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#1 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 6:22 AM
Companies/words that you've pronounced wrong
Have you pronounced a word or name of a company wrong that ended up sounding hilarious?

I haven't stop laughing after I decided that Aiptek (a camcorder brand) was pronounced 'ape-tech. (ayp-teck)'
'Ape-tech, built buy apes, for apes. Ape-tech.'
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#2 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 7:27 AM
It wasn't so hilarious when I went to a resteraunt and tried to order Tazo tea, only to find out mid-order that I didn't know how to pronounce Tazo. It doesn't look that difficult.. but I ended up throwing a couple extra syllables in there xD The waitress just kind of rolled her eyes and moved on to my mom.. who said "I'll have one of those too." ...Thanks, Mom.

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#3 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 7:44 AM
In South Africa, black South Africans usually have traditional names like Nonthlanthla, Sibonghile, Siphokazi, Ntanjana, Qolohle, Sikhwivhilu, Mtywaru etc. I work in a busy office, and often get messages to return calls. I cringe when I have to try to pronounce some names, as I do not want to offend anyone!

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#4 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 6:00 PM
I always pronounce the K in knife and knight. This can range from KNI-fe, to kin-ife. I think I picked it up from my dad who always says kin-ife and kin-ight.

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#5 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 6:16 PM
Wow, eedgan, that must be difficult... I found in working a job where I had to speak to people on the phone and pronounce difficult names (though nowhere near as hard as those), I found a good approach to those was something like, "Hi, this is Soandso from Suchandsuch, I'm calling for... *soft self-conscious chuckle* Y'know, I would terribly mispronounce this, the spelling is Q-o-l-o-h-l-e..." And then if it's them or once you've got them on the phone, ask them if they can pronounce it for you - usually people with complex names are aware they have a name that not everyone can properly pronounce and if you tend to just be happily curious and polite about it and then move on with your business, people don't tend to get too offended.

Ape-tech.

There's regional differences in the way companies are pronounced sometimes - even by their own advertisements. When I lived in the US, Mazda cars are advertised with the ads saying "Mahhzda" with a soft first a sound. In Canada all the ads here say "Maazda" with a longer, harder a sound.

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#6 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 6:23 PM
Well HP, those examples are the names of some of my work colleagues! And can only pronounce the first one. Sibongile - See Bon Gee Leh. (I certainly can't go around spelling their names - I usually feign ignorance when someone asks, who's that chick on the second floor who's preggers? "I dunno!" My co-workers probably think I am dense.
Oh and in South Africa we pronounce Mazda, Maz Da - like its spelt...

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#7 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 6:57 PM
I'm not talking about wrong pronunciations, I guess, but ever since I moved to the southern US, I've discovered so many words that people pronounce differently. For instance, "lawyer" is pronounced the way it looks, "law-yerr" here, which sounds really awkward to me because I've always said "loy-yerr." And "dinosaur" is "dino-sarr," not "dino-sorr." The country Israel (though now I can't remember when I heard someone say this, since it's not like there are any Jewish people here *sigh*) is two syllables, "Is-ral," here, not "Is-ree-al." It's weird.

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#8 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 7:55 PM
The store in the mall Boscovs I used to pronounce wrong. Well I like the way I pronounce it Boss-cauves (rhyming with mauve) and the commercial is totally different like Boss-koffs.

Then being from Jersey, we pronounce some words a little differently like water, daughter, etc. Thats just our accent though, its not like anyone would not know what you are talking about.
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#9 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 8:04 PM
I always forget the H when I am speaking in english, which very often gives : <<I (h)ate the teacher !>> My friends couldn't stop laughing (and sometimes, the teacher laughs too, not to that particular sentence but it sometimes happens to me). I have the same proble in German, because I am a mothertongue french speaker.
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#10 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 8:06 PM
Where I'm from, theres a lot of regional native American names, names that nobody seems to be able to pronounce... Its funny when someone who's not from Oregon pronounces Willamette, wil-a-mit when its pronounced wil-ah-met. My fiance (who's from the south) pronounces Clackamas, Ca-lack-ah-mas.... its Clack-mas. As for me, theres not really anything that I can think of that I have pronounced wrong (that I know of anyways :D).... I do have a bit of a southern accent that I've picked up since living here though!

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#11 Old 25th Nov 2007 at 8:27 PM
You know the game "Halo"? when I first read about it...I pronouced it "Hall-oh".
And the word "Elite" I used to pronounced "El-et-tay". Someones I fail very hard at pronoucing stuff. Or like Isuzu, Pronouced that "Is-u-ru"
#12 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 1:32 AM
My best friend, who is from Canada, pronounces the word "pasta" like no one else I have ever met. She says "pass-tuh", with the same vowel sound as "pastor". I say it more like "pa-stuh", with the vowel sound in "ha" or "la". For some reason we Americans thought it was hilarious the first time we heard her say that. Her mother is from England, too, so we have fun with "mom" versus "mum".

I think Southern accents are fun, but even though I live about as far south as you can go in the U.S., everyone in my area is from up north anyways (I'm convinced I'm the only native left in the state), so I don't get to listen to any drawls.
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#13 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 1:36 AM
I pronounce some words in ways that make total sense, until I am told the way it's really pronounced. The only thing I can think of is "zealous." I used to pronounce it "zeel-uhs." It makes sense though, doesn't it? :D
#14 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 1:48 AM
I always pronounce mosquito - mos - quee -toe. I just think that the way it sounds normally is dumb.

But I have a little debate with my partner with the word Quiche.
I pronounce it Kee-sh and he pronounces it k-w-ee-sh *the k is not silent*. He says that he is right and I think that I am....Can anyone let me know the correct pronunciation of the word? PLEASE.
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#15 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 1:55 AM
Normalcy. I hate that word. It SHOULD be pronounced Nor-mal-see (mal as in Mallory). But no, It's pronounced nor-mul-see. My musical theatre class thinks its fun to argue with me about it. Oi.

And... Unrequited. I used to think it was Un-ree-quit-ed until my English teacher told me it was Un-ree-quite-ed. Heh.

And, I think it would be innappropriate for me to say how I used to pronounce Klickatat; so, I'll leave that to your guesses.

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#16 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 9:46 PM
Hmm... Like, "Bvlgari" (That glasses, perfume and fashion stuff company - Before finding that the "v" is an "u" in latin)

Some Eastern European words. And some long Portuguese words, like this one " pneumoultramicroscopicossilicovulcanoconiose", or in English, "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis", or, in Japanese, "ニューモノウルトラマイクロスコーピックシリコヴォルケーノコニオシス" (Nyuumonourutoramaikurosukoupikkushirikovurukeinokonioshisu)

Most german words.

And my typical "Mourinho" accent is present everytime I put my spoken English working:P
#17 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 9:55 PM
Mumo: I've always pronounced it Kee-sh ... o_o

Urm, yep well, I don't really pronounce many things wrong... well I do, but hey, I'm not gonna say lol Plus, a lot of teachers at my school pronounce my name (Niamh) wrong... its fun when you don't tell 'em how to pronounce it properly and see them struggle...

(Nee-ve)
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#18 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 10:11 PM
i frequently pronounce hyperbole as 'hyper-bowl' rather than hyperbolee as it should be. which is embarassing as a eng. lit student!
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#19 Old 26th Nov 2007 at 10:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by see morgan run
My best friend, who is from Canada, pronounces the word "pasta" like no one else I have ever met. She says "pass-tuh", with the same vowel sound as "pastor". I say it more like "pa-stuh", with the vowel sound in "ha" or "la". For some reason we Americans thought it was hilarious the first time we heard her say that. Her mother is from England, too, so we have fun with "mom" versus "mum".



I'm Canadian and I pronounce it like that too And I say mum! But I get accused of talking like a Brit all the time. Probably bcause I say pajamas like this :"Pah jom ahs" (Jom pronounced like mom with a j at the beginning).

And another weird one, I say Sandwich without the d, so I pronounce in Samwich. My friend laughed at me for hours!

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#20 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 12:16 AM
slytherin-girl, I say "samwhich" too. On Halloween, my friends made fun of me all night because when they came to my house to pick me up, I said "Hey guys, come look at my punkin"!

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#21 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 12:41 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Daisie
I'm not talking about wrong pronunciations, I guess, but ever since I moved to the southern US, I've discovered so many words that people pronounce differently. For instance, "lawyer" is pronounced the way it looks, "law-yerr" here, which sounds really awkward to me because I've always said "loy-yerr." And "dinosaur" is "dino-sarr," not "dino-sorr." The country Israel (though now I can't remember when I heard someone say this, since it's not like there are any Jewish people here *sigh*) is two syllables, "Is-ral," here, not "Is-ree-al." It's weird.

Well, I need to know where you live, then, because that's about 89% of the people here in Atlanta, sadly.
One would think that in a metropolitan area, we'd have people w/o a souther accent. ;(
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#22 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 12:50 AM
Poplers, I wasn't trying to be negative, and I think southern accents are actually kinda fun.

But they are different. I live about three hours away from Atlanta, and I really should visit sometime! It seems like a cool place.

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#23 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 12:57 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Daisie
Poplers, I wasn't trying to be negative, and I think southern accents are actually kinda fun.

But they are different. I live about three hours away from Atlanta, and I really should visit sometime! It seems like a cool place.

I've realised that southern accents are the only accents that when you speak to someone, they think less of you already, a british accent doesn't do that. ;P
I didnt think you were trying to be negative, your comment was totally on point.

I actually don't live in Atlanta persay, but about 15-25 minutes from it, just up GA 400. :]
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#24 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 4:21 PM
I don't know anyone who pronounces the d in sandwich. When I say it it sounds like 'sanwidge'. Maybe saying it a d is an american thing? I find it amsuing that I sahy 'pass (long a) the pasta (short a)' whereas my US friends say 'pass (short a) the pasta (long a)'

and poplers, thats not true about people not making assumptions about you if you have an english accent - there's loads of regional variation here which some people look down on, and there's certainly no such thing as a 'British' accent - I think the welsh, scots and Northern Irish would have something to say about that!
#25 Old 27th Nov 2007 at 4:52 PM
lol! There are so many different British accents. Both my parents are from Northern Ireland, so definately pronounce things differently from me, who was brought up near London. Norfolk, Liverpool, Birmingham .. all towns in England, have massive variations in pronounciations.
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