Skip to main content

Pronunciation Nazi

Please allow me to be a total Nazi on the pronunciation of some words commonly mispronounced by Filipinos.  I am in no way perfect and just wanted to give you a "for-your-information" kind of post because you don't know how much I try to control myself not to correct you when I hear you mispronounce some words so as not to embarrass you publicly.  But you have to know that this is one of my pet peeves.

1. Firm/Confirm 
correct pronunciation: (fɜːm)/(con"fur"m)
mispronounced as: (fEErm)/(confEErm)

I don't know how this started but ever since we were in primary, secondary and tertiary education it has always been pronounced with a short "i".  But nowadays I hear some people say it with the long "i". 
i.e. I already "confEErmed" it with him.  And I was like: (?!!?!?!?!?!?!). 

 No people it is not a trend. Even if it is, it is not good to listen to. You sound uneducated.

 2. Lettuce
correct pronunciation: (letis)
mispronounced as: (letus)

 "Tag pila na ang "letus"?"  Although in Filipino culture, the pronunciation of "letus" is somehow accepted and is just shrugged upon (maybe due to ignorance), the correct way to say this word is LETIS not LETUS. Kakapal pa ng mga mukha! Once you say the correct pronunciation they look at you as if you're an alien. 

                                     If I throw your "LETUS" and it hits your head, would you come
                                     to your senses and say it correctly as "LETIS?"

 3. Tarot
correct pronunciation: (tair-oe)
mispronounced as: (ta-roT)

 Here listen:
correct pronunciation of "tarot"  

 Maybe I'm just a snob.  I just think to myself that people who pronounce tarot with a "t" in the end, perhaps lack sufficient knowledge on the esoteric and occult nature of the tarot cards. The word as claimed by Antoine Court de Gébelin, a Swiss clergyman came from the Egyptian words "tar" meaning "royal" and "ro" meaning "road." Therefore, the tarot is "the royal road" to wisdom.

                                                         "taroT?!?!" Yup, you the fool!

4. Spinach
correct pronunciation: (spi-nich)
mispronounced as: (spi-nach)

Popeye says shame on you!


5. Cashier
correct pronunciation: (ka-ˈshir)
mispronounced as: (kay-shir)

Because it comes from the word "cash" and not "caysh" Like duh!

                                               Pay your "caysh" to the "cayshir". LOL

6. Caffein
correct pronounciation: (ca-FIN)
mispronounced as: (ca-FEIGN)

                                                     Don't you just love your "ca-Fin?"

7. YouTube
correct pronunciation: (yu-tub)
mispronounced as: (yu-CHOOB)

Nuff said. 

 8. Menu
correct pronunciation: (men-yoo)
mispronounced as: (me-noo)
                                                        May I please see the "men-yoo?"

9. Hyundai
correct pronunciation: (hun-deh) or (he-yon-deh)
mispronounced as: (yun-dai), (yun-day)

Hyundai is a Korean brand.  Trust me you pronounced it that way. It's Korean so I know. I was supposed to marry one.. LOL

10.  Cocoa
correct pronunciation: (kōkō)
mispronounced as: (ko-kwa)

 Don't worry I also thought it was pronounced as "ko-kwa" before too.



Just so you know.


from Leia's beautiful mind... 09/03/12

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 24, 2014 at 10:51 PM

    hmmm glad i tripped on this blog post. learned a lot from it. im watching a noontime variety show a while ago and i grew tired of all the hosts pronouncing "confirmed" with a long e. i googled if it is a trend, newly-recognized pronunciation etc. but well, merriam webster still says it in short i. sometimes, i lose my confidence in saying the real pronunciation since i am surrounded by a lot of people who does it as confeerm.
    just find it alarming that a lot of popular celebrities nowadays are saying it wrongly. anyways, i'll go firm with confirm. thanks. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My GM (General Motors) Diet Journey by Leia Mae "Yummy" Caliston

Say what?! General Motors?  Isn't that an automobile company?  What has the car giant know about dieting? Okay, let me give you a background why I started this diet plan.  I am someone who hates the gym.  It bores me out of my mind.  I love dancing, I love yoga, but I equate the gym to a painful struggle.  Besides, I'm just not really comfortable working out with a lot of people and ummm... men. As to why I started.  It is because I have gained weight.  I mean who wouldn't if you own a place that serves food?  Availability and access.  I used to be only 105 pounds and I panicked when I checked that I am already 115 pounds (here piggy piggy piggy...) .  Some people think they are giving me a compliment when they mentioned I gained weight and they think I got prettier but deep inside me I feel so insecure and I am not comfortable. I am used to my 105 pounds and I want to go back to that. General Motors Diet or GM Diet was starte...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ahh... Life.

 Marcus Aurelius once said "We live but for a moment".      That statement rings true.  I lost a client turned friend last week after she succumbed to cancer.  Not a lot of people know we were friends but we were the kind of friends who chat late at night and just bears all of our concerns, worries, anxieties about our businesses and yes... frustrations about life and love life.        You won't see us hanging out or even just having coffee or attending events together.  Our friendship was mostly online.  And yet, it was one of the most real and no pretense kind of friendship that we had.  And why not?  We had a lot in common.  We are both in our 30s, single, hardworking and driven women who wants to get things done.  We are the type to take care of everything and everyone and who seemed from the outside in control of it all.       It is during late at night we take our masks off and...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Woman and The Bird (A Tragic Love Story): A Lesson for Jealous and Insecure Women

Once upon a time, there was a bird.  He was adorned with two perfect wings and with glossy, colorful, marvelous feathers.  In short, he was a creature made to fly about freely in the sky, bringing joy to everyone who saw him. One day, a woman saw this bird and fell in love with him.  She watched his flight, her mouth wide in amazement, her heart pounding, her eyes shining with excitement.  She invited the bird to fly with her, and the two traveled across the sky in perfect harmony.  She admired and venerated and celebrated that bird. But then she thought: He might want to visit far off mountains!  And she was afraid, afraid that she would never feel the same way about any other bird.  And she felt envy, envy for the bird's ability to fly.   And she felt alone. And she thought: "I'm going to set a trap.  The next time the bird appears, he will never leave again."  The bird, who was also in love, returned the following day, fell in...
3 comments
Read more