My worst example was the word GIF pronounced like the peanut butter instead of properly as in Graphical. It’s worse because Amanda Montell was writing a linguistics book about the history of language and words.

Recent example was “eschew” which is pronounced Eh-shoo but the narrator said “Eskew” and it confused me so much I had to Google it to make sure I hadn’t been saying it wrong my whole life. What exmaples have you found?

  • bokodasu@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I don’t mind when people mispronounce words generally, it just means you read a lot, that’s cool. But people who say “foilage” instead of “foliage” just drive me right around the bend, I can’t help it. I don’t remember which book it was, because it was during a bit of an audiobook binge, but the main character sure did move quietly through the thick foilage. All that aluminum wrap, you’d think it would crinkle.

    • YouWereMyGhost@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      In several books I’ve read, the narrator pronounces “familiar” like “fermiliar” and it drives me nuts

    • bumbothegumbo@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      I just heard this on Glass Sword, the sequel to Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I was momentarily confused.

      • herrbz@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        I don’t understand how a professional voice actor could say that, or that no one in the studio recording it or editing it would pick up on it.

    • the_ben_obiwan@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      I cannot say some words right even though I know how they should be spoken because I read them for far too long beforehand. Like inventory.

      • bokodasu@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        Wait that one’s interesting, how do you say it?

        I usually remember once I find out how a word is pronounced, I was pretty shocked by “piton”, I said that wrong for over 20 years before I finally heard it said correctly.

    • Callipigeon_@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      There’s a bit in the Simpsons where Marge says foilage and Lisa corrects her and says foliage (or maybe Lisa says foliage and someone “corrects” her and says foilage? I can’t remember and it’s not really important).

      All of that to say, that my husband and I sometimes “correct” eachother’s correct pronunciation with the wrong one, and foliage/foilage is a favorite of ours, lol.