Author Topic: Pronunciation that makes you cringe (Read 148188 times)

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #875 on:** 02 March, 2022, 02:17:37 pm »

Enunciation lesson No. 354:

LM: Jim's house, is it near the police station?

MA: Yeah, yeah. There is a play station behind there, but me, I’m not a football fan. I’m an elderly person. I don’t – I’m not a fan of it.

LM: No, not –

MA: But he used to play football. Even we have our team in ***. I think he’s a team leader for that, but I’m not participating, because I am an elderly person.

LM: Matt, Matt, not a play station. A police – a police station.

MA: Huh?

LM: A police station. I have written it in the chat.

MA: Hello?

LM: Hello Matt, can you hear me?

MA: Yes. Yes. You said police station?

LM: Police, yeah. Police station.

When talking to someone whose first language is not English, it can be helpful to remember that "police" has at least two syllables, not one, and your correspondent might think it even has three.

T42 · « **Reply #876 on:** 02 March, 2022, 03:02:52 pm »

Sounds like a conversation with MrsT, who is, sez she, "NOT deaf". I now have to build complete sentences in my output buffer and clarity-check them in advance of enunciation. If I hear an "eh?" or see a puzzled frown in mid-output I have to substitute another word, ditto if I spot an ambiguity. Sometimes the alternative word requires different syntax, so that I have to re-cast the whole sentence. As a result I'm beginning to stammer and stutter and hesitate while NOT-deaf missus sits there with a "no bloody wonder I can't understand you" look on her face.

More and more I'm simply just keeping quiet.

Kim · « **Reply #877 on:** 02 March, 2022, 03:05:28 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 02 March, 2022, 02:17:37 pm

Enunciation lesson No. 354:

LM: Jim's house, is it near the police station?

MA: Yeah, yeah. There is a play station behind there, but me, I’m not a football fan. I’m an elderly person. I don’t – I’m not a fan of it.

LM: No, not –

MA: But he used to play football. Even we have our team in ***. I think he’s a team leader for that, but I’m not participating, because I am an elderly person.

LM: Matt, Matt, not a play station. A police – a police station.

MA: Huh?

LM: A police station. I have written it in the chat.

MA: Hello?

LM: Hello Matt, can you hear me?

MA: Yes. Yes. You said police station?

LM: Police, yeah. Police station.

When talking to someone whose first language is not English, it can be helpful to remember that "police" has at least two syllables, not one, and your correspondent might think it even has three.

It's also interesting that they think a play station is some sort of sportsball pitch, rather than an expensive computer game thinger. Possibly explained by being elderly.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #878 on:** 02 March, 2022, 03:30:39 pm »

More likely explained by being in an extremely poor country (I believe it's one of the poorest countries in Africa). He'd be middle-aged here (he's 49).

Also, living near the football ground makes sense whereas living near the electronic game device probably doesn't.

hubner · « **Reply #879 on:** 14 March, 2022, 09:33:59 am »

Poo'in, Poo?n.

From the Yanks, with a glottal stop, like some gorblimey guv luv-a-duck reject from Eastenders.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #880 on:** 23 March, 2022, 08:20:28 pm »

Jackie Brambles on the radio interviewing the legendary Marianne Faithfull.
She keeps pronouncing her name "Mary Ann" instead of "Marianne".

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #881 on:** 28 April, 2022, 06:59:03 pm »

The BRITONS' Broadcasting Corporation has just run a piece on bluebells, and where they may be viewed. The clod presenting it referred to that gert big country house near Taplow, you know, the one intimately involved in the Profumo business, as “Cleeveden”

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #882 on:** 28 April, 2022, 07:35:39 pm »

Nah, North Somerset's finest seaside resort is noted for its pier, at the bottom of a hill you want to cycle down not up (and for Scarlet's cafe opposite the pier), not for bluebells.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #883 on:** 08 May, 2022, 02:08:57 pm »

The colemantary team for Arsenal-Leeds on 5 Live keep pronouncing the surname of Martin Ødegaard of Arsenal & Norway as “Øligarch”.

Beardy · « **Reply #884 on:** 09 May, 2022, 08:24:43 pm »

Being a bit of a tool junkie, I like to watch YouTube videos of fancy tools and tool showdowns. I know, I knw, there’s a thread for that, but the reason I’m here is that a few of the American video boys pronounce Knippex as K-nippex and it’s driving me crazy. I accept that given that Knippex is a German brand, the K may indeed not be silent, but that’s not going to stop it treating on my nerves every time someone says it.

ElyDave · « **Reply #885 on:** 09 May, 2022, 09:34:31 pm »

That really annoyed me as well, in Texas, a barman pronouncing the k in Knob Creek bourbon. I'm not sure if it was the same or he was a prude who didn't want to say knob

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #886 on:** 10 May, 2022, 07:30:22 am »

Quote from: Beardy on 09 May, 2022, 08:24:43 pm

Being a bit of a tool junkie, I like to watch YouTube videos of fancy tools and tool showdowns. I know, I knw, there’s a thread for that, but the reason I’m here is that a few of the American video boys pronounce Knippex as K-nippex and it’s driving me crazy. I accept that given that Knippex is a German brand, the K may indeed not be silent, but that’s not going to stop it treating on my nerves every time someone says it.

It’s not silent in German but the kn is rolled together quickly. A more common similar word in German is Kneipe (local bar) and there is no pause between the k and n, they are said together.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #887 on:** 10 May, 2022, 10:33:04 am »

That particular consonant cluster doesn't seem to come easily to English speakers.

Peter · « **Reply #888 on:** 10 May, 2022, 10:43:45 am »

Similarly the Mb and Nd in Central African languages - and don't even think about Xhosa! I occasionally baffle the pupils with that word when we do Miriam Makeba's "Click Song". I just have to hope they don't ask me to say something else, because my expertise stops there! I try to get them to say mbira (thumb piano) properly, rather than mubira. That can sometimes take a whole lesson, which can be useful. If they can only manage mubira, they are destined to be cricket or football pundits.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #889 on:** 10 May, 2022, 12:23:52 pm »

Mubira must be Newcastle's latest midfield signing?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #890 on:** 10 May, 2022, 12:33:44 pm »

I don't know how you actually say Ncuti Gatwa, the new Dr Who actor – I'd never heard of him before – but I guess that could be another example?

Peter · « **Reply #891 on:** 10 May, 2022, 01:22:05 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 12:23:52 pm

Mubira must be Newcastle's latest midfield signing?

He'll have to get used to being pronounced "Rubbish!" then, like the rest. I think Newcastle will finish 17th, having got all the points they are going to get. Their "remarkable" improvement since changing their name to Newcastle Arabia doesn't disguise that (I think) they have only beaten teams below them this season (and not all of them) except for Wolves and Leicester, who aren't exactly scalps. I think they will go down next time, after which the Saudi owners will buy the whole of the Championship and rename it Super-Premier, or something.

T42 · « **Reply #892 on:** 10 May, 2022, 01:56:54 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 10:33:04 am

That particular consonant cluster doesn't seem to come easily to English speakers.

I knever had any trouble with it.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #893 on:** 10 May, 2022, 02:23:12 pm »

Quote from: Peter on 10 May, 2022, 01:22:05 pm

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 12:23:52 pm
Mubira must be Newcastle's latest midfield signing?

He'll have to get used to being pronounced "Rubbish!" then, like the rest. I think Newcastle will finish 17th, having got all the points they are going to get. Their "remarkable" improvement since changing their name to Newcastle Arabia doesn't disguise that (I think) they have only beaten teams below them this season (and not all of them) except for Wolves and Leicester, who aren't exactly scalps. I think they will go down next time, after which the Saudi owners will buy the whole of the Championship and rename it Super-Premier, or something.

Like this?

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #894 on:** 10 May, 2022, 03:21:52 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 10 May, 2022, 01:56:54 pm

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 10:33:04 am
That particular consonant cluster doesn't seem to come easily to English speakers.

I knever had any trouble with it.

Nor do the French, at least when they’re taunting King Arthur and his silly English kniggits.

Peter · « **Reply #895 on:** 10 May, 2022, 03:42:22 pm »

@ cudzo

That looks about the standard!

Andy64 · « **Reply #896 on:** 10 May, 2022, 07:35:42 pm »

Quote from: Peter on 10 May, 2022, 10:43:45 am

Similarly the Mb and Nd in Central African languages - and don't even think about Xhosa!

I worked with a guy from Zimbabwe called Mpendulo. Despite numerous attempts, my pronunciation was apparently never correct (sounded perfect to me)
He got called Brian after that, his middle name

hellymedic · « **Reply #897 on:** 10 May, 2022, 08:38:49 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 10 May, 2022, 01:56:54 pm

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 10:33:04 am
That particular consonant cluster doesn't seem to come easily to English speakers.

I knever had any trouble with it.

Surely most people can say 'knock-knee' without it sounding like 'knocker-knee', even if they live in Hackney...

hellymedic · « **Reply #898 on:** 10 May, 2022, 08:43:05 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 12:33:44 pm

I don't know how you actually say Ncuti Gatwa, the new Dr Who actor – I'd never heard of him before – but I guess that could be another example?

I saw/heard a video with an African.

It's 'Shootee Gatwa'

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #899 on:** 11 May, 2022, 08:29:50 am »

Quote from: hellymedic on 10 May, 2022, 08:38:49 pm

Quote from: T42 on 10 May, 2022, 01:56:54 pm
Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 10 May, 2022, 10:33:04 am
That particular consonant cluster doesn't seem to come easily to English speakers.

I knever had any trouble with it.

Surely most people can say 'knock-knee' without it sounding like 'knocker-knee', even if they live in Hackney...

Is it still a cluster when it's separate words though? Don't we insert a micro-pause? The final k of knock is attached to the preceding o, and the n of knee is attached to the following ee.