I have a serious problem with pronouncing words correctly. I know what they mean, I can (usually) use them in context. The problem is I read them before ever having heard them so I constantly mess up. For example adolescent. Until today, when Dad corrected me, I’ve always said it uh-DAWL-uh-sent. Same with mature. According to Dictionary.com, the official pronunciation is ma-toor, but I’ve always said it ma-chur. Gambol is Gam-bowl. Sanguine is San-gwine. And tacit has always been tack-it to me. Wanton is supposed to be WON-tn, but I say it Won-tawn. Victuals is Vick-chooalz. Cached is Cash-ayed. Egregious is uh-GREE-gee-ous. Chagrin is shuh-GREEN. The list goes on and on. There are lots of words that I have butchered even more than those listed above, but I honestly can’t remember them. This butchering happens a lot, and sometimes it’s pretty embarrassing. 🙂 But honestly, why can’t people just be reasonable and pronounce words like they are written?? Yet another reason to move to Mexico.
Today I went to the doctor and got my decennial tetanus shot. I was slightly apprehensive (it’s ap-ri-hen-siv isn’t it???) because I seem to remember a horrible sting not unlike that of a hornet, 10 entire minutes of bawling and a cruel doctor who gave me an ugly dinosaur sticker. Girls of five have no use for dinosaur stickers, especially when there are Barbie princess ones nearby. My fears were in vain however! All it was was a little poke, and a band-aid, and then I was through. This time I didn’t get a sticker though. I don’t know what those people at the doctor’s office think. Girls of fifteen want Princess barbie stickers just as much as girls of five do. 😉 On top of that, my own family didn’t even offer me a balloon or lollipop, or even a sympathy hug!! Even when I flopped onto the couch and sighed loudly, and looked mournfully at my bandaged flesh wound, they did nothing . What kind of a supportive family is that? I ask you!
Pronunciation is one of the reasons I spell so poorly. Last year I got a tetanus shot on a Sunday morning after wounding myself at preps. I also did not receive a sticker.
Kelly,
Mattisse will NEVER forgive me for the timing of her last tetanus (is it tet-a-nus or tet-nus?)shot…just before vacation, and her arm was sore for the duration. At least your family did not give you a pretend slug in the arm as my kids probably would have done…all in good fun! My kids are pretty physical and kid each other like that sometimes. Just try to use it alot and massage it tonight, and the soreness should work its way out pretty quickly.
Don’t forget, Kelly, that even though the dictionary states how something should be pronounced, it really matters where you live whick will determine how you should pronounce it without getting stares. If I tried to say ma-toor for mature (I also say it ma-chur, or do I say it matcheur, or matchoor – anyway) I would probably get looked at sideways for trying to sound snobish – ha ha!
My husband enjoys kidding the children and will say tor til u instead of tortiya (tortilla)or buff-et for bufae (buffet). He enjoys butchering words! 😉
Ruthie
which and snobbish (?)
It’s a shame, isn’t it Lyle? You’d think they’d show a little Christian charity at preps and give you a Barbie princess sticker, or at the very least a dinosaur sticker, but no.
Ruthie, poor Matisse! I’m assuming they didn’t give Matisse a sticker either. If that’s true, then it sure sounds like a conspiracy to me. The doctor is coming to dinner on Friday and we’re going to give her a good talking to. BTW, I say it tetnus.
You’re absolutely right! It’s all about where you’re from. Those dictionary people probably live in a box.
LOL about your husband. Mom does that sometimes too, but not always on purpose. 😉
Ah, Kelly. You live in a pitiful environment! Imagine a world where the doctor forgets princess stickers and family members deliberately ignore a blatantly huge beige bandage… is in fact, yours! I think the solution to all of this horrific nonsense is to come live with me and Troy. We’ll give you all the bonbons, tortilyas, Korean dramas, pronunciation dictionaries and yes, even stickers that you want. By the way, you need to fire that doctor.
🙂
I would fire her, but she’s my favorite doctor, and there’s not much I can do about that. 😀
I’ll take ya up on the living with you and Troy part though. The people in this household are unapologetically narcissistic. They just don’t understand that it’s really all about me.
That’s right, Youngin….it’s tortilya!
Gotta love it!
Kelly, no, I am sure TC got the Princess Barbie sticker too!
Catherine
Yay, I thought I was the only one. I think my problem was caused by reading a LOT and not hearing words correctly pronounced just like you. I also had a mother that was not much for having a large english vocabulary or correctly pronouncing words. She blames it on the schooling she received growing up. On the other hand maybe that’s why I did better at math because both my parents were good at it (dad: engineering, mom: accounting). Even though my english skills suffered I still very much enjoy reading.
Speaking of which, I don’t know if you are still looking for book recommendations but I’m in the midst of reading a really great book right now. It’s an adventure/memoir/true story/biography about a man that attempted to climb K2 in Pakistan but failed. He ended up falling in love with the people of that area and decided to build a school for the children. Anyway, it’s called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Half of your pronunciations sounded good to me [smile]. Though, my problem comes from some of the oddities of written English. One of my biggest peeves: Why in the world is “cannot” a word but “eachother” isn’t? Drives me batty!
~Luke
Cannot drives me crazy, too. Why not isnot wasnot willnot? It surely seems like they should combine those contractions in the same way they do can’t!
Catherine ~ absolutely loved that book. What was facinating to me was how determined he was to finish this task, how he kept his promises to these people. What was even more amazing was the fact that the Pakistani people shared his determination and without giving anything away here, for example, how they got all the supplies up to the school after the road was blocked.
One person can really make a difference.
Catherine and Ruthie–Would this be a good read aloud book for Kelly, Christian, and I?
Catherine
I’m only about half through but I definitely think all of you would enjoy it. Actually, if you can wait and just want to borrow the book from me when I finish, you are more than welcome to.
Just know that it is not written from a Christian perspective, he prays like the Muslims (or pretends to) when it is necessary, etc….but it does not push the religion. I did not read it with the mindset of reading it to the kids…..a good look into the lives of simple Pakistani people and it highlights differences in everyday life…also, how things that are so important to us are not important at all to them….diff customs, etc….
Thanks for the notes on this Ruthie. I think it would be a great summer read, so we might like to borrow it from you when you are finished Catherine if we don’t get it at the library first! We have a good friend who has been working as a missionary in Pakistan. I was reminded of here the other day as her dad died. I think it is pretty rough for Christians in that part of the world.
Hunter
Kelly, your family cares about you and is simply trying to toughen you up. They are preparing you for the real world.
Pronunciation = it’s hard if you put the wrong emPHASis on the wrong sylLABle 🙂
Another vote for Three Cups…. Fantastic book. Very thought-provoking. Even though it’s not written from a Christian perspective, there are many things to discuss about the nature of missions. I blogged a bit about it here.
Also, pronunciation sometimes depends on the particular dictionary. I read your post and thought, “Shuh-GREEN???? It’s shuh-GRIN!” and according the my dictionary I always keep handy, it is shuh-GRIN. Similarly, my dictionary agrees with me that it’s uh-GREE-jis. Three syllables, not four. And, it’s SANG-gwin. But, the other ones… I agree w/ dictionary.com.
However, I must say that I LOVE when I hear my kids use a big, new word, in context, even if it’s mispronounced. That means, like Catherine said, that you’re gleaning meanings from what you’ve read, and that’s fantastic.
I posted a note on your blog about this. Instead of borrowing Three Cups…, we want to buy it. It really does sound great. Incidentally, you have a great blog.