Do you speak American?
If you've ever wondered whether you're pronouncing words correctly, here's the place to check: "The Big Book Of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide For The Careful Speaker," by Charles Harrington Elster.Look here for a sneak preview of 100 words covered in the book
Nuclear (not NOO-kyuh-lur) . . . check!
Realtor (not REE-luh-tur) . . . check!
Balsamic . . . uh, what?
If "balsamic" (as in vinegar) is a shortened version of the Italian "aceto balsamico," and "balsamico" is pronounced "bawl - SAHM - i - ko," then why is "balsamic" suddenly pronounced "bawl - SAM (as in "ham") - ik" when it crosses the Atlantic?
Anyway, it's a fun list to go through, and I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about issues that might be more about geography and regional pronunciation than about proper English.
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4 comments. Please add yours! :
Aye reeley theenk the english langwidge is the hardest in the wurld to masster. Aye wood hayt to be a foriner and have to werk thru ower pronunciation foybulls. grate post.
Toeknee, yer fuhnee.
I have no room to criticize. I was 13 before I would allow anyone to convince me Arkansas was pronounced any way other than it was spelled.
That's okay when you're 13. Not so much when you're all grown up!
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