In 7th grade, I pronounced "imagery" as though it rhymed with menagerie. Luckily, my teacher was so glad I was using the word that she managed to alleviate my embarrassment.
Natter 67: Overriding Vetoes
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, nail polish, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Where does the "F" come from?
quester, I have always wondered that!
From wikipedia:
Pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between the forms lef-tenant (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/) and loo-tenant (/ljuːˈtɛnənt/ or /luːˈtɛnənt/ ( listen)), with the former generally associated with the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries, and the latter generally associated with the United States.[1] The earlier history of the pronunciation is unclear; Middle English spellings suggest that the /l(j)uː-/ and /lɛf-/ pronunciations existed even then.[2] The rare Old French variant spelling luef for Modern French lieu ('place') supports the suggestion that a final [w] of the Old French word was in certain environments perceived as an [f].[2]
In Royal Naval tradition — and other English-speaking navies outside the United States — the intermediate pronunciation /ləˈtɛnənt/ was preserved. This is not recognized as current by the OED, however, and by 1954 the Royal Canadian Navy, at least, regarded it as "obsolescent" even while regarding "the army's 'LEF-tenant'" to be "a corruption of the worst sort".[3]
we kept their pronunciations along with their land!
I have no problem with the pronunciation. It's the spelling that's an issue. Blame them for that?
Moving to Iowa when I was 11, I was struck immediately by how many Iowans pronounce "wash" as "warsh".
"Warsh" is a total pet peeve of mine. As is "crik" for a body of water. *shudder*
t total snob
Arkansas. Let's not get out of hand with apportioning national blame here. You even have a fucking Kansas.
What's the issue? Arkansass and Kansaw. Clear as day.
I think the issue there was appropriating Native American words and fucking them up. It's not the deliberate perfidy of the English. Just plain old American stupidity.
It took me a while after we moved to LA to learn the right way to pronounce Sepulveda and Tujunga.
Oh, please, it's actually GLOS-tah.
In New England, yes. In Shakespeare, no.
They do the Warsh for Wash thing in Maryland and Pennsylvania too.