Pronunciation Pet Peeves

DirtyBird222 wrote:

walterj wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: why the f do the british say "Zed3" or "350Zed?"

Apparently the entire rest of the world calls the letter 'Z' Zed. We are the oddballs it seems.

so does the rest of the world call a Zebra and "Zedebra?"

Dunno... maybe they call it something else entirely - like Striped Horse.

Aussies, Brits, Germans and so on all say Zed-06, 300ZedX, Zed3... measure stuff with metric scales... gauge temperature Cs. I'm not sure if they are even really human at this point.

measuring by metric or imperial is all entirely based on perception. I could come up with my own scales and call it something and make just as much reasoning for why it works as those two forms.

Germans speak an entirely different language so it's cool. It doesn't really bother me, it's just like WTF? Was there someone that was so f'ing cool whose name was Zed that people just started saying Zed instead of Z or what?

BTW this kid from St. Croix (i don't know the official name for people from that Island) that I work with says "Z-tree."

DirtyBird222 wrote: BTW this kid from St. Croix (i don't know the official name for people from that Island) that I work with says "Z-tree."

Crucians

walterj wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: why the f do the british say "Zed3" or "350Zed?"

Apparently the entire rest of the world calls the letter 'Z' Zed. We are the oddballs it seems.

Our pronunciation kind of ruins the alphabet song, though. It flows really nicely all the way through, until you hit 'Zed'.

What gets me, is how you guys pronounce 'herb', as 'erb'. There's a freakin 'h' there for a reason.

There is no "m" in sandwich.

That's why it's spelt "sammich."

J

I hate nuculer too (really, mr president?)

That be (insert adjective)

Mines (there is no s at the end of mine!!) as in "that jacket is mines".

"Oh no you di'nt!"

SkinnyG wrote: There is no "m" in sandwich.

Nor is there a "u" in the middle of "similar".

DirtyBird222 wrote: measuring by metric or imperial is all entirely based on perception. I could come up with my own scales and call it something and make just as much reasoning for why it works as those two forms.

Metric makes far more sense than imperial. Everything in imperial is entirely arbitrary.

Most of the core measurements in metric are based around water. Sure the initial amount is arbitrary, but they all relate to each other. Everything goes up in decimal.

1 gram of water = 1 ml of water = 1 cc of water. 1 cal is the energy required to raise 1g of water 1* C.

How many weight ozs of water to fluid ounces? How many cubic inches to a fluid ounce? Hell, I can't even remember accurately fluid conversions. What is it, 8 ozs/1 cup? How many cups/gallon? I know that. A gallon of water weighs 8lbs and a gallon of gasoline weighs 7lbs.

confuZion3 wrote: That be (insert adjective)

Unless ye be a Pirate, matey! Arrgh!

350 cubic inches = 5.7 litres

Duke wrote: I remember a waitress coming back to our table and telling me to order something else because the dish I ordered was "all". I really had to resist the temptation to shout "All what?! All gummy? All over the floor? All rotten? All berkeleyed up?"

When I'm with someone who orders "a diet" I can't help but think the same thing. Diet what?! Every soda on the menu has a diet version available.

It almost like saying "I accidentally the whole thing"

ArtOfRuin wrote: Nu-ku-ler. I don't round off my "r's" like other Massachusetts natives do. Sometimes, it grates on my nerves when someone has a wicked thick Mass. accent. And yes, I use "wicked" a lot. Retard: I motherberkeleying hate that word! Since this is the Internet, I can't do anything to stop people using this word, but anyone who says it near me risks being punched in the teeth. It's such an ignorant and ugly word.

I couldn't love GRM the magazine or the website more, and believe me, I don't like to be the P.C police or anything or the guy who has a problem with everything thing, but I do have a problem with this...

I find it a bit offensive that you use terms like "Retard." I myself do not have special needs, nor am I a special ed teacher or counselor, but I feel sensitivity for people with special needs as I am a student taking special ed classes, and my Girlfriend is pursuing her masters in the field.

These terms although I'm preety sure are not evewr nreal words, are obviouslyt meant to resemble the words used to describe people with mental impariments, and it appears that they are used on these boards in a joking sense which, as I view it, makes light of people who are afflicted with mental disabilities.

It just dosen't seem right to me, thats all. I know that it's not my message board, and that noone forces me to post here, but all the same, some things are wrong when they really don't need to be.

Wow, that needed next to no changes!

Also:

Subtle. I was once on a date with a girl who pronounced it sub-tle. Check please!

curtis73 wrote: But the best one I EVER saw was a classified ad clipped from a newspaper in new england. The guy was selling a 1974 Volkswagen Common Gear. Think about how you'd pronounce that in Maine and you'll get it.

Wicked awesome.:)

confuZion3 wrote: Mines (there is no s at the end of mine!!) as in "that jacket is mines".

That one drives me abosolutely batty.

A kid I work with seems to have taken common misuse to the next step. His shift notes to the next operator each night typically read like:

"I had probleoms wit da macheen da stabulzer weels R broke I suit it down erly I did wait could do I wont B n tommarrow cuz I has to gets bike lisense"

Finest in the land. His verbal mistakes usually include such gems as "refurnish", rather than refurbish, and "dramastic", some hybrid of dramatic and drastic, I think.

Not strictly a mispronunciation, but:

"Yes. Yes it is," or
"Yes. Yes he did," or its fifteen million variations.

Where the hell did this come from? And why is suddenly everyone goddang saying that? Just stop, please. It doesn't make you sound suave or considered, it makes you sound like a pompous twerp. Let's put it to rest now, okay?

J

ValuePack wrote: ... His verbal mistakes usually include such gems ... "dramastic", some hybrid of dramatic and drastic, I think.

In casual conversation, I use "craptacular", which is sort of a contraction for spectacularly crappy. Does that bother anyone? If so, tough.

Jay wrote: Not strictly a mispronunciation, but: "Yes. Yes it is," or "Yes. Yes he did," or its fifteen million variations. Where the hell did this come from? And why is suddenly *everyone* goddang saying that? Just stop, please. It doesn't make you sound suave or considered, it makes you sound like a pompous twerp. Let's put it to rest now, okay? J

Yes. Yes, let's do that.

Sorry, but I could not resist. No. No I couldn't.

billy3esq wrote: In casual conversation, I use "craptacular", which is sort of a contraction for spectacularly crappy. Does that bother anyone? If so, tough.

"Craptacular" and "Craptastic" are great words. I love using those. Especially in grass-roots contexts. I love craptastic cars. That's why the 24 hours of LeMons rocks.

And as someone who has spent a lot of time studying the English language: usage defines the rules of language. The rules get to describe but not dictate how language is used.

New words are constantly being invented. Shakespeare is famous for having created hundreds of new words. Many of those were made from combining two words (like done in "Craptacular), bastardizing foreign words, or onomatopoeias. Us car folks have made up tons of onomatopoeias. Think about all the words we have for tires at the limit: "roaring", "thrumming", "squeeling", "growling".

However, you can misuse language, if what you do completely fails to convey your message, or if your audience is more hung up on and frustrated by your usage then your message.

billy3esq wrote:

ValuePack wrote: ... His verbal mistakes usually include such gems ... "dramastic", some hybrid of dramatic and drastic, I think.

In casual conversation, I use "craptacular", which is sort of a contraction for spectacularly crappy. Does that bother anyone? If so, tough.

I use it too.

DirtyBird222 wrote: 350 cubic inches = 5.7 litres

Alot of the conversions I know are because of cars. You can tell a Ford guy from a GM guy by asking what 5 litres converts into!

Also, I like combining words. Such as "gaytarded". Though it doesn't really suit me, as I have no problem with gays, or the mentally challenged.

Joey

Jay wrote: Not strictly a mispronunciation, but: "Yes. Yes it is," or "Yes. Yes he did," or its fifteen million variations. Where the hell did this come from? And why is suddenly *everyone* goddang saying that? Just stop, please. It doesn't make you sound suave or considered, it makes you sound like a pompous twerp. Let's put it to rest now, okay? J

Phineas and Ferb on Disney channel

EastCoastMojo wrote: Al-U-minium

I hate to be the one to inform you but you speak English and in the English (as differing to the American) language the correct spelling and pronunciation is Al-U-min-I-um. In other words the American accepted pronunciation is the incorrect version.

With love from your English speaking Aussie

Mike_M wrote:

EastCoastMojo wrote: Al-U-minium

If I remember right, didn't the British at some point decide to rename "aluminum" to "aluminium" so that it fell more in line with other metals on the periodic table? Not that the rest of the world followed suit.... (And in my experience, it's usually Brits that use that pronunciation.)

Nope the US changed the original Aluminium and is the ONLY English speaking country that uses Aluminum, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, and a whole lot more.

Of course I defer to the US when the hood/bonnet and trunk/boot debate arises as the yanks actually invented the automobile.