17 February, 2021, 09:56:14 am »
I vaguely recall reading that before they passed that resolution, they used to have one senator for ar-kansas and one for arkan-saw, to keep both sides happy. Or something like that.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

ian

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #777 on: 17 February, 2021, 10:00:57 am »
There were two senators with alternate resolutions. I had to google the full story. I'm liking that they once called themselves Arkansawyers and more so that there was an Eclectic Society of Little Rock.

Quote from: the internet says
The region was organized as the Territory of Arkansaw on July 4, 1819, but the territory was admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. The name was historically pronounced /ˈɑːrkənsɔː/, /ɑːrˈkænzəs/, and several other variants. The residents of Arkansas have called themselves either "Arkansans" or "Arkansawyers". In 1881, the Arkansas General Assembly passed the following concurrent resolution, now Arkansas Code 1 April 105:[13]

Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.

And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history, and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final "s" silent, the "a" in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of "a" in "man" and the sounding of the terminal "s" is discouraged by Arkansans.

Despite this, the state's name is still frequently mispronounced, especially by non-Americans; in fact, it is spelled in Cyrillic with the ar-KAN-zəs pronunciation.

Citizens of the state of Kansas often pronounce the Arkansas River as /ɑːrˈkænzəs/, in a manner similar to the common pronunciation of the name of their state.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #778 on: 17 February, 2021, 11:02:30 am »
Arkansawyer sounds like someone engaged to prepare timber for Noah.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #779 on: 20 February, 2021, 06:49:07 am »
some of us over here cringe whenever Arkansaw or Arkansass is heard

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #780 on: 20 February, 2021, 12:28:23 pm »
I see the latest of Brenda's great-grandchildren is to be named August.

Will this be pronounced like the eighth month, AwGUST or Ow-goost?

Mr Larrington

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Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #781 on: 20 February, 2021, 01:32:58 pm »
Well, the latter is the, ahem, German pronunciation :demon:
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hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #782 on: 20 February, 2021, 01:35:52 pm »
Er ist nach Albert heißt, nicht wahr?

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #783 on: 20 February, 2021, 01:40:45 pm »
Wie bitte?
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #784 on: 20 February, 2021, 01:55:40 pm »
August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56137887

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #785 on: 20 February, 2021, 02:59:21 pm »
I lose track of these royals (that's a lie, the truth is I do not try to keep up) but this Princess Eugenie bears a facial resemblance to That Emily Chappell. Bet she doesn't write such good books though.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #786 on: 20 February, 2021, 03:20:05 pm »
I think she's written kids' books.

She has been fitted with an internal titanium back straightener.

Pingu

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Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #788 on: 24 March, 2021, 12:34:10 pm »
I just heard "behemoth" on a podcast with the "moth" like the annoying flying insect.

Yeah, spelling pronunciation.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #789 on: 24 March, 2021, 05:05:53 pm »
That’s how I would pronounce it though - bee her moth.
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Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #790 on: 01 April, 2021, 05:51:30 pm »
Someone on C4 News reporting from Furryboottoon saying the city is famous for 'oil and granight'.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #791 on: 01 April, 2021, 06:04:44 pm »
And so it is. It's where everyone's Gran goes for night out.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cring
« Reply #792 on: 18 April, 2021, 02:18:42 pm »
I’m subscribed to a few maths and science YouTube channels and also a few wood working channels.  A lot of these are American in origin. I also saw a bit of footage from the Elizabeth Taylor bio last night, in particular her making a statement to congress about AIDS (for wh8ch I believe she set up her own foundation for which she campaigned extensively)

When will our colonial cousins recognise that it’s a quarter, or one quarter. It most definitely is not a fourth or one fourth.
 
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #793 on: 24 May, 2021, 07:36:55 pm »
Amusing rather than cringeworthy, but I was tickled by the stooge from the Israeli FOREIGN Ministry accusing TV's Matt Frei of being “disingenious”.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

ian

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #794 on: 25 May, 2021, 09:19:05 am »
I hate to say it, and I know it's partly in jest, but the entire 'Americans say something differently' thing grates because of course they do.

It's still worth it to put a Frenchy and a Québécois in the same room though. There's a moment of francophonic bonding that doesn't last very long before they demand their language back. When it comes to linguistic snoots, you can't beat the French.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #795 on: 25 May, 2021, 09:46:29 am »
I’m subscribed to a few maths and science YouTube channels and also a few wood working channels.  A lot of these are American in origin. I also saw a bit of footage from the Elizabeth Taylor bio last night, in particular her making a statement to congress about AIDS (for wh8ch I believe she set up her own foundation for which she campaigned extensively)

When will our colonial cousins recognise that it’s a quarter, or one quarter. It most definitely is not a fourth or one fourth.
 

Do you have the same problem with thirds?

ian

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #796 on: 25 May, 2021, 09:50:30 am »
It's tertiles all the way down.

Boom boom.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #797 on: 25 May, 2021, 10:24:03 am »
It's tertiles all the way down.

Boom boom.
That's pretty good actually. Or maybe I just find bad jokes funny.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #798 on: 25 May, 2021, 10:35:34 am »
I hate to say it, and I know it's partly in jest, but the entire 'Americans say something differently' thing grates because of course they do.
Quote

Yebbut hearing a Peaky Fucking Bloinder saying clurk and skedule does grate when you realize they're doing it as a concession to the American ear.

I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Pronunciation that makes you cringe
« Reply #799 on: 25 May, 2021, 11:33:43 am »
I've just had a supplier tell me he needs to ly-ase with other departments.

Maybe he does mean he's going to break down bonds.

But I doubt it.