Why? Because little things niggle at me constantly.
I just heard someone emphatically say "a fine tooth-comb". Never managed to buy one of those. Are they anything like "a fine-tooth comb?" And is there such a thing as a fine comb without teeth?
Almost immediately an announcer used the word "vilence". I'd love to know what that means. Maybe it has something to do with being vile. I do know it makes me feel...violent.
Then, when the newscasters talk about The Golf, I imagine grown men hitting a small ball round a green. If they mean The Gulf, why on earth don't they say so?
I know I could do better. Why won't they let me?
LOL Mispronunciations piss me off too. When "The Scream" painting was stolen, the TV anchor actually pronounced Edvard Munch as "Edward Munch", and not Ed-vard Moonk. It annoyed me soooo much I sent an email to KING-5, taking her to task for not knowing how to pronounce the artist's name.
ReplyDeleteThis morning heard a top current affairs broadcaster say "rooves", had to shout at the radio, "the plural of roof is roofs"!
ReplyDeleteGood post Val. My blooper? When I met Samuel, who by the way is an English master - it runs in his blood. Both his parents were impeccable as far as ANYTHING English went. Unbeknownst to me I had been mispronouncing windowsill and avenue my entire life - windowseal and avenoon. Ha! Go figure. Cheers!!
ReplyDeleteAvenoon is a new one on me, BBG, but I've heard windowseal before. Also windowscreen instead of windscreen. I'm getting rather fed up with the mixing up of wander and wonder. There's a property programme on TV where the presenter regularly tells people to "have a wonder round". Why someone doesn't tell them is beyond me!
ReplyDeleteI SO agree with you all! Hubby and I are always yelling at the screen correcting everyone's grammar and pronunciation!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I am a misprouncing word machine. Mostly because I have a mismash of regional accents to contend with, especially that New York accent. For instance, I do not pronounce the "H" at the begining of words--Humor becomes Yuma and Hugh becomes Yugh. Although I have not picked up the Baltimore word "doug" which for everyone else is pronounced dog.
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