# Damn my speech imediment! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 7, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864 "2003-11-07T11:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/1 "2003-11-07T11:37:11Z")
I have a slight lisp, ok? It’s rarely a problem, I just struggle a bit with words with “th” and “sh” sounds in them (interesting experience once when I was cast as Titania and had to say the name “Theseus” a lot, but anyway…). So earlier today I’m having an argument with a co-worker over the correct way to pronounce oregano - o-REG-ano or ore-GA-no. This goes on for some time until I finally snap: “For God’s sake it’s ore-GA-no! Don’t start with me, you psuedo yank!”. Except I can’t _say_ “psuedo yank” and end up stumbling over it several times before being forced to settle for “fake American”. Which doesn’t sound nearly as good, got me laughed at by everyone and kind of negates my ability to argue about the pronunciation of - well, just about anything ever again! Damn my speech imediment! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/2 "2003-11-07T11:44:51Z")
Have you ever gone to speech lessons? When I was a kid I had a slight lisp. To compensate I turned it into a “sh” sound (didn’t want to get bullied for being effeminate). A year of saying “swan swam over the sea, swim swan swim, swan swam back again, well swum swan” got me round to a proper “s”. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/3 "2003-11-07T11:49:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > **… I turned it into a “sh” sound (didn’t want to get bullied for being effeminate)…** Aha! Sho your shecret ish out, Mishter Connery! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/4 "2003-11-07T11:58:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crusoe \* > \*\*Aha! Sho your shecret ish out, Mishter Connery! \*\* And you’re a shite for shore eyesh. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/5 "2003-11-07T12:12:40Z")
My doc wanted to send me to a speech therapist when I was a kid, but my mum didn’t think it was necessary as it’s not really severe and she though it was endearing. I don’t really mind it either, most people think it’s quite sweet - it’s just in situations like the one in the OP that it becomes so bloody annoying! And stop hi-jacking my thread to do Bond impressions! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/6 "2003-11-07T12:22:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jennyrosity \* > \*\*And stop hi-jacking my thread to do Bond impressions! 😉 \*\* Shorry, Mish Jennyroshity. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/7 "2003-11-07T12:44:42Z")
I sssometimes ssstutter on my 's’s and it’s annoying because it’s ssuch a common letter. Ssshite. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/8 "2003-11-07T12:58:47Z")
Miss, Miss, the mean boys are picking on me! ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/9 "2003-11-07T13:00:44Z")
Or should that be “Mish, Mish”? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/10 "2003-11-07T13:02:31Z")
Wouldn’t you say “Myth, myth”? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/11 "2003-11-07T13:03:34Z")
Oh, and you’re a Geordie too, so it’d be “Myth, myth, ya weah hinny, hadaway and shite”. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/12 "2003-11-07T13:10:23Z")
I warn you, I may cry… ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/13 "2003-11-07T13:14:27Z")
Aw **Jenny** , that sucks that you couldn’t call someone a name properly. 😃 Don’t get upset. We tease because we love ya. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/14 "2003-11-07T13:53:47Z")
But it IS pronounced oh-REG-uh-no… -Psuedo Yank (wait a minute–I’m a real Yank!) ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/15 "2003-11-07T14:22:19Z")
Didn’t Marge Simpson pronounce it ore-GAH-no in one episode, and that was the whole joke? Implying she was such a bland cook she was unfamiliar with one of the most common spices? Uh oh, Jenny… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/16 "2003-11-07T14:45:59Z")
Listen, you lot across the pond can pronounce it anyway you like, but my co-worker is English and as such her Americanisms irritate me beyond me belief. Christ, she spends 2 weeks in Texas and comes back thinking she’s Annie-bloody-Oakley, complete with cowboy boots and fake sheriff badge! Hu-rumph. Bloody colonies. (I have no idea, btw, if Annie Oakley actually was from Texas. Nor do I really care.) ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/17 "2003-11-07T14:49:24Z")
your speech imediment? twice? reminds me of the joke: what’s an italian with a broken arm? An Italian with a speech impediment. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/18 "2003-11-07T14:52:55Z")
FINE!!! Take the piss then! Just 'cos I not only have a speech imPediment (nit-picking bastard) but also previously undiagnosed dyslexia!!! ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/19 "2003-11-07T14:57:03Z")
I was going to point it out earlier but I was afraid of getting whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864/20 "2003-11-07T15:15:30Z")
well, you know what they say: feck em if they can’t take a joke. all meant in good humour, mind you. And besides, Jennyrosity, if you didn’t want us to take the piss, then why did you post the OP as you did? You could’ve just asked for the correct pronounciation of oregano. BTW, the pronounciation differs from language to language. it’s spelled the same in Dutch, and the correct way of pronouncing it in Dutch would be oreGAno. In English, I believe it’s oREgano. oh, and that would be nit-picking bitch. Not bastard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-my-speech-imediment/211864.md?page=2)