| Author |
Message |
    
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 665
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 12:15 pm: |       |
Oi!!
Don't ruffle my feathers Monty boy!!
Actually I'm a Maidonian as I live in Maidenhead which is in Berkshire, which is actually pronounced "BARK-SHEER". So no berks here matey!!
Sarah |
Monty
Chief Inspector
Username: Monty
Post Number: 745
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 12:29 pm: | |
Sarah,
Darling, Im only teasing you Sweetie. I mean no offence.
MAIDENHEAD you say ??
Oh it gets better !
Bark sheer ? No Berks but plenty of Canines ??
I thought Maidenhead was Kent. Whats in Kent that sounds like Maidenhead ?
Feathers ruffled yet Babes ?
Monty
 |
Mark Andrew Pardoe
Inspector
Username: Picapica
Post Number: 205
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 5:38 pm: | |
Whatho all,
Ah! But the term "berk" as a derogatory term for a person comes from the rhyming slang "Berkley Hunt" for.... well I'll let you work that one out yourselves.
Also the famous football club Leicester City is pronounced:
Les - ter Cit - ee Nil 
Cheers, Mark |
Christian Jaud
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chrisjd
Post Number: 86
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 2:15 am: | |
Hi all,
you can't imagine how satisfying it is for a German somehow to watch native speakers wonder about the pronunciation of their mother tongue ;-)
The Classics for Germans to pronounce wrongly in my experience are
Leicester (where indeed many would say Li-cest-er)
preface (pre-face like in "face")
predetermine (pre-detter-myne)
predator (pre-dater like in "date", even TV-announcers get that wrong)
:-)
Christian
P.S.: An US tourist asked me once why they call that Bavarian city "Munich" while the original German name is different.
I said "Say "München"
He said "Munshen"
I said "Now you know!
:-)
|
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 667
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 4:19 am: | |
Christian,
But preface is pronounced as you said pre-face.
Monty,
I know you're just joshing with me sweetie. 
Maidenhead is nowhere near Kent. I think you're thinking of Maidstone. Maidenhead is in Berkshire between Reading and Slough and right near the border with Buckinghamshire as Marlow and High Wycombe are also nearby.
Sarah |
Monty
Chief Inspector
Username: Monty
Post Number: 746
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 4:33 am: | |
Par-doh !
And County are where in the Nationwide league ? ....and they've signed my Showaddywaddy ex teammates son ?
Mmmmmm....hardly the position to be witty from !!!
Monty
|
Christian Jaud
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chrisjd
Post Number: 87
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 8:33 am: | |
Sarah,
not to my knowledge.
preface is prounced something like "prefiss" (don't know how to write it).
Ah, me correcting a native. Where are the trumpets, the drums? ;-))
regards
Christian
|
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 674
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 8:59 am: | |
Christian,
Are you sure you're not thinking of a particular part on the UK because I've never heard anybody pronounce it as "prefiss". It is definitely pronounced "preface" as it looks.
Sarah |
Christian Jaud
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chrisjd
Post Number: 88
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:16 am: | |
Hi Sarah,
well, all I can say is, that preface (meaning a foreword in a book) is pronounced "prefiss". I was told so by a Brit, and my dictionary CD-ROM with voice output says so as well.
So, yes, I am sure.
But I'm even surer that sooner or later someone here will confirm this or the other version.
Have to go for now
Christian
|
Kris Law
Inspector
Username: Kris
Post Number: 159
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:19 am: | |
I've heard both pronunciations, but the only people I've actually heard use "pref-iss" are stodgy art-history intellectuals, where as most of the regular, run-of-the-mill, schlubs I know pronounce it just as it looks: "pre-face".
Sometimes for fun I will pronounce it preff-iss, in the same way I will use the British pronunciations for "privacy" and "urine", they being "Priv-acy" to rhyme with "give" whereas we rhyme it with "alive" . . . and urine is just too funny for words. "you're-ine" to our "yur-in"
Ah, what a funny funny world. Now, if you'll give me some priv-acy I would like to go to the loo to relieve . . . well, you get the picture.
Kris |
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 676
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:22 am: | |
Christian,
Well, I'm also very sure that it's pronounced "preface". I'm not trying to argue but I am English and I have used this word quite often and heard it said often and never have I heard it pronounced how you say. If I try hard it sound almost like a Scottish saying the word or a northener of some sort but I'm only guessing.
I also know what a preface is and have used and heard it used in the correct way too.
In England, some words are pronounced differently depending on where you live so maybe in some part of the UK it is how you say it but I've never heard. Maybe it's American English, I don't know, I'm just trying to work out why your CD-ROM would pronounce it differently to how we say it.
Sarah |
John Savage
Inspector
Username: Johnsavage
Post Number: 154
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:35 am: | |
Hi Christian & Sarah,
Christian is in fact correct in his pronunciation of the word preface, however it has to be said that many people today would pronounce the word as Sarah does. This is simply an example of correct english v every day spoken english.
I have just checked in Chambers Dictionary which says that it is pronounced pref' is.
Best Regards,
John Savage |
David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 224
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:45 am: | |
Hi, everyone
I'm afraid Christian has got it right--check a dictionary (American or English). The correct pronunciation is "pref-is". It might sound kind of ritzy, but people are only using correct pronunciation.
Like Sarah, I hear "pre-face" when I come across the word in a book, but it's a word that doesn't come up often in conversation (at least not mine, unfortunately). I think we should change the spelling--it's not oriface, is it? Prefice, that's what it should be!
Cheers,
Dave |
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 677
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:56 am: | |
Thanks John & Dave. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be pronounced then, I've honestly never checked. I've only ever pronounced it as "preface" but that's only because I've heard others pronounce it as such.
Sarah |
Kris Law
Inspector
Username: Kris
Post Number: 161
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 10:12 am: | |
There are lots of words like that. "Forte" is actually supposed to be pronounced "fort", but nobody does, and you'd sound like an idiot if you did.
"Writing isn't my fort."
"Sorry, it isn't your WHAT?"
"My FORT!"
Useless. Also not many people pronounce February as "Feb-roo-ary", although it is meant to be. And in Canada and the U.S. the word "schedule" is almost always pronounced as "skedge-oo-al" . . . |
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 681
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 10:44 am: | |
Kris,
You are correct. "February" is pronounced "FEB-U-AIRY" and "forte" is pronounced "FOR-TAY", at least that's how people usually pronounce them.
I just looked at the Cambridge dictionary and "forte" is pronounced "FOR-TAY" as I said in England but in the US it is supposed to be "FORT", very odd.
I'm sure there are other examples.
Sarah |
Andrew Spallek
Inspector
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 398
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 11:45 am: | |
So, no one answered me. Am I correct in pronouncing Marylebone as "Mar-luh-bun"?
Preface is pronounced "PREF-iss" in the US when used as either a noun or verb. What would be the alternative, "PREE-fiss" or "Pre-FACE"?
Forte is pronounced "fortay" in the US, though I have also heard that the correct pronunciation should be "fort."
Then there "address." When used as a verb it is always "uh-DRESS." When used as a noun can be either "uh-dress" or "ADD-ress."
Americans have difficulty with the German -ch, tending to pronounce it as if it were -ck. Also the French -r (which is pronounced in the back of the throat). We also don't quite know what to do with those umlauts since we don't have them.
Andy S.
|
Monty
Chief Inspector
Username: Monty
Post Number: 750
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 11:53 am: | |
Andy,
"Marry-le-bon"...thats the way I says it.
Forte can also be pronounced "Forty" as in the number.
And address is "where do you live Darling ?"
To which the reply is "sort of over there".
Monty (Mon-teh)
|
Sarah Long
Chief Inspector
Username: Sarah
Post Number: 686
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 11:55 am: | |
Andy,
Marylebone is pronounced "MAR-LE-BONE" or at least that's how I've heard it.
It's strange how I've never heard anyone pronounce preface as "PREF-ISS". Every time I've heard it they pronounced it "PRE-FACE".
I have difficulty with german words too but french and spanish are easy accept the rolling of the "r" in spanish as I can't do that.
Sarah |
Andrew Spallek
Inspector
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 399
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 12:27 pm: | |
Monty,
Interesting. I've heard that the pronunciation "Mary-le-bon" is a mark of an ignorant American tourist!
We Americans do like to stay on "skedjull" rather than on "shedooall." We also do experiments with "alum-i-num" in the "lab-ra-tor-y." We also frequent the washroom or restroom rather than the WC or the loo. We do also frequent the "bar" or "tavern", but rarely the "pub." When there we ask for a "beer" never knowing whether we will receive a "pint" or a fraction thereof. There was a place I used to go, however, where I could order a yard of ale.
And every American knows that a billion is 1,000,000,000 not 100,000,000!
Andy S.
|
Mark Andrew Pardoe
Inspector
Username: Picapica
Post Number: 208
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 5:14 pm: | |
Whatho Andy,
A real billion should be a million million but the American one has now taken over.
I am not surprised you don't use "pub" as that is, as you probably know, short for public house. Although all pubs are now known as such, there was a licencing deference in the meaning. A public house could sell all forms of intoxicating liquor whereas a beer house did not have a spirit licence (which means it could not serve ghosts  ).
Cheers, Mark (who went to the Cambridge Blue in Cambridge today and had an excellent pint of Grantham Dark) |
Christian Jaud
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chrisjd
Post Number: 89
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 2:20 am: | |
Hi Sarah and everyone,
I think this "preface"-thing is a very good example of language as a constant changing phenomenon.
As a foreigner you mostly learn the "official" versions, the colloquial parts come with contacts to native speakers.
And as a native speaker - even educated and well-read, one is often more "sloppy" in his own language than a foreigner would be, who is keen on using the foreign language as correctly according to the book as possible.
I also found this with British people , who speak a very good German (learned in some Goethe Institute or schools like that), when they hear a sloppy every-day German.
It's getting better now actually, these days the English curricula go into colloquial English as well.
I also used to smile about the US- "Aluminum" instad of "Aluminium". But only until I found out that the original name given to this metal was in fact Aluminum, but that was converted later on to fit into the name-pattern of the elements, where most end on -ium. The US returned to using the original I think in the 20ies.
Viele Grüße
:-)
Christian
|
Mike AnonymousPark
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Friday, February 20, 2004 - 4:24 pm: | |
Sarah,
"Actually I'm a Maidonian as I live in Maidenhead which is in Berkshire, which is actually pronounced "BARK-SHEER". So no berks here matey!!?"
Hmmmm BARK-SHEER, eh? Well now I know what a CLARK is...same thing as a clerk. Now I know what Bob Cratchet's job title means... ;)
As for the rest of you,
I can certainly identify with the "prefis" of this list, and that things are on "shedooall". That's how we Cannuks in Ontario say things...now my Newfie wife and her family love to end 'a' sufficed words with an 'r'. Even within Canada we can identify what part of Canada, or Ontario, or even what part of the Ottawa Valley you are from by how you say stuff. It's really interesting to see all the other stuff between the Brits and the Americans. I must say, as I stated when I first posted here, we use about 30% US pronunciations, 20% British, 20 % French and make the rest up as we go...
BTW, Cannuks seem much more apt to keep the original pronuciations of non-English words in tact more than either the Brits or the Yanks (especially the French words, for obvious reasons).
For instance, perogies is pronounced "pear-o-hay" and the names Benoit and Robert are normally "ben-wah" and "ro-bear" rather than "ben-oyt" and "robert".
That being said, I still have a problem understanding Parisian French because I'm used to Quebecois (key-bec-wah not que-bec-wahs) or Northern Ontario "franglais" (fran-glay). Funny.
Mike Park(must not have my username yet, so I had to add anon) |
Caroline Anne Morris
Chief Inspector
Username: Caz
Post Number: 755
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 5:45 am: | |
Hi All,
I can assure you that I’m about as far removed from a stodgy art-history intellectual as it is possible to get and I cringed at Sarah’s pre-face.
It’s prefiss. Don’t let pre-face creep in. It’s almost as bad as seeing ‘nineteen to the dozen’ become the nonsensical ‘ten to the dozen’, and the creeping misuse of words like ‘decimate’ and ‘carnage’ and, worst of all, the horrendous ‘I gave 110%’.
And yur-in is the same as our-in. I think we should all take the e out of pee. Yur-ine should only be used in the humorous context of taking it. IMHO.
I’ve heard people say com-promiss when they mean compromeyes, and a more common one is advert-eyes-ment instead of ad-vertiss-ment.
And how many times have we heard people who say ‘pronounciation’?
And please everyone - Lewisham is Looishum, not Lewis Ham.
And Theydon Bois is pronounced Thaydon Boys. I once made the mistake of pronouncing Bois the French way, only having heard of the place from reading the Tube map, and left an Essex girl friend in tears of laughter.
Here endeth this morning’s lesson.
Love,
Caz
(Message edited by Caz on February 23, 2004) |
Ally
Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 296
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 7:00 am: | |
Nope, won't wash. Adver-ties-ment is how it is said in America and Adver-tiss-ment is only said by prissy people trying to sound posh. Considering Brits are definitely lagging behind in proliferation of movies and TV, the American version will soon dominate the world! Mwah-ha-ha. And I have never heard the pronunciation of our-ine for your-in. I don't even think the dictionary has that as an acceptable alternate form.
The problems described with mispronounced words is what comes from teaching pepople to try to read the English language phonetically considering English ain't spelled no such way, no how. If you are only familiar with a word on paper, while you might recognize what it means, you will have no way of knowing how it is pronounced without a dictionary handy, so you are going to pronounce it the way it is spelled and with English that's usually a ghastly mistake. |
