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Let’s face it. Most of us weren’t born great orators who can step onto a barrel and captivate the whole square with their speech like Cicero.
In reality, we can barely pronounce words like isthmus, myriad and… just wait until you get to "otorhinolaryngologist." But some people are doing everyone a public service and suggesting whole new pronunciations for some very popular words.
From Wayne pronounced like Kanye to baseline pronounced like vaseline, I sign up for every one of them. I suspect that Merriam-Webster’s dictionary won’t approve, but hey, language is a living thing and we may as well have some fun with it!
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There are tons of words in the English language that do make our heads spin now and then if we have to pronounce them. Luckily, these are usually not ones we use often.
For example, the word "defibrillator" is an example of a linguistic phenomenon in which similar consonants or vowels in a word become less alike, e.g. defibrillator becoming "defibyulator." Blame your mispronunciation on them.
Another confusing word for many is "February," which is a case of dissimilation. According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, "The y heard from many speakers is not an intrusion but rather a common pronunciation of the vowel U after a consonant, as in January and annual."
If you want to get your tongue twisted, try saying "antidisestablishmentarianism" out loud. For many, it’s the longest word they know with 28 letters in total and 13 syllables.
However, the longest word in most English dictionaries is “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” which refers to a lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano.
#8
Eva the Ravenclaw Bookworm📚💖 4 years ago
If I'm not mustachen, I sense a lot of pun potential here
#14
Dave In MD 4 years ago
Well, Nike like Adidas is pronounced differently by us Americans than by everyone else.
#16
Melissa Meaux 4 years ago
you have to squeeze your thumb, middle, and index fingers together and shake them slightly when saying it that way
#18
#19
Dragonfruit'nrollerskates 4 years ago
*Horse gallops through a field of roses* *Random lady in flowing dress waves some fabric around to the Halo song* (soft male voice whispers) *its Horsé*
#26
Meyer Weinstock 4 years ago
The 'gua' in regional Spanish is pronounced 'whah'...so it's already there...
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What do you think ?
Eva the Ravenclaw Bookworm📚💖 4 years ago
If languages were a story, English would be one giant plot hole.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago (edited)
Few other languages have such seemingly haphazard orthography as English does, and I pity all dyslexic children having to learn how to read in English. But what a language! There is such an insanely large vocabulary in English because it so readily borrows and incorporates words from other languages, and most of the words juxtaposed in the post do indeed come from different languages. Personally, I very much prefer to call it 'guacamole' instead of 'mashed alligator pear salad'. One of my favourite loanwords is 'window'. I bet that not many English speakers realize just how poetic this humble old Norse loanword is. and it may change how you see your house or apartment once you process the fact that it has walls, doors, and eyes to the wind.
Rissie 4 years ago
The size of the English vocabulary is hardly unique though :) I believe many countries try to hold the claim for largest dictionary. The Institute for the Dutch language has a dictionary online with words from 1500-1976 with 400,000 words in it that are explained. I found something about Korean having a dictionary with an oddly specific number of 1,100,373 words. It's more what we use in daily life I guess. English is a great language, that's for sure.
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Raine Soo 4 years ago (edited)
I have no idea why my original comment about 'Keeping up Appearances' Bucket vs Bouquet is hidden. Any suggestions?
Rissie 4 years ago
I've had a few pop-ups about community guidelines while posting very ordinary comments resulting in a hidden comment...
Load More Replies...
Eva the Ravenclaw Bookworm📚💖 4 years ago
If languages were a story, English would be one giant plot hole.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago (edited)
Few other languages have such seemingly haphazard orthography as English does, and I pity all dyslexic children having to learn how to read in English. But what a language! There is such an insanely large vocabulary in English because it so readily borrows and incorporates words from other languages, and most of the words juxtaposed in the post do indeed come from different languages. Personally, I very much prefer to call it 'guacamole' instead of 'mashed alligator pear salad'. One of my favourite loanwords is 'window'. I bet that not many English speakers realize just how poetic this humble old Norse loanword is. and it may change how you see your house or apartment once you process the fact that it has walls, doors, and eyes to the wind.
Rissie 4 years ago
The size of the English vocabulary is hardly unique though :) I believe many countries try to hold the claim for largest dictionary. The Institute for the Dutch language has a dictionary online with words from 1500-1976 with 400,000 words in it that are explained. I found something about Korean having a dictionary with an oddly specific number of 1,100,373 words. It's more what we use in daily life I guess. English is a great language, that's for sure.
Load More Replies... Raine Soo 4 years ago (edited)
I have no idea why my original comment about 'Keeping up Appearances' Bucket vs Bouquet is hidden. Any suggestions?
Rissie 4 years ago
I've had a few pop-ups about community guidelines while posting very ordinary comments resulting in a hidden comment...
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