Misunderstood Words or Phrases (speech, British, quote)
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I've noticed for a few years more people pronouncing "our" like "are."
Example: "Are house is red brick," for "Our house is red brick." Now I'm seeing more spelling of "our" as "are."
And this is from all over the country. Not regionally.
I've noticed for a few years more people pronouncing "our" like "are."
Example: "Are house is red brick," for "Our house is red brick." Now I'm seeing more spelling of "our" as "are."
And this is from all over the country. Not regionally.
I wish I could say that this mispronunciation is of recent vintage.
When I was in 1st grade, my teacher used to do a daily current events & weather update with us, noting the information on the chalkboard. It was titled "Our News", but she pronounced it as, "Are News".
Because my mother was a fanatic on proper enunciation, I knew (somehow) that my teacher's pronunciation must be incorrect, but...Who was I to question the voice of authority in the classroom?
When did this scenario take place?
In 1954!
While I have not observed people substituting "are" for "our" in their writing, I guess that what you observed is just the next step in modern day language-slaughtering.
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While I have not observed people substituting "are" for "our" in their writing, I guess that what you observed is just the next step in modern day language-slaughtering.
Glad someone else noticed. Now about "worsh" for "wash."
Glad someone else noticed. Now about "worsh" for "wash."
That one bothers me also, but I think that this is some sort of regional pronunciation.
The person whom I hear uttering "worsh" several times each day is that guy selling "My Pillow", who tells us that you can "throw it in the worsher & dryer just like your favorite pair of blue jeans".
This post is only about mispronunciations I guess....not so much misunderstandings because I know what they're saying. They're just saying it incorrectly.
I WISH I could break my adult family members out of their mispronunciations, but given that they're 50 years old, I've accepted that it's too late.
mayoneggs -- for mayonnaise
ideal for idea -- I CRINGE every time my SIL says "I have no ideal."
My step-dad used to say zink -- for sink
My young nieces and nephews are hearing these mispronunciations every day... learning and adopting them.
Some mispronunciations at home....and others at school, no doubt.
My 25-year-old nephew has to work hard to this day to say mayonnaise correctly.
I'm always correcting baffroom and birffday. I only correct the other mistakes when their parents aren't around -- since they're the ones saying it incorrectly. And I don't need to open that 'can of worms.' Or is it 'kettle of fish'!
Did he live in Jersey City, NJ at one time?
I ask because people who grew up in that town in the 1940s-1960s pronounced many (perhaps most) "s" sounds as a "z".
A Jersey City-born friend of mine from college days used to talk about the "zoot" (soot) on his windowsill, and used to say that he liked to "zip" (sip) his coffee.
He also referred to a sink as a "zink".
I know that there were other examples, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment.
Glad someone else noticed. Now about "worsh" for "wash."
I always say that those who say "worsh" must be from New Jersey; they picked up that extra 'r' from the folks in Massachusetts who drop it all the time.
I'm originally from MA and have been friends with a family from NJ since I was in high school (we met in AZ). Worsh is the one word that absolutely drives me bonkers, and the only word that I call them on EVERY SINGLE TIME they say it.
I'll let 'em have every 'r' that I drop, just not in that word.
"I could care less" for "I couldn't care less". Hell, the former doesn't even make any logical sense.
"Could of" for "could've"
"Definatly" for "Definitely"
Somebody mentioned moral vs morale. Another pair that gets confused is rational vs rationale.
I have no sympathy for native speakers of English who make these errors.
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