Is it wrong that I read foy-eh in a Boston accent? I live in Australian, so there is any number of words being pronounced incorrectly. Being some sort of go between for slang from the UK and the US means that we get the worst of both worlds.IndomitableSam said:
In English, 'foy-er' is actually the correct pronunciation (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foyer). Borrowed words aren't just words of one language that speakers of another happen to be using; they change and develop differently to suit their new linguistic environment. In other words, an English-speaker saying 'foy-er' isn't mispronouncing the French 'foy-eh', they are using an English word which is based on a French word (which the French used to spell differently, and which is based on a Latin word, so you'd better start saying 'focarium' if you want to act all high and mighty).IndomitableSam said:
Yeah but French, Spanish, Italian etc, are all romance languages, as opposed to English, Dutch, German etc, which are germanic languages. Sure if you trace it all the way back to latin we have similarities, but all in all the languages themselves still quite different. It's not like they're neighbours or anything, we share a couple of words, even the French ones that the Normans brought over were mangled quite sufficiently by the old english speaking Saxons.IndomitableSam said:If you can speak English, you can speak French. Both are from the same root language, anyway. Spanish, Italian, and a couple dozen other languages. All similar. I don't know more than a word or two of Spanish or Italian, but I can guess at how they're supposed to be pronounced. I also haven't taken French since about the 8th grade, but I can still pronounce some words properly.T0ad 0f Truth said:IndomitableSam said:Yeah but Foy-eh and aluminium sound stupidDevetta said:
How does foy-er sound better than foih-eh? It sounds like someone from Boston saying "Fire". It's a french word for entry room. If you can't say it properly, call it an entrance room. Or something.
IndomitableSam said:If you can speak English, you can speak French. Both are from the same root language, anyway. Spanish, Italian, and a couple dozen other languages. All similar. I don't know more than a word or two of Spanish or Italian, but I can guess at how they're supposed to be pronounced. I also haven't taken French since about the 8th grade, but I can still pronounce some words properly.T0ad 0f Truth said:IndomitableSam said:Yeah but Foy-eh and aluminium sound stupidDevetta said:
How does foy-er sound better than foih-eh? It sounds like someone from Boston saying "Fire". It's a french word for entry room. If you can't say it properly, call it an entrance room. Or something.
Holy crap! I've been out-nitpicked! And out-pedanted! All in a single shot!SckizoBoy said:
Unless you're from the Caribbean, that's how you pronounce "herb".Eclipse Dragon said:
Funny thing, that... we also spell it wrong. I say it that way because it's been spelled aluminum my entire life, in chemistry classes, metal shops, even in the military where I dabbled in shaping aircraft aluminum. The first time I heard "aluminium" pronounced (I believe I was 17 or 18... some time around the turn of the millennium), my gut reaction was "Why the fuck did you add another i? Are you stupid?"Devetta said:
My roommate does that all the time! I have started throwing whatever object is handy at him to get him to pronounce it correctly.an annoyed writer said:
What's that meant to be? Or is it every instance of '-ness'?Thyunda said:
Here's some bonus brainbreaking: "lol" is the Dutch word for "fun". We actually use that word and have used it for a lot onger then the internet (or text speak) has been around (pronounced similarly to lawl, but with a shorter "o" sound, like in "of").loc978 said:
Surprise me, if you can see me coming. I'd advise you up the ante at least a little bit though. You fail to represent a good challenge from what you've presented thus far. Get a Metal Gear or something.Atomic Spy Crab said:I'll give you the same choice you gave me, which gun do you want me to shoot you with?an annoyed writer said:Congratulations. You just bumped yourself up a notch in my queue of important things to Murder, immolate, annihilate, eviscerate, destroy, and/or kill. You're now slightly more important than the mutant rodents downstairs. I hope that makes you happy.Atomic Spy Crab said:I await your arrival, be aware though I have my 3 50cal mounted turrents and daedric artifacts.an annoyed writer said:Gotcha. I'll be there whenever I feel like it.Atomic Spy Crab said:The scimitaran annoyed writer said:Okay, so which kind of sword do you want me to use? Pick one:Atomic Spy Crab said:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L1vQH-KJXJE/S-k2QPm-2UI/AAAAAAAAAzw/tqipFjZuN7k/s1600/MarauderGuns_labeled.jpg
Really? I pronounce it the same way. Probably a regional thing, his pronunciation would be considered a correct variation where I live in England anyway.Jasper van Heycop said:
Believe most languages/dialects are wrong. In Swedish we say Zeus like Sävs(sounds as stupid as it looks). The ancient Greek way was Zeús.APLovecraft said:
Smallells said:
Tropicaz said:
Well then... good to know I got it right the first time.SL33TBL1ND said:
