# "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:** 5
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/81 "2015-10-12T00:58:22Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > People in San Jose would disagree with you. Would they? I have never heard “San Hosé,” only “San Hozay,” with a very un-Spanish /z/ in the middle and a diphthong at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/82 "2015-10-12T01:01:19Z")
I’ve noticed BBC shows where they call the city in Missouri “Saint Loowie,” as they’d also call it’s French namesake. ---
**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 12, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/83 "2015-10-12T01:09:01Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I’ve noticed BBC shows where they call the city in Missouri “Saint Loowie,” as they’d also call it’s French namesake. Would they preface it by saying “So long, screwy!”? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/84 "2015-10-12T01:42:42Z")
“Dour” to rhyme with “flower”. Drives me nuts, worse than “less” instead of “fewer”. > [@WordMan](#): > > Forte as “strength” would typically be pronounced “Fort” from the French, not “For-TAY” like the Italian. Thank you > [@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. I never pronounce it like the Italian in this usage. > [@magnusblitz](#): > > In sports (and video games), I usually hear “DEE-fense” when it’s used as a noun (“c’mon, defense!”) and “d’-FENSE” when it’s used as a verb (“pass defensed by so-and-so”). When did people start using “defense” as a verb? What’s wrong with “defend”? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/85 "2015-10-12T01:46:45Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > But I grew up with (and still hear occasionally): > AD-ee-das > soo-BAH-roo > > These sound more right to my ears. So did I. I recently bought a Subaru and took great pleasure in continually referring to it as a su-BAH-roo, much to the disgust of my Australian partner (“if you’re going to buy one you could at least learn how to say it properly!”). I did a little bit of research to see who was right and it seems that the Japanese don’t put any stress on any of the syllables, or they’re all stressed equally, so both pronunciations are “wrong” though the Australian SOO-bah-roo is probably closer to the Japanese than the New Zealand su-BAH-roo. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/86 "2015-10-12T02:03:04Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Nope. The correct pronunciation is the one that the people whom you’re speaking to are familiar with. > > Julius Caesar probably pronounced his name like Yooleeoos Kighsahr. Do you pronounce it that way? No, but he and I aren’t speaking the same language. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/87 "2015-10-12T02:23:17Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No, but he and I aren’t speaking the same language. Whether you are or aren’t speaking the “same language” as someone is often a blurry line. Dialects are pretty much the same as languages. And in my dialect, “Oregon” is pronounced “OreGONE” nor “oRIGGin” and “Nevada” is pronounced “neVAHda” not “neVADDa.” (And, you know what, the people who pronounce those my way far outnumber the ones who pronounce it the local way.) These are exonyms, the same way that “Germany” is our exonym for “Deutschland,” and they’re perfectly correct, including “MELL-BORN” for “Melbourne.” To say “mel-BINN,” I have to adopt an Australian accent, and I’m not going to do that in ordinary speech. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/88 "2015-10-12T02:25:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > 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.’ And baseball player [Joe Genewich](http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Joe_Genewich) changed his from Genevicz so his teammates could pronounce his name properly. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/89 "2015-10-12T02:25:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Dialects are pretty much the same as languages. No. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/90 "2015-10-12T02:28:47Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No. Actually, yes, they are. In actual linguistics, there is no sharp distinction between languages and dialects. A “language” is a rough stacking of dialects defined more by politics, social convention, and accidents of history than by anything intrinsic to language itself. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/91 "2015-10-12T02:58:43Z")
> [@](#): > > in my dialect, “Oregon” is pronounced “OreGONE” nor “oRIGGin” Who pronounces it “oRIGGin”? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/92 "2015-10-12T03:04:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Who pronounces it “oRIGGin”? That was probably meant to be “ORigin”? Maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/93 "2015-10-12T03:09:18Z")
Neither of which is a common pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![wombattver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b77776/32.png) [@wombattver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wombattver)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/94 "2015-10-12T03:42:54Z")
There’s a town near Pittsburgh, PA which is called North Versailles. ver-SAYLES. Yep. ---
**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 12, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/95 "2015-10-12T03:49:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And in my dialect, “Oregon” is pronounced “OreGONE” nor “oRIGGin” and “Nevada” is pronounced “neVAHda” not “neVADDa.” (And, you know what, the people who pronounce those my way far outnumber the ones who pronounce it the local way.) Well, I’m not a local to either of those states, but I’m a native of their coastal neighbouring state. OR-e-gun. ne-VADD-a. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/96 "2015-10-12T09:02:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The German bakery manufacturer, Bimbo, is trying to convince Americans to pronounce their name “beem-bo.” > > It ain’t gonna work. Everyone I know who consumes Bimbo products is a native Spanish speaker anyway, so it’s not like it really matters. The only time I hear /bImbo/ is when they talk about it on the financial news. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/97 "2015-10-12T10:43:36Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To say “mel-BINN,” I have to adopt an Australian accent, and I’m not going to do that in ordinary speech. Just say MEL-burn. Nobody will complain about that. We’re not complaining about the R sound, it’s the O sound that’s wrong. -Burn = okay, -Born = wrong. See also: Gisbourne. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/98 "2015-10-12T10:49:28Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Neither of which is a common pronunciation. Yes, it is. OR-e-gun and ORigin are the same pronunciation. I bet you were thrown off by the g, but no one uses the g to mean the j sound when giving pronunciations. And, no, I don’t give a shit about using IPA. Due to a lot of bullshit with diaphonemes, I’m kinda down on IPA for describing English phonemes. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/99 "2015-10-12T11:01:42Z")
I recall reading the former MLB player John Kruk’s last name is properly pronounced “crook,” and John finally gave up the fight and just started pronouncing his name they way everyone else incorrectly did. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246/100 "2015-10-12T11:15:19Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > How do you pronounce it? I would’a sworn we pronounced the first syllable like bimbo as in girl, but maybe I just can’t hear the difference. > > There’s quite a few Spanish lastnames which are more likely to be spelled with a B if in non-Spanish-speaking countries, with a V in Spanish-speaking ones. Makes sense by the rule of “I just want people to say it right” or by that of people not asking “how do you spell that?” In most Spanish dialects, the two letters correspond to the /b/ sound. Bimbo is pronounced in Mexican Spanish as Beem-bo. I’m not sure how you mean “as in girl”… Do you mean literally girl or niña? The second has that sound. The main issue here in the US is that Bimbo - pronounced bim-boh, is what you’d call a pretty but stupid woman, especially one with loose morals. Because of that, the name gets snickered at. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-pronounciations-that-people-have-given-up-on/734246.md?page=6)