Author Topic: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.  (Read 6184 times)

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Offline Tick

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #70 on: June 16, 2012, 01:28:00 PM »
For a long time I had a hard time with "mirror", but then realized that Americans just pronounce it like the space station Mir.

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Offline pogoowner

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #71 on: June 16, 2012, 01:39:11 PM »
Words like 'library' and 'arbitrary' are pretty difficult for me. Luckily I don't speak English in my daily life.

What about February? That one's an awkward one.
The worst part is that if you actually pronounce it clearly and properly, it sounds wrong, because it sounds clunky, and nobody actually pronounces it like it's phonetically written. Most people just say something more like Febry or Febury.
Most people that I've encountered say "Febuary."

For a long time I had a hard time with "mirror", but then realized that Americans just pronounce it like the space station Mir.

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Yeah, a few do, but certainly not all.

Offline ddtonfire

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #72 on: June 16, 2012, 02:15:53 PM »
Pronunciation, ironically.

Offline robwebster

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #73 on: June 16, 2012, 05:13:29 PM »
Words like 'library' and 'arbitrary' are pretty difficult for me. Luckily I don't speak English in my daily life.

What about February? That one's an awkward one.
The worst part is that if you actually pronounce it clearly and properly, it sounds wrong, because it sounds clunky, and nobody actually pronounces it like it's phonetically written. Most people just say something more like Febry or Febury.
Most people that I've encountered say "Febuary."
I do alternate between "Feb-roo-airy" and "Feb-ya-ree." It's not a matter of not being able to pronounce it as much as being a slangy lad. Likewise I drop the T in "water," "rattle," "petty" half the time, and pronounce it the other half... I do veer wildly from precision to laze. I don't think I've found a word I can't pronounce, though - not in English. "Ecureuil" is a bastard in French.

The weirdest one for me, in English, is "crisps." Which I suppose you don't have to worry about stateside, but it's one of those words that I can speed through really easily, but as soon as I start actively thinking about the pronunciation I get really caught up on the "-sps." It feels like there should be another vowel. Crisps is the kind of word someone would come up with to win a bet with a linguist over how many consonant sounds they can stuff into a single syllable.

I've got the R - W speech impediment going on slightly, so there are quite a few words I have trouble pronouncing. It was adorable when I was little but now it's just annoying.
See, this is where I always get very embarrassed, because it must seem like I'm massively taking the piss with my username. It must look like a sort of taunt. I'd offer to change it to wobwebwer, but I have the feeling that's just swapping to a completely different brand of offensive.

Offline Gadough

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #74 on: June 16, 2012, 05:15:04 PM »
I sometimes get tongue tied around words like "particularly" if I'm not careful.

Oh yes, that one as well as regularly. Fuck 'em.
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Online Adami

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #75 on: June 16, 2012, 06:17:09 PM »
Most words in Russian, Polish, Czech, etc.

Seeing as how I don't speak any of those languages.
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Offline snapple

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #76 on: June 16, 2012, 07:19:55 PM »
I say divorce "divorice" (div-or-is)

Online Adami

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #77 on: June 16, 2012, 07:21:36 PM »
I say divorce "divorice" (div-or-is)

Marriage not going all that well?
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Offline snapple

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #78 on: June 16, 2012, 07:25:50 PM »
I say divorce "divorice" (div-or-is)

Marriage not going all that well?


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Online jonny108

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #79 on: June 16, 2012, 09:03:48 PM »
I apparently said 'Lozenges' wrong my entire life

Also "Phlegm". It's pronounced "flem" not "pelgm".  :)

Offline FlyingBIZKIT

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #80 on: June 16, 2012, 10:07:57 PM »
I
We
You
She
He
They



Those words...god damn.

Offline Ruba

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #81 on: June 19, 2012, 04:01:39 AM »
Awkward.

That would be awkward, if I would have to pronounce awkward and and I do it wrong.

E:I think I've learned it. Isn't it [o'kwa:d]?

Offline Gadough

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #82 on: June 25, 2012, 03:37:10 AM »
Thought of another one: risks.
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Offline jsem

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #83 on: June 25, 2012, 03:42:47 AM »
Thought of another one: risks.
What puzzles me is the difficulty native English speakers have with those types of words actually.

I hear a lot of people who can't even say "facts". It turns into "facs".

Most people that I've encountered say "Febuary."
This too.

Offline Kotowboy

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #84 on: June 25, 2012, 05:58:37 PM »
What about when people say " Nuke ya Lur " instead of " Nu Clear "

I find the word " inimitable " quite a toughie :P

Offline LieLowTheWantedMan

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #85 on: June 25, 2012, 08:45:13 PM »
This thread makes me feel special for not being able to think of any words I have difficulty with. :lol

Offline theseoafs

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #86 on: June 25, 2012, 08:51:37 PM »
What about when people say " Nuke ya Lur " instead of " Nu Clear "

Our previous president was a big fan of this particular mispronunciation.


I hear a lot of people who can't even say "facts". It turns into "facs".

"Facs" is a valid pronunciation. I don't know why someone would want to shoehorn a "t" in there.

Offline pogoowner

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #87 on: June 25, 2012, 10:18:17 PM »
What about when people say " Nuke ya Lur " instead of " Nu Clear "

Our previous president was a big fan of this particular mispronunciation.


I hear a lot of people who can't even say "facts". It turns into "facs".

"Facs" is a valid pronunciation. I don't know why someone would want to shoehorn a "t" in there.
I use a "t" quite easily when I pronounce it... and it sounds better because of it.

Offline carl320

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #88 on: June 25, 2012, 10:22:51 PM »
I have trouble with "rural."  It's easy to just say "rool."
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Offline black_biff_stadler

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #89 on: June 25, 2012, 10:27:07 PM »
Texts. For an allegedly one-syllable word, it ends up sounding like 2 or 3 once you bother to fully annunciate it.

It's a little pet peeve of mine when folks say "_____ text me" when they're intending to say "_____ texted me" so it's basically like they're dropping the second "T" and saying "_____ tex'ed me." I don't know why they have this problem either cuz I hear these same folks saying the word "text" all the time so "texted" only involves phonetically adding "id" to "tekst" so there's no real consonant-based tongue twister being introduced :huh:
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #90 on: June 25, 2012, 10:47:43 PM »
I have the potential for turning any word into a language salad of stupid.

Offline Neon

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #91 on: June 25, 2012, 11:26:54 PM »
The world 'Marlboro' sometimes trips me up (it's a brand of cigarettes here in the states and there's also a town in New Jersey with the name). 

But I don't have issues with word pronunciation so much as I have issue with regional accent.  I live in South Jersey just outside of Philadelphia and people here can have very distinct accents which I try to avoid.  I really make a conscious effort to not pronounce certain words certain ways, but if I'm not careful (or if I'm drunk) every once in awhile it slips out.  If I'm REALLY drunk or really angry, I can also hear the North Jersey/New York thing slip out too (and that drives me even more crazy  :lol). 
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Offline jasc15

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #92 on: June 26, 2012, 10:28:55 PM »
quid pro quo.  I always trip over that one.

Offline Ħ

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #93 on: June 26, 2012, 11:44:44 PM »
I struggle with getting my t's to sound different from my d's.

Sometimes I struggle to get a solid L sound, and it comes out like a w.
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Offline ZirconBlue

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #94 on: June 28, 2012, 06:42:40 AM »
I struggle with getting my t's to sound different from my d's.

Sometimes I struggle to get a solid L sound, and it comes out like a w.






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Offline Ħ

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #95 on: June 28, 2012, 07:39:05 AM »
Pwease stop!
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline LieLowTheWantedMan

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #96 on: June 28, 2012, 04:40:47 PM »
Yeah, I have a friend that always pronounces words like "mitten" like "midden".

Offline Ħ

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #97 on: June 28, 2012, 04:53:26 PM »
How do you get a clear T sound without sounding like Heath Ledger's Joker? I just can't do it at a normal talking speed.
"All great works are prepared in the desert, including the redemption of the world. The precursors, the followers, the Master Himself, all obeyed or have to obey one and the same law. Prophets, apostles, preachers, martyrs, pioneers of knowledge, inspired artists in every art, ordinary men and the Man-God, all pay tribute to loneliness, to the life of silence, to the night." - A. G. Sertillanges

Offline theseoafs

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #98 on: June 28, 2012, 05:55:03 PM »
How do you get a clear T sound without sounding like Heath Ledger's Joker? I just can't do it at a normal talking speed.

Can I have an example of a few words where your T's don't generally come out clearly?

EDIT: Also, are you American?
« Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 06:05:49 PM by theseoafs »

Offline erik16

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #99 on: June 29, 2012, 07:27:07 AM »
Sects

Offline Implode

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #100 on: June 29, 2012, 07:35:15 AM »
Yeah, I have a friend that always pronounces words like "mitten" like "midden".

I tend to pronounce that without an actual consanant sound in the middle I cut of the airflow with the back of my throat for a second. Kind of like the stereotyped "bri'ish accent" thing.

Offline tofee35

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #101 on: June 29, 2012, 08:02:41 AM »
I'm from Boston...there are many words I have difficulty pronouncing and I'm not even aware of it.

My fiance always makes fun of the way I say 'drawer'. "I put my wallet in the draw." "You mean draw-er?" "That's what I said, "draw."

I lived in Ca (that's California, not the way I say "car") for a couple years and The word "to" comes out "te" now. I don't know why.

Offline VioletS16

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #102 on: June 29, 2012, 08:22:26 AM »
Quick question for all of you whose primary language isn't English: is the "th" consonant cluster the most difficult one to pronounce? I notice a lot of people pronounce it as more of just a "t" sound.
The 'th' sound doesn't exist in most languages (that I'm aware?) and so non-native speakers may have a bit of difficulty picking up on it when speaking English, so it can come out as 't' or 'd'. :)
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Offline theseoafs

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #103 on: June 29, 2012, 10:03:08 AM »
Yeah, I have a friend that always pronounces words like "mitten" like "midden".

I tend to pronounce that without an actual consanant sound in the middle I cut of the airflow with the back of my throat for a second. Kind of like the stereotyped "bri'ish accent" thing.

This is called a glottal stop. "Mi'en" is in fact the normal American pronunciation of the word. Congratulations!

Offline rumborak

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Re: Words you have difficulty pronouncing.
« Reply #104 on: June 29, 2012, 10:41:03 AM »
For a long time I had a hard time with "mirror", but then realized that Americans just pronounce it like the space station Mir.

rumborak
no we don't.

When I wrote that post I "mispronounced" Mir in my head. I guess it's actually pronounced like "meer". What I meant was that the "o" in mirror is barely pronounced at all, and initially I would really try to pronounce it, with hilarious results.

Something that took me a while to figure out in English was that an ending "mb" is just pronounced "m". I remember trying to purchase a comb in a department store and utterly failing to do so.

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