# Supposably - have mispronounced words become standard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875 "2015-02-17T00:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**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 7, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/301 "2015-11-07T13:21:43Z")
> [@eulalia](#): > > I think maybe we use thee before a vowel so we don’t have to make a stop there. The phrases would come out almost as the yelephant stomp and the yannual elephant dance. If you pronounce the with the schwa sound you have to stop, or maybe call it the helephant stomp. Yes, that’s what I meant when I was talking about elision or “gliding” into the next word upthread. **Wallaby** mentions it as well, characterizing it as a mispronunciation and being lazy, which I disagree with. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/302 "2015-11-08T03:59:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Affected? What’s that mean? “Thuh” is always “thee” when preceded by a vowel, no? Sell “thuh” slaves. Free “thee” slaves. Hmmm… Break “thuh” law. Obey “thee” law. No. ---
**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 8, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/303 "2015-11-08T04:29:13Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Sell “thuh” slaves. > Free “thee” slaves. > > Hmmm… > > Break “thuh” law. > Obey “thee” law. > > No. Well, that’s not how I would pronounce those. It’d be “thuh” in all cases for me. ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/304 "2015-11-08T14:28:18Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Moot / Mute - Americans seem to use mute more than moot. Moot of course is the correct word. You occasionally hear people outside of the US say “mute point” instead of “moot point”. It’s kind of funny. An American thinks “moot” is “mute”, as they’re homophones in that accent, and so writes “mute point” in a forum post read by people outside the US who, having never heard the phrase before, now pronounce it “mewt point”. In other words, they managed to change the pronunciation without ever actually pronouncing it differently. > [@Keeve](#): > > A sign says: Apples “only” ten cents each I’m sorry, but can you please tell me what’s wrong with this? ---
**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 8, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/305 "2015-11-08T14:37:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, that’s not how I would pronounce those. It’d be “thuh” in all cases for me. Oh, wait. Did I get whooshed or misunderstand. You were pointing out that the quoted poster wrote “preceded by a vowel” instead of “when it precedes a vowel sound,” weren’t you? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/306 "2015-11-08T15:06:30Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > You occasionally hear people outside of the US say “mute point” instead of “moot point”. It’s kind of funny. An American thinks “moot” is “mute”, as they’re homophones in that accent, and so writes “mute point” in a forum post read by people outside the US who, having never heard the phrase before, now pronounce it “mewt point”. I am an American – a Memphian, to be specific – and “moot” & “mute” are not homophonous to me. The former is /mu:t/, the latter /mju:t/. It’s true that for many Americans /ju:/ and /u:/ have merged, but not when there is a minimal pair worth distinguishing, and people who know the word “moot” make that distinction. ---
**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 8, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/307 "2015-11-08T15:46:15Z")
Yeah, “moot” and “mute” are not homophonous to me. Nor apparently Ricky Springfield (see: Jesse’s Girl.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/308 "2015-11-08T21:21:23Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > I’m sorry, but can you please tell me what’s wrong with this? Useless quote marks. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/309 "2015-11-08T22:30:50Z")
It is funny going through all these hangups people have and wondering “who cares? Let em say it how they want.” Then you come to one of the ones that is like an ice pick in the brain to you. 😉 People who say greeze, like in Bacon greeze, should be fried in it. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/310 "2015-11-09T03:43:48Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > I’m sorry, but can you please tell me what’s wrong with this? The quotes were in the original. It is still not proper to use quotes for emphasis. Using them in that context comes off as verbal irony–saying the opposite of what you actually mean. In the cited example, it’s not that big a deal, as _only_ isn’t absolutely necessary. But imagine it said _Apples only “10” cents_. That would imply they really cost more. And I also learned the rule for “the” before vowels–in choral music class. It’s often important that everyone in the choir agrees on how a word is pronounced. I also find “thuh apple” harder to say. It comes out more like “thapple.” ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/311 "2015-11-09T06:44:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Useless quote marks. > [@BigT](#): > > The quotes were in the original. It is still not proper to use quotes for emphasis. Using them in that context comes off as verbal irony–saying the opposite of what you actually mean. Ah, I see. And, looking back, I see how condescending my question looks… ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/312 "2015-11-09T10:12:28Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > It is funny going through all these hangups people have and wondering “who cares? Let em say it how they want.” Then you come to one of the ones that is like an ice pick in the brain to you. 😉 > **People who say greeze, like in Bacon greeze, should be fried in it.** That’s sometimes heard in the UK also; and the associated adjective, which these offenders pronounce “greezy”. Makes me want to scream, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/313 "2015-11-10T13:49:43Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > And of course you guys insist on using ‘al oo min um’ instead of ‘al u min yum’. I mean - it’s spelled - ALUMINIUM not ALUMINUM. Nope, depending on which country you’re in, but either spelling or pronounciation is acceptable. In fact, in “aluminum” was the name given by the chemist who first isolated the metal and in North America it is the standard English spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/314 "2015-11-10T14:53:05Z")
LOL, I just remembered a roommate that used to say “pro-nunk- shoo- ey- shen”. No matter how I tried to convince her, she was adamant that “being of English descent” she spoke the proper English of her parents and teachers. Even more entertaining was that she couldn’t figure out why we found it so hilarious that she was pronouncing “pronunciation” wrong. So I asked her to write it down and then realized how clueless she was… PRONUNCTUATION ---
**Author:** ![SimonMoon5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SimonMoon5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SimonMoon5)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/315 "2015-11-10T17:19:43Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Here’s a question that has been on my mind for a while, and I think this is the perfect thread to raise it in. Consider some examples of non-standardness: > [ul] > [li]Someone says to me: Can I aks you a question?[/li][li]Someone writes: I went too the store.[/li][li]A sign says: Apples “only” ten cents each[/li][/ul] > Exactly WHY do these bother me so much? I’d be more upset by a sign that said: Apples only 0.10 cents each. And I see such things all the time. But as far as mistakes becoming common, I have no doubt that in the future, “Should of” will have overtaken “Should have”. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/316 "2015-11-10T18:05:13Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > And of course you guys insist on using ‘al oo min um’ instead of ‘al u min yum’. I mean - it’s spelled - ALUMINIUM not ALUMINUM. Yeah, well, um, you guys drive on the wrong side of the road! Yeah, that’s it! ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/317 "2015-11-10T20:57:23Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > LOL, I just remembered a roommate that used to say “pro-nunk- shoo- ey- shen”. > No matter how I tried to convince her, she was adamant that “being of English descent” she spoke the proper English of her parents and teachers. Even more entertaining was that she couldn’t figure out why we found it so hilarious that she was pronouncing “pronunciation” wrong. > So I asked her to write it down and then realized how clueless she was… > > PRONUNCTUATION A Lewis Carroll-type “portmanteau” word – hybrid of pronunciation and punctuation… ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/318 "2015-11-11T16:08:47Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > A Lewis Carroll-type “portmanteau” word – hybrid of pronunciation and punctuation… Sadly, that would involve more wit than she possessed, I think Shari Lewis was more her speed. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/319 "2015-11-11T22:15:32Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > That’s sometimes heard in the UK also; and the associated adjective, which these offenders pronounce “greezy”. Makes me want to scream, too. How about “greasy”? Voiced or unvoiced “s”? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/320 "2015-11-11T22:18:13Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > LOL, I just remembered a roommate that used to say “pro-nunk- shoo- ey- shen”. > No matter how I tried to convince her, she was adamant that “being of English descent” she spoke the proper English of her parents and teachers. Even more entertaining was that she couldn’t figure out why we found it so hilarious that she was pronouncing “pronunciation” wrong. > So I asked her to write it down and then realized how clueless she was… > > PRONUNCTUATION “Pro nunc” (“c” pronounced as “k”) suggests a legal term. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875.md?page=17)