# "Correct" pronounciations that people have given up on **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246 "2015-10-11T07:34:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/41 "2015-10-11T17:20:48Z")
Homage - morphing into _oh-MAJH_. Bruschetta - should be pronounced _brusketta_ Homogen **e** ous - mispronounced as _homogenous_ Apartheid - should be pronounced _apart-hade_, not _apar-thide_. Sriracha - mangled in so many ways. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/42 "2015-10-11T17:34:32Z")
There’s a street in Midtown Atlanta, a fairly important artery, that is a shibboleth for Atlanta residence. It’s named after the 16th century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, but calling it “_Pon-say de Lay-on_ Avenue” marks you as a tourist. It’s “_Ponce duh LEE-on_”, or even just “_Ponce_”. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/43 "2015-10-11T17:48:18Z")
> [@BrightSunshine](#): > > I’ve been trying to pronounce gouda “ggghau-da” cheese properly and getting nowhere with Americans (especially at deli counters) until I give up and say “gooo-da”. And why can’t furriners at least try to end the word when they say van Gogh? I get that it’s difficult to say the hard g (like you’re choking), I wouldn’t ask that. But could it maybe just be van Gog? Van Go makes no sense at all. Yeah OK, I’ve given up on it myself. I bring shame on my nation, but I admit it: when I speak English I say van Go. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/44 "2015-10-11T18:07:58Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Could you show evidence for that? Because everything I can find shows no accent. > > As far as I can see, the French word is either _Fort_ (pronounced “fore”) or _Forte_ (pronounced “fort”). Honestly my source was my memory. I studied French for several years. I did an online search and I see the majority of what is written on line says I am wrong so I guess I am (although it does seem many people have the same memory as me and some chalk it up to many words losing their accents due to the rise of word processing but who knows…). I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/45 "2015-10-11T18:45:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That’s the one I was going to mention. > > A similar thing happened with [Hector Boyardee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Boyardee). Born Ettore Boiardi, he ‘sold his products under the brand name “Chef Boy-Ar-Dee” so that his American customers could pronounce his name properly.’ > > As for the OP, one name that grates on my nerves as someone who took a lot of German in school and as a former owner of the marque, is Porsche. The ‘e’ is pronounced. Now I’m confused. Is Ellen Degeneres’ girlfriend’s name Porsche or Portia?😃 ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/46 "2015-10-11T18:48:41Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > There’s a street in Midtown Atlanta, a fairly important artery, that is a shibboleth for Atlanta residence. It’s named after the 16th century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, but calling it “_Pon-say de Lay-on_ Avenue” marks you as a tourist. It’s “_Ponce duh LEE-on_”, or even just “_Ponce_”. Lived in St. Augustine FL for years and I did not know that.☹ ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/47 "2015-10-11T18:59:23Z")
Plantain comes to mind. When I was in elementary school, the L in kiln was silent. My teachers and my dictionary said so. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/48 "2015-10-11T19:16:09Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > There’s a church in south Baltimore - St. Rose of Lima - pronounced like the bean. OK, whatever. > > I get stabby when people pronounce the t in _often_. How do they say _soften_? > > And the French word \*forte \*does not have an accent, and it means strong. I was corrected the other day when I pronounced La Plata, Maryland like La Plata (Lah PLAH-tah), Argentina. Evidently in Maryland it’s pronounced “Luh PLAY-duh.” ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/49 "2015-10-11T19:23:21Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > My last name is French. I’ve given up on the correct pronunciation, and just go with pronouncing it the way it looks. That way there is a chance that people may be able to spell it right. > > It always amazes me though, when I order a script at Rite Aid, and I get the automated call telling me it’s ready, the computerized voice always pronounces it correctly. My last name is Ukrainian and there’s at least three ways to pronounce it within the family. My dad and his brotjer pronounce it differently from the family back in Pennsylvania, and they pronounce it differently from me, my sisters and brother, and my uncle’s children. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/50 "2015-10-11T20:12:51Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Honestly my source was my memory. I studied French for several years. I did an online search and I see the majority of what is written on line says I am wrong so I guess I am (although it does seem many people have the same memory as me and some chalk it up to many words losing their accents due to the rise of word processing but who knows…). I stand corrected. Well, I’ve been in sort of the same boat: I’d always assumed an accent from the pronunciation, but then later read (or heard, possibly – I forget) that was wrong, and duly tucked the information away in my mental “linguistic pedantry” file, without actually, you know, checking it or anything. So when you said so confidently that there _was_ an accent, I had to go search, just as you did, but I ended up not knowing whether I could trust the online sources, or my own eyes, or the nature of reality. It may also be relevant that I have an utter sod of a cold, and I’m running on about two hours sleep, a variety of over-the-counter medicaments, and several gallons of tea. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/51 "2015-10-11T21:19:26Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Lived in St. Augustine FL for years and I did not know that.☹ If you lived in St. Augustine, why would you necessarily know the name of a street in Atlanta? Or did you mean that you didn’t know who Ponce de Leon was? _Mayonnaise_ is another one where, at least in the U.S., an “incorrect” pronunciation - “man-ayze” - is driving out the proper “may-on-ayze”. Likewise “chok-lit” is more common than “chok-o-lat”. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/52 "2015-10-11T21:22:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Julius Caesar probably pronounced his name like Yooleeoos Kighsahr. Do you pronounce it that way? To be honest, it’s no wonder people get confused about the pronounciation when he spells it IVLIVS. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/53 "2015-10-11T21:22:33Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Plantain comes to mind. > > When I was in elementary school, the L in kiln was silent. My teachers and my dictionary said so. OK, so you all read what I meant, not what I typed, right? Anyway, 'twas the N in kiln that was silent when I was a lad, not the L. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/54 "2015-10-11T21:28:05Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > There’s a street in Midtown Atlanta, a fairly important artery, that is a shibboleth for Atlanta residence. It’s named after the 16th century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, but calling it “_Pon-say de Lay-on_ Avenue” marks you as a tourist. It’s “_Ponce duh LEE-on_”, or even just “_Ponce_”. Most Americans would pronounce it the latter way. Not sure why you’d think tourists would try to pronounce it using “correct Spanish”. Almost all the Spanish city names in CA, where I live, are Angiicised. And there are hundreds of them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/55 "2015-10-11T21:33:23Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Almost all the Spanish city names in CA, where I live, are Angiicised. And there are hundreds of them. On the other hand, there’s La Jolla and Cabrillo Beach; not to mention street names like La Cienega and Cahuenga. And the Spanish ‘Spanish-ized’ some names such as the indigenous _wene me_ to Hueneme – whose pronunciation was anglicised. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/56 "2015-10-11T21:33:39Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Apartheid - should be pronounced _apart-hade_, not _apar-thide_. No. It should be pronounced _apart-ha **t** e_ (even though it’s _all-hate_). Terminal D in Afrikaans is much better approximated with an English T than an English D. And be sure to roll that r. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/57 "2015-10-11T21:42:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > When did this get given up on? I’ve never in my life heard anyone say “that’s not my fort” instead of “that’s not my fortay.” Not ever. And every single person who said “fortay” was wrong. Apparently they all gave up on doing it right. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/58 "2015-10-11T21:46:44Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > … > Apartheid - should be pronounced _apart-hade_, not _apar-thide_. > … Don’t think I’ve ever heard it mispronounced “apar-thide”. I have heard “apar-tide” from people you’d expect to know better. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/59 "2015-10-11T22:26:50Z")
FB player Joe Theisman used to go by “Theesman.” Rumor has it he changed to rhyme with the Heisman trophy. (which he wanted but did not win) ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/60 "2015-10-11T22:39:31Z")
[Theisen’s](http://www.theisens.com/) … local farm/Ag store. What I grew up calling it and the local commercials call it is different than what my 3rd older sister calls it. I say “Tiesans” she says “Theesans”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246.md?page=4)