Words You Used to Pronounce The Way It's Spelled!

yogabird

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 8:46 pm

zaq wrote:

As a French speaker, you’re allowed. It’s when an English speaker says neesh that I cringe. It comes off utterly phony, like an American requesting the honOUr of your presence at the closing of colOUr war at the local community centRE.

We ‘murricans are plain honest folk who go for plain honest speech and plain honest spellin’ without any fancy foofaraw and flummetyspike like them hifalutin’ limeys and frenchies.

why does only niche sound phony and not all the other french words mentioned in this thread like chic, rendez vouz, pictureque, debris, entourage etc?

bigsis144

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:08 pm

yogabird wrote:

why does only niche sound phony and not all the other french words mentioned in this thread like chic, rendez vouz, pictureque, debris, entourage etc?

(Language warning: one brief “a**hole” to a guy who frankly deserves it)

yogabird

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:14 pm

bigsis144 wrote:

(Language warning: one brief “a**hole” to a guy who frankly deserves it)

lol.

For some reason names of foods seem a little different than regular everyday words that have officially made it into the english language. No?

youngishbear

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:14 pm

bigsis144 wrote:

(Language warning: one brief “a**hole” to a guy who frankly deserves it)

That was legit (pronounced le-jit, not leg-it) hilarious. LOL

zaq

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:16 pm

yogabird wrote:

why does only niche sound phony and not all the other french words mentioned in this thread like chic, rendez vouz, pictureque, debris, entourage etc?

Because neesh is NOT the accepted Anglo pronunciation and the others are. When you speak of a picturesk ahntoorahzh having a sheek rahndevoo near the 9/11 debris pile , you’re not speaking phony French but using correct American pronunciation. When you try to find your neesh and can’t because it’s an American and thinks it’s a nitch ( or an itch) you’ re using phony French. As in oo-la-la we should all be impressed she’s saying it the French way and not the way we ‘murrican peasants do. Comprenez vous?

yogabird

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:21 pm

zaq wrote:

https://www.google.com/search?.....UTF-8

the audio pronounces it nitch, but the written lists both as acceptable

I honestly didn't know that nitch was more acceptable.

sweetart

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:22 pm

zaq wrote:

Just wondering where you've gotten this from? I have heard it pronounced niche (neesh) all my life by some very educated, non Francophile, non snooty Americans. Frankly I think niche (nitch) sounds off/uneducated.

youngishbear

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:29 pm

Seashells wrote:

Vaayse or vahs?

Officially the first is American, and the second is British, though I do hear Americans saying it that way, too.

zaq

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 9:32 pm

bigsis144 wrote:

(Language warning: one brief “a**hole” to a guy who frankly deserves it)

I used to work with someone like that! She was what she sounded like, a girl from da Bronx, but when she talked art and opera, fine dining and wine, out came the acting lessons.

There’s a difference between pronunciation and accent, which consists of many more factors than just how you pronounce vowels.

You may have an ahntoorahzh and so you should, but if you force that N to climb up your nose so it almost disappears and turns into a G, and shove that R way back down your throat so it starts to morph into a Hebrew “chet”, you’re overdoing it.

MiracleMama

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 10:16 pm

Deep wrote:

Fort (the t is silent) is a masculine adjective. A strength would be "une force". For- tay is actually a legitimate English word derived from French.

Forte is only pronounced for-tay as a musical term. As in played with force.
Forte is supposed to be pronounced as a single syllable, fort, when meaning something you’re good at.

InnerMe

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 10:47 pm

zaq wrote:

I could tell you. You could PM Ruchel who could tell you with the proper French accSAHnt. But that would teach you nothing. Look it up yourself, and learn not just a word for today but a priceless skill for life. You know, give a man a fish...

Zaq! For all my ignorance this is not one!! I was saying how we'd used to argue in grade school.. genree? genra? And on and on and on.

InnerMe

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 10:50 pm

imasinger wrote:

New Orleans. Took me years to figure out that's the city people meant when they said "NAWlins."

Huh? Is that really how it's pronounced?! And not New Orleens?

InnerMe

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 10:54 pm

MagentaYenta wrote:

Are students even taught how to use the pronunciation symbols today? I recall my youngest grandson complaining to me about learning the symbols. Ha, no sympathy from me, nor from his mother. I did make sure he got a subscription to the OED online and a Websters unabridged for Chanukkah that year.

I vote them out. I never got them. Hated when we learnt it. Was like math and grammar mixed together to create a horrible confusing mix.

Let the new generation use those SMART dictionaries. There's so much smartness to go around. We've got all those stuff that are smart for us. Pity to waste time becoming smart. Not. Besides above... that I will leave to the generation's SMART gadgets.

zaq

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 10:58 pm

InnerMe wrote:

Huh? Is that really how it's pronounced?! And not New Orleens?

Noo OR lins to a Noo Yawkah, NAWlins to a Suthanah. New OrLeenz to nobody.

InnerMe

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 11:02 pm

zaq wrote:

Why do “ignorant armies clash by night “ when if they bothered to look the blessed words up in the dictionary—online if need be for those who don’t know how to use books—they would KNOW. Sheesh.

Oh Zaq, this thread seems pretty stressful for you. Eh? Got some extra strength ____ to get you through this thread?

And 3 points for you. I checked up that poem you quoted above, because it's a great expression that (cue the stress) I've never heard. Now THAT should make you feel better!

oliveoil

Sun, Nov 12 2017, 11:13 pm

Re niche, I have never heard anybody educated say "nitch". Only "neesh".

The only people I know who say "nitch" also regularly butcher the rest of their words.