Mis-pronounciation and dating
 

This is a purely hypothetical question: Would any of you (and, look deep into your hearts, here) date someone who repeatedly mispronounced common words? (Example: library, especially, data.) Just pretend that you like the person well enough, but they do this one thing. What would you do?

It would depend on if they did it so much that I thought I couldn't fix it over time.

Are we talking mildly annoying like a Boston accent ("Bahstan") or an extremely annoying like British mispronounciations ("check the shed-u-ool")? Or maybe even that rare person that still retains a bit of baby-speak in their adulthood (Bahbwa Waltahs)?

Day-ta? Dah-tah? Which one?

I'm afraid I'd have to go nucular.

No seriously, if this were the woman's only flaw, I'd overlook it. But you could be in a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation. "I like this person well enough" is different from "she's everything I ever dreamed of in a woman, except when she goes to check out a book."

Exactly what mispronunciations are we talking about here? I can imagine "liberry", but especially? data? for data you have long A vs. short A, but I can't bring myself to

Like the British mispronounciations that are cultural. I live in Ohio with loads of Appalachians. I've never heard such strange things--"vomick" for vomit, "twice-t" for "twice", "eXpecially" for "especially", and then there are other things that just aren't words, like "swolled" for "swollen".

You can very rarely "fix" something you don't like about another person, especially if they don't particularly think it's a problem.

The hypothetical person you speak of has either had a stroke or is a Brit. Either way, they should be checked by a doctor and prepare themselves for long hours with a speech therapist before I would date them.

Living in the South, however, I guess I shouldn't complain. It ain't a big deal. :)

Attention people from the Pittsburgh area: You put your clothing in the "washer" NOT a "worsher".

Brits say "vomick"-?? Say it ain't so!

not only did i date someone who commonly mispronounced words, i married her. in the beginning i didn't pay much attention, but by the time we divorced i realized that her mispronunciation was tied to her absolute ignorance on just about anything worth discussing.

she was great in the sack though, so that was a tolerable three years.

Both DAY-ta and DAH-ta are correct. I used to be self-conscious about that word, never being able to figure out which was correct because people do say it both ways... but now I say DAY-ta, because that's the way everyone here at work says it that way and it's in the company name. But I had to look it up, and according to Merriam Webster, either way is correct. Unless you say it one way only. Then the other's wrong, I suppose.

I do, however, consider it a personal affront when someone says "ex-pecially" or "axe" (-me a question) or '<i>on</i> accident'. Or if you spell damage with two 'm's. Ungh. The hubby does it on purpose to me just to watch my eyes roll back in my head and the pained expression on my face.

Anyway, I go with the 'it depends on how much you like them' scenario. I overlooked it, much to my advantage. (but he still says expecially by accident every so often)

the only "ex" word that really pisses me off is "expresso". if you are pretentious enough to drink the crap, at least be smart enough to say it correctly. Grrrr

The mountain folk were isolated enough in early American history that their speech didn't keep up with the rest of the culture. Many of their quaint pronunciations/sayings are holdovers from English/Early American speech.

*Think cultured English accent for this one*

"We will have to reckon with the consequences."

*Now think Appalacian accent*

"I reckon we could get that done."

Do the benefits of the relationship outweigh your annoyance? Are other skills of his tongue sufficient to allow you to set aside your distress when he's using it for speaking? If something that inconsequential is causing you that much agita, you might want to rethink some aspects of the relationship.

I have 2 curious pronunciation stories. When I was in grad school I worked as a TA for a professor of education that regularly said "pubertry" instead of puberty. It was one of those glance at each other and check, did you just hear that?! kinda things. Anyone else heard that one?

The second is another well educated and articulate collegue who says 'continooooowum" instead of "continue- um". And she uses the word a lot, I mean a lot. Maybe that's not such an odd pronounciation, maybe just a baba wahwah kinda thing, but it made me pause...

As far as the dating goes....no, not just pronounciation, but more for content.

Oh, yeah! I forgot about that one!

Pretentious, smreetentious. Espresso is the nectar of the gods.

<small>How else can I become my own vibrator??? </small>

<b>Vzzz!</b>

Both DAY-ta and DAH-ta are correct.

Yes, but do you use it correctly? As in, "Those data are not correct?"

I never did get used to that and it still gets on my nerves.

Ohhh! Yeah. Ok, I understand. I don't think I've ever come across anyone who said that, so I'll count my little blessings where I can. :)

Good point. My boyfriend mispronounces a few things, such as "idea"--he says "i-dee-er." Coming from most people this sort of stuff annoys the hell out of me, but with him I actually think it's funny and cute. I know part of it is his New York accent (which I also think is adorable) so I almost never correct him. So yeah, I think if you're crazy about someone this sort of stuff won't bother you enough for it to be a problem. :biggrin:

Well, exactly! But, honestly, this is just a hypothetical kinda question...one I was thinking of as I was doing my morning ablutions. The reason I was wondering was because I used to work in a steel mill and I've heard all kinds of interesting colloquisms/pronounciations/just-plain-made-up-words that I was wondering if I were a big fat snob for assuming things about them based only on their speech. I would never, ever kick a cunning linguist out of bed. :D

Heh!!! And here in Philly: It's WAHter ice not WERter ice. ;)

You and me both, sister! :p

My parents are both college-educated and were both teachers. Dad was a college prof, mom taught elementary school until the early 70s. Mom is an English minor. Neither of them can pronounce semi-difficult words correctly. Dad's on a diet where he's not supposed to eat anything with partially hydrogenated oil in it. They both call it "hydronated", but every time they do it, they immediately try to battle their way through a correct pronunciation. It's kinda cute.

The funniest in our family was my grandma (and subsequently my mom) thinking that "lozenge" was pronounced "LON-gen-eez." First time I heard her say that, I had no idea what she was talking about.


Pet peeve - a grown man ordering "pasghetti" in a restaurant.

Stream of consciousness....
Something I was watching....talking about Jerry Lewis and vegas and the telethon....noting the year/time/moment that "the lozenge" first made an appearance in his act....

As my friend from Europe visited, he tried to learn the plant and animal life by reading through some guidebooks and then, in seeing a field of yellow flowers, exclaims, "Wow, look at all the dan-dee-lee-uns!"

Calling dandelions, "dan-dee-lee-uns" is cute. Saying, "I've got fireballs in my eucharist!"* is just strange. And disconcerting.


*Fibroids in my uterus.

sorry, that would be Guinness.

As I thought about the question, I thought, "Actually, I would think that it could become quite endearing." Like when Sycamore says "A hunnerd" instead on One hundred...I find it to be cute as all hell.
:D :thumbsup: :p

My husband has several things he 'mispronounces', but the only one that drives me bananas is pellow. for the love of god, it's pIllow. My brother says Ench, instead of Inch. I think the eh- instsead if ih replacement in words is a southern/eastern Iowa thing, and although I grew up here too, I don't (think I) do it. Ugh, I am irritated just hearing these in my head... :mad:

you know, purely speculative here, but I think if you've married the guy/gal you've obviously overcome the "problem". I am talking about bargaining. Lookout, where are you?

i am in the valley of the sun. phoenix, arimazona

Homo-ba-phone? Obe-ma-Fob? D'Oh! Sax-A-ma-Phone!

The biggest offenders in my experience are:

"Go down duh screet tuh get some scrimps."

my daughter says Cindabrella. i think it's cute as shit.

I talk just like people on tv. no discernable accent. so there.

My husband says "acrost" instead of across, "melk" instead of milk, and "may-zure" instead of meh-zure. He does try to catch himself, though, to keep my teeth-grinding to a minimum.

Also, my stepdaughter calls it a "cell-o-phone," because clearly the word is supposed to rhyme with "telephone."

I third that one sista! (There's a reason I let that UT guy keep hangin 'round!) :p

when my kids were small, instead of saying clams they said clamps (as in, "mom, are we havin' clamps tonight?) I thought that was cute!

My grandmother used to refer to Vienna sausages as "vye-eeena." She also was very fond of "arsh" potatoes, which as near as I could tell were exactly the same as the just plain potatoes we ate at our house. It was years later that I finally figured out that the word was "Irish."

Oh, Pahonex. Gotcha.

(I find that commercial very, very annoying. Not spongmonkey annoying, but annoying all the same.)

My Grandparents had some strange pronunciations also. Of course my Dad's parents were immigrants which explains much of it. My Mom's parents, growing up in rural New England during the late 1800s, had hit or miss formal schooling.
Also, during that time a kid might have one maybe two teachers for the first 8 grades and their pronunciation became the standard.

The very first time you saw the spongmonkeys,(not the commercial) were you puzzled and a little bewildered? Or did you hate it right from the gitgo?
I think I watched it 3 times before I got annoyed. :)

I hated it right away.

I already thought the viking kittens were stupid, and recognized the style.

huh??? did i unknowingly rip that off from somewhere?

An ad for some delivery service had some guy pronouncing "Phoenix" as "Pahonex". Not a particularly good ad.

The viking kittens doing 'Run to the Hills' is funny. you normally have such good taste, wolf. ;)

i have never seen either of the commercials you're talking about.

Boston accents have always driven me nuts! (Ducks quickly in case anyone here is from Boston)

The Viking Kittens ROCK!

Indeed, the Viking Kittens DO ROCK! I can't believe wolf is not into this, either. ANY Led Zep song should be worshipped.

Led Zep ROCKS. After about 10 to 15 seconds of interesting cuteness, you realize the kittens all just the same bad flash animation.

I like the viking kitties, but I'm a much bigger fan of the BANANAPHONE! :thumbsup:

Can I get one linky dinky on that? :)

Well, woman. You've done it now. (sigh) It took me four months to stop singing this...(damn you, XOXOXObruce!*)

*ps--despite what all you poseur hussies think--bruce is MINE!

Sorry girl--I couldn't help myself! A couple weeks ago I left it as a message on my b/f's voicemail, and he's been singing it ever since. Heh heh heh... :smashfrea

I think this is the link, although I can't get it to work right now for some reason:

http://www.lemonizer.com/banana/

Oh, the link works...(sigh)...GDit!

My first and second year french teacher had a strong boston accent and successive french teachers were less than impressed with my pronouciation.

Oh, you'd really like this guy I knew once, then. Dig this. He'd been raised in the deep south, than spent 30 years in Boston. Damned if I could ever understand a word he said! :D

Living near Philadelphia, if you're unwilling to date people who mispronounce words, you will die lonely.

gone :p

Look--it's not an ACCENT. It's a WILLFUL (or, not) misprounciation of stuff...and not a cute thing that kids do, but an ingrained thing. NOT cute, not a regional thing, but annoying. Ya know? Da ting dat drives ya nurtz.

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MUSHROOMMUSHROOM
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SNAKE...SNAKE
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Go fuck yourself, TS.

Wuh'd I do? :eyebrow: