# Pronunciations which are legit but sound pretentious to outsiders **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939 "2018-11-03T18:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/161 "2018-11-06T23:04:57Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > It’s not pretentious to assume he’s French, just an error. I suppose. Though the couple of people I mentioned as having used the French pronunciation were would-be ‘theater people,’ so you’d think they’d have known enough about him to have known he doesn’t use a French pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/162 "2018-11-06T23:14:19Z")
Somewhat on the themes of anglicisation and pretentiousness, why isn’t British “garage” an exact rhyme for British “marriage”? My guess is that “garage” is sort of anglicised but not quite. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/163 "2018-11-06T23:30:18Z")
I seem to recall an organic chemistry teacher who pronounced “proteins,” not “PRO-teens” that you were supposed to eat with your carbohydrates, but “PRO-tee-ins” for the molecules made up of amino acids. Is that common or did I have a weirdo chem guru? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/164 "2018-11-06T23:35:35Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I seem to recall an organic chemistry teacher who pronounced “proteins,” not “PRO-teens” that you were supposed to eat with your carbohydrates, but “PRO-tee-ins” for the molecules made up of amino acids. Is that common or did I have a weirdo chem guru? Well, if you’re doing a poll, I’ve only ever her the two-syllable version. That said, I just looked on [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) and [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) and the three syllable versions is listed there, too, so apparently it is common enough. [Here it is with audio samples of both pronunciations.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protein) The second sounds really odd to me. If I heard that, I would think the word is “protean.” ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/165 "2018-11-06T23:53:29Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Somewhat on the themes of anglicisation and pretentiousness, why isn’t British “garage” an exact rhyme for British “marriage”? My guess is that “garage” is sort of anglicised but not quite. It often _is_ an exact rhyme for marriage. I - like many others - say “garridge” as opposed to “garrardge”. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/166 "2018-11-07T00:02:23Z")
I met one who unified “eye-o-deen” with morphine and chlorine, even though most say “eye-o-dyne”. Is that usual? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/167 "2018-11-07T00:03:26Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > It often _is_ an exact rhyme for marriage. I - like many others - say “garridge” as opposed to “garrardge”. Thank you - I never knew. ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/168 "2018-11-07T01:36:46Z")
Coup de grâce is almost always pronounced without the ‘s’ sound at the end - if you pronounce it corrently, people look at you as thought you’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/169 "2018-11-07T02:01:28Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > Coup de grâce is almost always pronounced without the ‘s’ sound at the end - if you pronounce it corrently, people look at you as thought you’re an idiot. Cite? I believe that it correctly ends in a strong S sound. (“Mercy stroke” vs “whack the fat” :)) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/170 "2018-11-07T02:06:48Z")
Maybe the origin is wrong though - maybe it should be “coude gras”, giving someone “the fat elbow”, just as you might give someone else the cold shoulder. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/171 "2018-11-07T02:25:50Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Cite? I believe that it correctly ends in a strong S sound. > > (“Mercy stroke” vs “whack the fat” :)) That’s what I meant 🙂 If you pronounce it (correctly) with an ‘s’ sound at the end, people think you’re saying it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/172 "2018-11-07T02:34:21Z")
“Linjeree” or “lawnzheree” is closer to the original French term “lingerie” than the more common variant “lawnzher-AY”. Similarly, the cosmetics manufacturer Lancôme is correctly pronounced “Lon-comb” but more frequently assumed to be “Lon-comAY”. (Come to think of it, I’m not sure the more correct pronunciation in either case is perceived as “pretentious”, just “wrong”.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/173 "2018-11-07T06:30:49Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > It often _is_ an exact rhyme for marriage. I - like many others - say “garridge” as opposed to “garrardge”. So do I, as does my wife and all of our families (apart from our two children) ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/174 "2018-11-07T07:39:02Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I met one who unified “eye-o-deen” with morphine and chlorine, even though most say “eye-o-dyne”. Is that usual? Certainly wouldn’t raise any eyebrows in the UK. The “dyne” variant is less usual here. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/175 "2018-11-07T07:52:12Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > “Linjeree” or “lawnzheree” is closer to the original French term “lingerie” than the more common variant “lawnzher-AY”. Similarly, the cosmetics manufacturer Lancôme is correctly pronounced “Lon-comb” but more frequently assumed to be “Lon-comAY”. > > (Come to think of it, I’m not sure the more correct pronunciation in either case is perceived as “pretentious”, just “wrong”.) It’s this sort of thing which started me going with the thread though. “lawnzherie” and “lon-comb” (or thereabouts) are the norm in the UK, so the extra bits of flourish in the US pronunciation have the appearance of needlessly over-fancying and/or not getting it. Whether they were historically born of that or not doesn’t really matter - they’re standard now - but they have that appearance to a non-US listener. I’m sure there are examples which work that way in the opposite direction though, but which I don’t hear because they’re normal to me. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/176 "2018-11-07T08:48:47Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > My impression is that it depends on whether the person knows French pronunciation. So, BOOK-et or boo -KAY, BUFF-et or byew-FAY, etc. Well, it’s spelt ‘Bucket’, but pronounced "boo-KAY’. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/177 "2018-11-07T14:01:04Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Somewhat on the themes of anglicisation and pretentiousness, why isn’t British “garage” an exact rhyme for British “marriage”? My guess is that “garage” is sort of anglicised but not quite. Confused. To me it does sound the same. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/178 "2018-11-07T14:42:15Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Confused. To me it does sound the same. There are those who say “GARRarzh” rather than “GARRidge”. ---
**Author:** ![mundylion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundylion/32/3604_2.png) [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/179 "2018-11-07T22:06:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > …Similarly, the cosmetics manufacturer Lancôme is correctly pronounced “Lon-comb” but more frequently assumed to be “Lon-comAY”. ) i have never heard lancome pronounced with an “ay” ending here in the midwest. But I do recall, long ago, a young lady ask me what I thought of the then newly popular scent Estay Lawday. she was quite young. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939/180 "2018-11-07T22:49:51Z")
> [@mundylion](#): > > i have never heard lancome pronounced with an “ay” ending here in the midwest. But I do recall, long ago, a young lady ask me what I thought of the then newly popular scent Estay Lawday. she was quite young. I think we stray into slightly different territory there with that level of wrongness but it does remind me of a game of Trivial Pursuit with some friends many many years ago. The answer to a question on the subject of airlines had us stumped, when we asked for the correct airline name answer to be read out we received the baffling response… “eee one ay one” cue furrowed brows for a little while until realisation dawned… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciations-which-are-legit-but-sound-pretentious-to-outsiders/823939.md?page=10)