Nobody's perfect.

It's too true that we are often judged by incorrect pronunciation, word usage and grammar, along with our regional accents.

I confess to having been an English major, but I try not to worry too much about such things because they have no deep importance (and it's bad for my blood pressure).

Then wouldn't it be just obvious mispronunciations? Or it could be incorrect pronunciations. But incorrect mispronunciation is just plain redundant!

So many people think it's cute, and even take price in it. With the Southern Fried Succubus and her cackling "yeowl" every third word, the 4-time Felon and her overenunciating everything she says like "prit-tee ite-tem" the "whodababydaddyid" "I din ax you" the HO-tel, PO-lice and everything else that probably all started at the Saturday Night Drunken HO-down.

You brought up a point I've been trying to get across to some people for a long time. When you look at the vast majority of those in the broadcasting, they do not talk this way. The people who say "Warshington" don't seem to want to hear broadcasters say it; yeowlers don't seem to want to hear their broadcasters saying it. And when people are in the business with a heavy accent, and want to progress, they generally drop the accent or most of it.

To a point I've given up on the English language. I've adopted the Norm Crosby approach. Butcher it and people seem to love it.

However I do have to take issue with names. As George Carlin so beautifully pointed out: "Your name can be spelled S-M-I-T-H, and you can pronounce it 'Genovsky' if you wanted to!" Case in point, Quarterback Brett "Farve" spelled F-A-V-R-E. More southern twang? Or is he trying to be unique?

Gotta run for now as they say, but I'll be back... (after these words from irate people!) :D

Are you saying that HO-tel should be pronounced HOT-el?

And yes, incorrect mispronunciation is redundant.

No, it should be ho-TEL

leel -- I'm purty sure that magic was joking.

You got me. I doubled checked all but the the subject heading. My apologies for this reduncy. That anyone noticed is laudable.

My pet peeve right now is the "gone missing" phrase. I don't understand why this new verbiage permeates the cop shows on TV. What is wrong with saying that someone "is missing" or even that they disappeared (via a magician perhaps). No one "goes missing". Missing is not a destination. There is a Missing Hill Resort in Kentucky though. Sounds like something one would hear in the UK....and we all know that the English speak a very foreign language. When they are ill they are often in hospital (no THE or A in sight). Or perhaps they mean inhospitable? Odd lot those Brits.

LOL

That should have been redundancy. Time for my fat fingers to quit.

Night ya'll.

Sandysays -- The link to your "My Page" states that you just registered on this site today -- why isn't your name on the members listing for GardenWeb?

Other KT friends -- We can certainly continue the discussion, if we choose, but I have to wonder if we will ever hear from the OP again.

Everybody's got to start sometime!

I notice lapses in grammar more than mispronounced words, but neither bothers me very much anymore. Whether I get bothered or not won't affect the frequency of these things, and as Petaloid said, they're not worth a rise in our blood pressure.

Plus don't forget . . . one of our own U. S. presidents pronounced an R at the end of Cuba.

Hey, there, sandysays! I was typing while you were posting and didn't see that you were still here.

I've noticed that British and Australian expressions are becoming common here in the US, like "gone missing," that you mentioned, and "no worries."

I hate the usage of "relook", I think they mean review. And I don't think that comes from anywhere but here in the good old u s of a...

I like conversation with people from all regions and from all socio-economic levels.

What they have to say is far more important to me than which syllable they stress.

I think making judgments of job potential soley on how one speaks only applies as a qualification for certain jobs.

Overall, it's not worth getting TOO worked up over these things and actually I find it funny, though I try to find humor in anything. Few topics are 100% off-limits and usually those limits expire after a while. However, when it gets to the point where you can't understand someone, that's problematic. For instance when I was managing a convenience store and a little old lady came in wanting to buy her cigarettes. I had just taken over that store so I didn't know her and accordingly didn't know what brand she wanted. It took nearly 10 minutes, and I have no idea what all she was calling me, but finally she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and showed it to me. No problemo, to quote ALF, and needless to say I remembered her brand after that! And when a new cashier was on duty and she'd come in I'd just tell him/her "a pack of ____&____ Menthols.

So much more to say, but that's 'nuffernow.

When I read the OP's post, I kept looking at the date.

I kept telling myself I had read that before, word for word.

Am I having a Flashback moment?

Which reminds me that my favorite current bothersome word is "refer" back.

How could you possibly refer forward?

And I know we have had this same conversation here before, because I remember I mentioned the refer back thing.

Sue

My son often asks what is the difference between "forewarned" and "warned"..

There's a smallish town northeast of Toronto named "Bancroft" ... and there's a city on the west coast named "Vancouver" ... but many people, even in the media, refer to them as "BANG-croft" and "VANG-koover".

Do your folks do that with your city in Washington?

ole joyful

There are regional accents and there are mispronunciations.
It's a big country, and I feel that no one person's accent is the "right" one.

Oh, come on. Why question her just because she registered today? I agree with her! And as nycefarm said, everyone has to start sometime! I would imagine that she's been lurking and finally decided to post, and was met with this.

To sandysays, welcome! I, too, am aggravated by those things that you posted about. It's good to have you here; don't let some drive you away.

Suzieque

There have been several times this subject or similar subjects have been discussed on this forum. I think it is an interesting topic, and fun to see what others think. I especially like Cynic's pointing out the mispronunciation of Ho-tel, Po-lice, and don't forget Am-beu-lance. I like what my late son used to say about something he didn't like....it was discusticating. LOL Dottie

LOL OJ...I happen to be awfully close to BANG CROFT....lmao

and yes,a lot of ppl refer to this town as that...:)

Don't you think the "talking heads" are using such colloquialisms and mispronunciations in order to sound friendly and familiar with their audiences? This irritates me more than the incorrect grammar and mispronounced words do.

Welcome, Sandysays, and I too agree with what she wrote....I honestly think some people seem to go out of their way to mis-pronouce words....I live near Pittsburgh and when I hear some say, Picksburgh, I shudder....A couple more are Libary, vengtable and afcan for Library, vegetable and afghan.... Another thing that abothers me, when talking, some say, so fun, instead of so much fun.....
I'm no way perfect in my speech but I try.....

"My problem is with people that should know better and are just plain stupid or just don't care. I'm talking about people that are paid to "speak" for a living."

"Guess what. How one speaks does make a difference to those people that do the hiring."

Unless a person has become an inanimate object, they should be referred to as "who", not "that". Perhaps you should take a look at your own communication skills before whining about others.

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, I am a new member. Yes, I have lurked (off and on) for years. I am sorry if I sounded like another post. I believe that I did read another post that voiced similar concerns. After hearing Brenda Walters (of KDKA TV in Pittsburgh) say jewel-uh-ray, I felt moved to voice my disgust.

Also, not whining. Inattention (after many years of English in our public schools), complacency, laziness and a cavalier attitude about pronunciation (and grammar) makes it abundantly clear that many do not consider it important. The excuses are pathetic. Calling me a whiner because of my observations is quite amusing.

If I may quote....

"When I was a child I spoke as a child

I understood as a child I thought as a child;

but when I became a man I put away childish things."

I Cor. xiii. 11

This is just as true for how one communicates as to how one behaves. I believe that they are inextricably linked.

Making a grammatical error in this forum is not exactly the Congressional Record. However, hearing grossly mispronounced words on the evening news is unacceptable.

Colloquial expressions are considered to be verbal in nature. Using them in writing is a common ploy in fiction. It normally serves to reveal the culture and/or social status of it's user.

Hearing some lunkhead newsreader attempt to endear themselves to me by using (as a poster described) Pittsburgh-ese is detestable and insulting. I was born in Pittsburgh. This so called Pittsburgh-ese has only become common in the last 20 years or so by those that seemingly never obtained an education much beyond junior high school. I do not think it quaint or cute to corrupt English pronunciation because of laziness and/or trying to increase one's urban bonafides. Just because someone says that it is Pittsburgh-ese does not mean that most people use it. I do not. Neither do most of my friends and family. Pittsburgh-ese is (for the most part) a fallacy.

I apologize for any grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors that I have made. Believe, I did not mispronounce anything.

Sandy does say so.