The pronounciation of forte is rather unusual. Here’s the dictionary’s take on it:
Are there other words that could have the bolded bit in the quote apply?
In some senses, yes: “Gay Paree,” for example. The word’s origin would lead to the pronunciation of “Pair-ee’,” but English speakers, mangling the French, correctly pronounce it as “Pair’-iss.”
Or you could look at the word “child,” which was originally pluralized as “childer.” At some point English stopped using the “-er” ending to act as a plural, and so people interpreted the word “childer” to be singular and re-pluralized it as “children.” Now people don’t use “-ren” as a plural form, so some people don’t recognize “children” as plural and re-re-pluralize it: all God’s chilluns got the blues.
If you were to recognize the origin of the word “child,” you might pluralize it as “childer,” but only at the risk of people not understanding you.
This article provides some more information, as well as another example:
I’m not going to pronounce the first punctuation mark in this sentence as “Ah-pahs-STROFF.”
And it provides a useful final paragraph:
Daniel
This article has some other examples that might qualify.
Daniel
I resolve the situation by using Italian forte rather than French forte. One could argue that “forte” is English, so I’m wrong using either. But what my listeners don’t know is that I’m speaking the italics therefore using a foreign word rather than an English one derived from French.
Not exactly the same, but “Homage” may fit the bill.
Seems to me like it’s just a question of pronouncing words borrowed from other languages (often French). Sometimes French pronunciation is maintained (more often in Britain, I believe), and sometimes it isn’t.
This article seems to mix together disparate things indescriminately. In fact, upon review, several of the pages by Mark Israel do that. (E.g., confusing prepositions with phrasal verb paticles.)
As to the first point, I think you’re right (although as the article points out, in French it’d be fort, not forte–no reason for putting it in feminine form). We “correctly” ask for an oar durve, but “incorrectly” compliment the host on his oar durvez.
As to the second point (re: my second linked article), you’re also right–it just has a bunch of interesting examples, so I was throwing it out there for that.
Daniel
short-lived
Not one syllable vs. two like in your example, but the sound of the 'i".
I’d like to nominate the enigmatic “resume.” In the sense of that paper with you qualifications for a job spelled out and not in the sense of starting something again.
No way. Brits mangle French words so much it makes Americans look positively cosmopolitan. Listen to how they pronounce “garage” - they rhyme it with “carriage”!
Rodeo. It’s either ROAD-ee-oh, so all the people who go watch cowboys ride bulls are right, or road-AY-oh, so all those people with the fancy cars on Rodeo Drive are right. They can’t both be right.
Gaudere.
I can’t figure out whether you’re trying to wind me up or take the wind out of my sails.
Daniel
Most obvious example: victuals.
The word is correctly pronounced “vittles,” but that would probably get a you correction or laughs in most circles. (The OED has only the single pronunciation, BTW)
There is a class of words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation: the original word was pronounced one way, but, for some reason, the spelling had extra words and slowly an alternate pronunciation was added. Some of these include:
often (the “t” is properly silent; UK usage pronounces it)
comfortable (original pronunciation “comf-ter-bul” – three syllables, not four)
**kiln ** (technically, it’s pronunced “kill,” but the “n” has found its voice in common usage).
Forgot quay, pronounced “key”
Maybe I’m showing my southern hick ignorance more than anything else, but I’ve only heard this word pronounced “vittles.” I did happen to know that it’s spelled that way, I suspect most people who say that word don’t. Are there people who pronounce it “vic-tuals”?
Conduit, technically “correct” pronunciation, KAHN dit, typical pronunciation (even by knowledgeable speakers) KAHN doo it, or, more rarely, KAHN dwit.
Buoy, “correct” pronunciation, BOY, increasingly frequent pronunciation BOO ee.
Really? Childer was once a valid plural form of child? My grandma used to say that. I just thought it was the local dialect.
Jed Clampett.
Does cache qualify?
Properly pronounced the same as cash, popularly pronounced as “cashay.”