January 25, 2012
dear clusterflock
Here’s the thing. Pronouncing “Gyro” like it’s spelled makes you sound like a rube, & pronouncing it the right way makes you sound pedantic.
— @joeks (@joeks) January 25, 2012
What are other words like this?
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‘Foyer’ and ‘forte’ are the first examples that come to mind, but both are definitely very, very debatable.
Different but related: résumé with or without the diacritics.
Foreign place names: Brazil, Paris, etc.
It’s pronounced “roo-see-ah“. (There’s also “ver-sails“)
Genre
Was debating this recently. Americans tend to honor the pronunciation of the original language, Brits read it as written. See: herb.
I think if you’re pronouncing it jai-roh rather than
year-oh it’s only because the word is rather new to America. Though sometimes I split the difference and say gear-oh if I think someone won’t know what I’m talking about.
Steve Larsüssen.
Like genre, but worse: oeuvre.
Porsche.
Mr. Ledgerwood, I only had to “scroll” out six times to find these were in Ohio. Never heard of Rooseeah, Ohio before, but I think there is a Versails in Arkansas or Illinois. As in Pokey there is the family “Do-boyce.” (As opposed to Dubois. I can say it with the Frenchey accent, if necessary, to make the point.)
Arkansas or Illinois
“Houston Street” here in NYC.
Hors d’oeuvres, or, horse doovers.
Budapest.
Deron.
Smith.
Arkansas or Illinois. Pronunciation, also, at point.
In Alameda there’s a street named “Versailles” and you can tell a non-local if they try to say it all frenchy. Of course, if you’re talking about the one in France…
Early on, I wondered the correct pronunciation of Deron. I imagined it Duh-RON. I also supposed he might be African-American. Found out differnt.
Also, my Dad’s cousin is named “Leroy.” And most folks around me pronounced it “LEE-roy.” But I several times heard his mother say his name. “Luh-ROY” is the correct pronunciation.
Polamalu.
Michael pointed out that street to me when we walked all over Alameda last fall. I still can’t remember the locals’ way of pronouncing it.
Gnocchi.
In order to complete this exercise, all I have to do is think of the words my mom tries to pronounce. Since her career has required global travel, there are a lot of them. My favorites give her the opportunity to roll an R or two.
I once provided a club PA system for a rock band in Russia, Ohio, a longish time ago. Had to set my expensive audio mixing board on the pool table. Some of the regulars were pissed–because of the inconvenience; my mix was brilliant. It’s Rooshie, by the way.
Ver-sails is correct. Their Poultry Days festival is not to be missed. Cars line up for blocks to pick up carryout chicken dinners, which are famous simply because they are famous. The festival staff uses a fire hose to rinse the draft beer off the streets each night after the festival closes. The water pushes all of the 12 oz. plastic cups into an easy-to-pick-up pile. We just call it ChickenFest.
I’ve also been to Dacron, Toodaloo, Cincinnasty, and Columbo. I’m a proud Buckeye, y’all.
Ōvid, NY
Growing up, Ovid was a sometimes competitor in high school athletics. In retrospect it makes me think of extremely pregnant birds and may explain my distinct indifference toward Latin narrative poetry.
bruschetta, mostly because the people who are wrong are just as adamant that you are wrong.
Mexia. Bexar County. A couple good Texas ones.
A couple good Tay-haas ones?
Exactly.
I struggle with bruschetta, too. Is it Brew-shetta? Or Brew-sketta? We have a guy at the market on weekends, hawking his bruschetta. “The finest in the world. Cookies for adults.” I can’t remember for sure, but I think he pronounces the “k.”
(Last weekend, after we passed him, Danny whispered, leaning into me, “I don’t need to break a tooth on his hard-ass cookies.”)
Also, the bruschetta guy looks like Chef Boy-Ar-Dee.
MGS: Good to know there’s another Buckeye native on here. I wasn’t aware of the correct incorrect pronunciation of Russia, though.
I grew up right outside of Datton, near Sprangfeld. Also, you misspelled Shittynasty.
The only mispronunciation (that I can think of) that truly irks me is warsh.
I once worked for a woman who pronounced mozzarella “motts-a-rella” and Mozilla “Muttzilla.”
Measure — MAY-shure.
Jersey Italians, Rick, would pronounce it Brew-shetta and you’ll find more than a few who also say motts-a-rella.
Mozarella isn’t really Motts-a-rella? Really? How is one to pronounce Mozart? Mots-art? Or Moz-art. I’m confused, I may need to go to bed.
I had warsh in my lexicon for years. (I also had piller, for pillow. And winder, for window) My folks from Arkansas. Danny did, too. And his people were in Iowa. But I grew up in Northern Illinois. May be warsh is a Northern thang.
Or maybe it comes from descendants from Northern Europe who settled in the upper/Central and Eastern Midwest (including Ohio)? Some of my people came from Southern Ohio to Northeast Arkansas.
I think there were “Warshers” in Minnesota, too.
Sheila? You’re on a mission (If you choose to accept it.) to find the etymology of “warsh.” This message will self-destuct in fifteen seconds.
Seems to have been an overcompensation for the non-rhotic British accents, by way of Pennsylvania.
Joel, thank you. In observation, I’ve noticed it before. How an Arkansas accent derives from Brittain still baffles me.
All our accents derive from Britain.
I believe you.
Still, It baffles.
Primer.