Pronunciations have returned to the spotlight. As reported by Country Life magazine last week, one characteristic of "the ideal gentlem...
Pronunciations have returned to the spotlight. As reported by Country Life magazine last week, one characteristic of "the ideal gentleman," aside from knowing how to press a shirt, avoiding tank tops, and steering clear of hair gel, is being able to correctly say "Moët" when enjoying champagne.
Be truthful: how many of us have ever given that name the complete French flair? It appears we were mistaken, as theDutchthe origin of the brand's name requires a hard T, like 'Mo-ETT'.
A summary of our most frequent pronunciation challenges could therefore be useful.
It includes the significant condition that, despite our desire for a strong form of linguistic control, every element of our language remains open to transformation.
Nevertheless, I believe there will be individuals on this list who truly anger you. Or, as others might say, 'really make you go nuclear'.
Nike
The way we say the name of the sportswear company appears to vary as much as the athletes who wear its clothing.
The company chairman has verified that it is a two-syllable word, with emphasis on the first syllable, resulting in 'NY-kee' and aligning with the Greek goddess of victory that inspired the name.
Ginsters
The well-known pastry chef has no connection to gin: say this one with a strong 'g'.
Porsche
Let's just say the Germans would enunciate this automobile brand as 'Paw-shuh', rather than 'Pawsh'.
Bruschetta
ITS 'ch' is as hard as the bread, resulting in 'brus-KETTA'.
Pronunciation
Oh, the sarcasm. This term is often said as 'pro-NOUNCE-iation' rather than the accurate 'pro-NUNCE-iation'.
Chipotle
This term refers to a spicy chili sauce commonly used in Mexican cuisine and is pronounced with a final emphasis: 'chuh-POT-lay'. The word originates from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.
Quinoa
Another unique component found in numerous pantries, it is pronounced 'KEEN-waa'.
Epitome
Another loanword from Greek, this term for the ideal representation of something concludes with 'me' instead of 'tome'.
Zebra
The sketch writer Quentin Letts from The Daily Mail states that this should never be said as 'zeebra', unless you are Inspector Clouseau in a lingerie store.
Loewe
This high-end Spanish fashion brand features a German name due to its founder, leading to an unusual mix of pronunciation: 'low-WEY-vey'.
As the brand itself states: "Easy when you know how."
Espresso
When purchasing one of these, it's best to request an 'espresso', derived from the Italian term for coffee that is 'pressed out'.
It's not an "espresso," no matter how fast you desire it.
Similarly, if you aim to sound like an authentic barista, 'latte' should be enunciated with a strong 'a' and not as 'lartay'.
Nuclear
This is, naturally, pronounced as 'NYOO-klee-uh' and not 'NYOO-ku-lar', regardless of Homer Simpson's attempts.
Hyperbole
Several of us, who have only ever encountered this word in written form, might consider it the more energetic cousin of the 'superbowl'.
In reality, as a Greek term, it signifies an overstatement, and 'hyperbole' is pronounced 'hi-PER-buh-lee'.
Probably
Due to a phenomenon called 'haplology', where we leave out a sound or syllable in a word, 'probably' often turns into 'probly'.
The same applies to 'libry' instead of 'library', and 'secretary', which is compressed to 'secretry'.
Lieutenant
Interestingly, the British English pronunciation of this appears to have developed from a misinterpretation of the 'u' in 'lieu' as a 'v', indicating that the sound used in the US – 'LOO-tenant' – is more in line with its origins.
But 'LEF-tenant' continues to be the conventional way of speaking here.
Privacy
Regarding US English, the American pronunciation of 'privacy' as 'PRY-vasy' has become established enough in British English that the dictionary now includes this version along with the more traditional 'PRIV-uh-see'.
Prescription
Derived from the Latin meaning "writing before," this should be "PRE-scription" instead of "PER-scription."
Lingerie
We have traditionally linked the French with mischievousness. Maybe that's why we add a Del-boy accent to the end of 'lingerie'.
To be authentically French, we should use 'LAN-zhuh-ree', not 'LAN-zhuh-ray'.
Arctic
There is a 'c' located in the center of the Arctic, named after the Greek word 'artikos,' meaning 'bear,' referring to the constellation known as the Great Bear in the northern sky.
Schedule
This begins with 'shed' and not 'sked' in British English.
Kilometre
British English also prefers 'KILL-oh-meter' here, to create two separate sounds. US English will result in a clear 'kill-OMM-eter'.
Route
This is pronounced as 'root,' not 'rout,' at least in British English, where the latter refers to a complete defeat.
Skeleton
Children and a number of adults enjoy referring to what was previously called our 'bone-locker' as a 'skellington'.
It stems from what linguists refer to as the 'intrusive n', which has been established in words like 'passenger' and 'messenger', originally taken from French but with an English 'n' added.
Athletic
Likewise, there is no '-er' in the middle of this word, which is frequently mispronounced as 'atherletic'.
Veterinary
Who could fault us for swiftly passing over this difficult word? We can attribute its spelling to the Romans, who used "veterinae" to mean "cattle."
The typical pronunciation is 'VET-er-inary', but the dictionary also accepts the shortened form of VET-inary'.
Scone
Never before has there been a more intense conflict over language than the proper way to say this common part of British tea.
Does it sound like 'gone', or like 'cone'?
The response is both, depending on your location within the country. Its pronunciation varies entirely by region, and the dictionary tactfully acknowledges either option.
Actually, is it 'ee-ther' or 'eye-ther'? Maybe we should stop there.
Read more- What terms spark the fiercest pronunciation discussions between the UK and the US, ranging from 'garage' to 'herbs'?
- Which common British term causes Americans to experience culture shock, and why do they hesitate to say it?
- Are the British becoming upset about typical pronunciation errors such as saying 'pacific' instead of 'specific' and 'incinerating' rather than 'insinuating'?
- Could ongoing pronunciation errors push grammar traditionalists to the edge of frustration?
- Why are food enthusiasts and television audiences having intense discussions about how to pronounce 'Chicken Kiev'?
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