Irregardless, Grammar is our Friend

[snacktastic]

Some of the mispronuciations are actually just regionalisms. I mean, I grew up saying "warshing machine", "Chicargo" and still struggle not pronoucing "rural" as "rule." It's not like I am physically or intellectually incapable of saying it correctly, it's just that I have grown up hearing such overpronounced r's and feel the temptation to add them where they didn't exist before.

It's an accent. And darnit all, I know how to spell "asterisk" but to pronounce it that way is entirely unnatural.

So, I hope this doesn't turn into the "Standard English is the superior and only standard that we follow" thread.

[pepper67]

I don't think it will, Snacktastic. Accents are great!

And isn't Chicago pronounced "Chi-cargo"? That's how I've always heard it.

Ooh, and you guys can (hopefully) settle this for me. I have a friend who insists that "Venice Beach" is pronounced "Ve-nICE", whereas I've always assumed that it's pronounced like the place in Italy. Anyone?

[dwanollah]

Ooh, and you guys can (hopefully) settle this for me. I have a friend who insists that "Venice Beach" is pronounced "Ve-nICE", whereas I've always assumed that it's pronounced like the place in Italy. Anyone?

I live here in LA. I've NEVER heard anyone pronouce it Ve-nICE, and would laugh if I did. It's Venice, like Venice in Italy.

Tell your friend to be sure to hang out at RO-dee-o Drive next time s/he's here.

[pepper67]

Thanks, Dwanollah! I knew I was right.

[quepasa]

The mispronunciation that irks me the most is "excape" instead of "escape." There is no x in that word, people!

[mansonlamps]

How can we expect people not to say nu-cu-lar when our very learned president says it in nearly every speech he makes? I'm sure he hires a re-la-tor when he wants to sell his house, too.

[vacationland]

"Re-la-tor"? I actually knew a realtor who pronounced it that way...but I don't know any noo-cue-lar physicists, thank heavens!

RE: "buses" vs. "busses," PinkDog, no kidding? See, that's what I get for treating AP style as gospel! Guess it's an editor vs. teacher thing...but you're right, I just looked it up, and apparently "busses," though not the preferred plural and not in common usage, is not entirely incorrect. Who knew?

Another one that makes me crazy: "would of" instead of "would have." "He would of been there but he was delayed." Aiiiiieeeeeee.....

[coneycat]

JenniPoo said:

I am in an email war right now with a friend who says it's not waiting with bated breath, but with baited breath. I'm sorry, but my breath does NOT smell like fish chum.

Which reminds me of the joke about the cat who ate the cheese and sat by the mousehole with...

Carry on.

Oops--also,

I find misuse of apostrophes frustrating, especially in things like 'the 80's', which people do all the time.

--that's a frequently accepted use of the apostrophe: to pluralize groups of letters (CD's) or numbers (1990's). I'm not saying universally accepted, but I have seen it in usage manuals, unlike the always-incorrect "dog's" for "dogs."

[Deleted]

This is not grammar-related but it made me shake my head just the same. I was surfing and chanced upon The Weakest Link with the English dominatrix. Her question was something like, "in audio science, what do the initials dB stand for" and the answer given was "dark blue."

I'm off to listen to some Deep Purple now.

[coneycat]

Not really grammar, but this one always amuses me: references to "assless chaps." Chaps are always assless. If they had an ass, they'd be trousers. I don't understand the need for the modifier.

Of course, I didn't understand the penchant of LA hair bands of the 1980s for wearing them over a g-string instead of jeans, either.