Words you feel silly saying properly

[abchandler]

When I was a kid we used to say dip-la-doe-cuss and orang-a-tang (although not often in the same sentance), now they're called dip-lod-i-cuss and oran-ootang. They'll always be the former to me, uneducated oik that I am.

I thought it was orrang ootan

 

[thegrumpybiker]

Had terrible trouble in a restaurant in America once getting a glass of water, eventually the waitress cottoned on 'oh wah-der'. I'm sure she knew but was just being difficult.

I'm reminded of an episode of Shooting Stars:

Vic Reeves: Belinda, what is the American equivalent of a dentist?
Belinda Carlisle: (Obviously confused)...er, orthodontist?
VR: No, it's a (exagerrated American accent) DENNIST!

 

[Dan B]

Magdalene is pronounced maudlin.

It depends which Magdelene.

I've heard it claimed by members of both universities that only theirs is "maudlin" and the other is "mag-da-len". So I would be interested to know which one you believe is pronounced as written

 

[philipbh]

There was also the recent Harry Hill's TV burp which pointed out that Delia Smith says Hummus as Who-Mousse!

I think she is likewise guilty of pronouncing Balsamic as Ba - sawl - mick

 

[Andy in Sig]

Do you remember when Daewoo first started getting known/advertising over here, and we had to leave the 'w out and say "Day-oo"?

Do we not have a sort of duty to shoulder a burden and so protect foreigners from their own worst excesses? Therefore it is Daywoo.

 

[Andy in Sig]

There are a number of American pronunciations that anger me (well, there are a number of things about Americans in general that anger me! But we won't go there ...).

For example:
"Note-re Day-m" for Notre Dame
"Van Go" for Van Gogh.
"Eye-Rack" for Iraq
"Vee-Hicle" for Vehicle.
etc ...

And don't forget Kosovo (each syllable rhyming with "go"). As nobody else in history has said it like that, it proves that they just made it up because they can!

 

[Fnaar]

Co-lin flipping Powell? No, it's Colin. Like my plumber.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Co-lin flipping Powell? No, it's Colin. Like my plumber.

My gut instinct was telling me his name was Colon Powell!

 

[kewb]

It's not an 'r' at the end really, I didn't write that so well. It's more of an 'a', i.e. fowda (rhymes with chowder), but i wanted to show it isn't a silent 'e' like in French.

au in German is usually "ow" like "Bob der Baumeister".

The V at the front sounds like f (a W would sound like v)

Thus 'fowda'

vaude = vauden = = fow -de
cube = wurfel = voor fail
depends how the "e " is situated
ltheres a few accents like south german north german to consider
but your on the money ive heard it pronounced vod
stranger still is german for "go" = gehen =gay -en

 

[Maizie]

Co-lin flipping Powell? No, it's Colin. Like my plumber.

Which it is. American's tend to go for the Co-lin pronunciation, but the Powell's actually said it Colin. So he has to live with everyone saying it wrong...

 

[thegrumpybiker]

I struggle with most German words with a 'ch' in them, and end up pronouncing a 'k' sound instead. A recent example was trying to say "Gute Nacht" to my girlfriends German mum... but instead I prounced the 'k' to make it 'Nackt', so in front of my girlfriends family I told her mum "good naked" instead of "Good night"! :">

I once heard that the German expression of washing the dishes or washing up is almost identical to their slang of, well, to toss oneself off. Got no idea how true that is but I just love the idea of it causing many embarrassing cross-cultural moments.

 

[thelurker]

Listening to US television car adverts for: "KNEE-SARN!!!!!!!!!"

It's a fricking Nissan.

And my father-in-law saying 'Ordy' when I know he means 'Owdy' for my car.

 

[abchandler]

And don't forget Kosovo (each syllable rhyming with "go"). As nobody else in history has said it like that, it proves that they just made it up because they can!

And, just to improve international relations in the area, they pronounce Qatar as Gutter - although local pronunciation is Catter rather than Catarrh

 

[Fnaar]

I'm not bad at yer I-talian... but if you go to an I-talian restaurant and try to pronounce something authentically (not that I get out much anyway) you always end up doing the cr@p Anglicisation, as it's what the waiters are expecting you to say!

 

[thegrumpybiker]

Listening to US television car adverts for: "KNEE-SARN!!!!!!!!!"

It's a fricking Nissan.

Oh yeah, and that unbelievably annoying (Peugot I think) ad on TV recently. The one with the oh-so-smug beautiful sexy chic woman asking if it comes in any other colour than black, to which the oh-so-smug cheesy beefcake cardealer replies "Well we have it in noir." Pronounced No-are.

Plus he said "Yada-yada" in it; Unacceptable outside the confines of Seinfeld.