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Slightly off topic: I once had a professor who always pronounced "gesture" with a hard "g".
I had a boyfriend in college who pronounced it with a hard "g." He also argued that "souvenir" was pronounced "silverneer." It was probably because his parents were first generation Americans who mostly spoke Italian at home. He was imitating what he was hearing at home.
I sometimes here people say "in lieu of" when they should say "in light of" (e.g. "in lieu of your recent marriage, are you now thinking about having children?"
I know one person who always says "phantom" when she means "fathom" (e.g. "I can't phantom going to the opera wearing blue jeans.")
Slightly off topic: I once had a professor who always pronounced "gesture" with a hard "g".
Slightly off topic: I once had a professor who always pronounced "gesture" with a hard "g".
I had a boyfriend in college who pronounced it with a hard "g." He also argued that "souvenir" was pronounced "silverneer." It was probably because his parents were first generation Americans who mostly spoke Italian at home. He was imitating what he was hearing at home.
I had a friend who said "silverneer". Her grandparents were from Ireland. She also said, "rooned" for "ruined". She grew up in Manhattan. I figured this was all just a NYC accent.
I had a friend who said "silverneer". Her grandparents were from Ireland. She also said, "rooned" for "ruined". She grew up in Manhattan. I figured this was all just a NYC accent.
...and then there is the classic Jersey City accent of years gone by.
Older folks from JC almost always pronounced an "s" as if it was a "z".
Thus, the coating of black dust on the windowsills was "zoot".
A bowl of hot broth with meat and vegetables was "zoup".
And, when they had to use the sanitary facilities, they would say that they were going to "the terlet".
If they checked their car's fluids, the "erl" was one of the fluids that they checked.
The yuppified nature of JC at this point makes it unlikely that you would still hear the classic JC accent, but if you lived in that city as recently as 20 years ago, you probably would have heard it.
Yes, and have also seen written, "bubble off plum," which many people seem to think is someone who is not all there, similar to saying, "He's six chips short of a stack," etc.
The actual term, "bubble off plumb," is referring to a carpenter's level for measuring, and I always assumed it meant that someone was a little crooked or quirky.
Interesting. Makes sense to me that it could be used both ways - either for someone who's not on the level (meaning shady) or someone's who's a little off balance, out of whack.
Slightly off topic: I once had a professor who always pronounced "gesture" with a hard "g".
I had a boyfriend in college who pronounced it with a hard "g." He also argued that "souvenir" was pronounced "silverneer." It was probably because his parents were first generation Americans who mostly spoke Italian at home. He was imitating what he was hearing at home.
My mom did, and my brother still does, say silverneer. It hurts my ears!
No amount of correcting either one changed their mind. I remember my mom telling me that she said it right. My brother is too dumb to understand he is wrong.
Then again, neither could say California correctly... always something like Cali-phone-ia.
At least my brother can pronounce Oregon correctly; my mom always said Oregone.
PS.. We were all New England born, and lived there for part of our lives. We spoke funny in Lowell, MA, but these two words were never pronounced this way in my mind.
Then again, neither could say California correctly... always something like Cali-phone-ia.
At least my brother can pronounce Oregon correctly; my mom always said Oregone.
I used to work with a woman who would frequently tell us that her son lived in Cally-phone-ia, and that her was an arty-tech.
(That's "architect", for those not skilled in Ada Speech. )
As to Oregon, I believe that the pronunciation favored by your mother may have been age-related.
Virtually every person I have ever known who was born prior to the 1940s pronounced Oregon as Orry-gone.
The translation of "poly granite" would be "many granules" which is exactly what the inside of a pomegranate looks like?
What a clever malapropism that would be.
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