Most annoying mispronunciation

Repost   Friday, May 20, 2005, 03:57 GMT
Lazar   Friday, May 20, 2005, 04:04 GMT
"Excape" for "escape".
mjd   Friday, May 20, 2005, 04:06 GMT
"Definately" for "definitely.
mjd   Friday, May 20, 2005, 04:08 GMT
Actually, that's a mispelling, but it still really annoys me.
posts   Friday, May 20, 2005, 04:25 GMT
Oh gosh, where do I start? Well, 'dat' for 'that. 'Den' for then. 'Dere' for 'there'...
Lazar   Friday, May 20, 2005, 04:26 GMT
<<Well, 'dat' for 'that. 'Den' for then. 'Dere' for 'there'...>>

I would consider that a dialectal difference rather than a mispronunciation.
George   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:02 GMT
aks for ask. Yes, I know it's a 'dialectical difference' (to quote Lazar), but it bugs me whenever I hear it (esp. from white suburban kids trying to sound urban).
Kirk   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:08 GMT
"<<Well, 'dat' for 'that. 'Den' for then. 'Dere' for 'there'...>>

I would consider that a dialectal difference rather than a mispronunciation."

By the same token "excape" for "escape" could be seen as a valid example of metathesis :)
Damian   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:12 GMT
When "Particularly" comes out as "partickly" or "pertikooly".

I know it's a pertikooly awkward word to pronounce with five weird syllables but you listen carefully....most people go for the easier option.

I've never heard anyone in the UK say "aks" for ask except maybe black people and then only on TV......I don't personally know many black people too well..in fact, none at all.
Kirk   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:14 GMT
"aks for ask. Yes, I know it's a 'dialectical difference' (to quote Lazar), but it bugs me whenever I hear it (esp. from white suburban kids trying to sound urban)."

Maybe, but historically "aks" and "ask" have existed side by side for nearly a millennium. In the days of Old English, "aks" was actually the original form, and "ask" was the "deviant" variant brought about by our friend metathesis (which also brought us "bird" from older "brid" and "horse" from older "hros"). Original "aks" still remained in some British dialects, and eventually moved on to some American dialects. So, no matter the race (and, presumably, these were white English people saying "aks" way before white suburban American kids ever entered the picture) "aks"
Kirk   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:16 GMT
"aks for ask. Yes, I know it's a 'dialectical difference' (to quote Lazar), but it bugs me whenever I hear it (esp. from white suburban kids trying to sound urban)."

Maybe, but historically "aks" and "ask" have existed side by side for nearly a millennium. In the days of Old English, "aks" was actually the original form, and "ask" was the "deviant" variant brought about by our friend metathesis (which also brought us "bird" from older "brid" and "horse" from older "hros"). While "ask" spread, original "aks" still remained in some British dialects, and eventually moved on to some American dialects. So, no matter the race (and, presumably, these were white English people saying "aks" way before white suburban American kids ever entered the picture) "aks" has a valid historical background in English.
Kirk   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:17 GMT
Oops sorry about the double post. I accidentally hit "send" before I'd finished it and thought I'd stopped it before it posted, but I guess it did.
Travis   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:23 GMT
Well, at least here in southeastern Wisconsin, [d_d{?] for "that", [d_dE~:n] for "then", and [d_de:r\] for "there" are all common pronunciations of the words in question, but in most cases it is actually a consequence of assimilation with a /d/ in a previous word. In all those cases, the original phoneme is still /D/, but it changes into a voiced dental stop when preceded by an voiced alveolar stop, as /D/ in the dialect here is very, well, unstable, to say the least.

Even still, though, I often find myself pronouncing /D/ as [d_d] or [d], or [z_d] or [z], even when it isn't preceded by [d] or [z], respectively. It's not trying to sound "urban", it's just that the realization of /D/ as [D] really seems to be not really favored in the dialect here, when there is the least excuse to not pronounce it as [D], and sometimes when there isn't one, for whatever reason.
Deborah   Friday, May 20, 2005, 06:29 GMT
"Tempatchur" for temperature. On the news in the San Francisco area, there are several weather reporters who say that. One of them almost says it in a classic Valley Girl way, like "tampatchurrr." Ecch.
rich7   Friday, May 20, 2005, 07:48 GMT
You're 'close' to the door, so would you 'close' it please?
The child took a 'bow' after he finally learned to tie a 'bow'.

Are these pronounced differently? how?