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How to pronounce Spanish rr in combination with other consonants?

iamsuper — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:06:57 -0800

Looking for help prouncing the RR sound in words such as sonrisa, alrededor, las rosas I am capable of pronouncing the RR sound in words such as rosa, perro, but when it comes next to other consonants I don't know what to do with my tongue and end up getting muddled. I feel like I know how it SHOULD sound, from listening to Spanish speakers, but my mouth just doesn't want to play. My pronunciation of alrededor is more like alerrededor, and my pronunciation of sonrisa is son.....rrisa. Does anybody have any tips? Websites, resources? Thanks :)

Why is Ob/Gyn pronounced Oh-bee/Gee-why-en?

brevator — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:19:50 -0800

In the US, in my experience, the medical specialties of obstetrics and gynecology are commonly referred to as "Oh-bee/gee-why-en." Does anyone know why? Why not simply pronounce it "obb- gyne" (the first syllables of the two words)? We don't call cardiology "see-ae-arr-dee, " or neurology as "en-eee-you-arr-oh" so why is Ob/gyn special? I sense something sexist about it, but I can't put my finger on it. Thanks to anyone who can answer my silly question.

Tiny changes in sentences that create huge changes in meaning

frimble — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:22:36 -0800

What are very small changes in the sound of a sentence which completely alter the meaning? As an example, yesterday, I said that my new cat "hat angst von vögeln". I meant to say, "hat angst von vögel", "is afraid of birds", but instead said, with admittedly poor grammar, that he "is afraid of fucking".

What I'm curious about are other sentences where a single small change like that, one easy difference in sounds, completely alters what is being said.

Regional pronunciation of the word "realtor" with added vowel

tarheelcoxn — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:25:27 -0800

A coworker asserts that there is a regional prevalence to the pronunciation of the word "realtor" by adding a vowel between the l and the t, and I want to know more about that pronunciation. Wiktionary lists various pronunciations for realtor:

(US) IPA: /ˈril.tɚ/, /ˈriəl.tɚ/, /ˈriəl.tɔɹ/, /ˈɹiləɾɚ/
Pronunciation /ˈɹiləɾɚ/ is usually considered incorrect.

Is there a particular region of the USA where that final pronunciation is more prevalent? Is there research into this type of change (additional vowel) that could tell me more about it?

A coworker and I were discussing the fact that some people, notably more than one former president, pronounce the word "nuclear" by adding an extra vowel. We also noted that this variant seems to be regional, or at least there is a public perception that it is regional. This coworker posited that there is a different regional pronunciation that people don't generally mention as a regionalism: realtor. It's written on my whiteboard as "reel-i-tor" now, but the wiktionary entry doesn't quite match that. My main question is whether or not people think there is a region of the USA where this variant of realtor is more prevalent, and if people here agree on what that region is. A secondary question is why some words (notably nuclear and realtor) end up with added vowels when spoken by some subset of the public in the good old US of A. Pointers to open access journal articles would be fantastic, with gated articles or blog posts by academics in relevant subfields of linguistics close behind.

To sum up and restate, there are two questions here:

Do certain words end up with added vowels on a regional basis? If so, what region is associated with adding a vowel to the word realtor?

By what mechanism(s) do we get more vowels in words like realtor and nuclear?

As an aside, writing this question both without naming regions or coming off as prescriptivist was intentional.

Trope like Opie?

war wrath of wraith — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:12:13 -0800

Has the word "trope" ever been pronounced to rhyme with "Opie"? This might be mildly crazy, but I had this notion that the word "trope" was always pronounced "tropie" - can't possibly say why. I was listening to NPR and kept hearing "trope" like "hope" and it bothered me to no end, so I looked it up on the off-chance that it was an alternate pronunciation. Then my mind was (mildly) blown.

So my question is, why in heck did I ever think that it was ever pronounced "tropie" - was that ever the case at some point? Is THAT, in fact, the possible alternate pronunciation? Or was I just smoking crack the whole time?

"co-LOME-bee-uh" versus "CALL-um-bee-uh"

deathpanels — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:21:31 -0800

Why does the U.S. media pronunce certain non-English names with a native accent, while other names are "Americanized" in their pronunciation? Perhaps an example is the easiest way to demonstrate what I'm talking about. Sometimes I have heard the names of certain South American nations spoken by newscasters and journalists by their Spanish pronunciations. For example, "co-LOME-bee-uh" versus "CALL-um-bee-uh" for "Colombia" – the latter being the "Americanized" pronunciation, the former the native Spanish pronunciation.

What are the rules for when a word needs to be pronounced one way or the other? Does it depend on the speaker's background, or do journalists learn specific guidelines for when to pronounce a word the "native" way? Or is it a total crap shoot?

(Spanish seems the most common language to get this treatment. I can't remember ever hearing anyone in the media attempt to pronounce a Chinese or Arabic word like a native would.)

Learning a neutral accent and DIY speech therapy

mecran01 — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:35:22 -0800

I teach for a living but have a lot of linguistic baggage that I'd like to get rid of. Specifically, I have some weird pronunciation/accent issues and would like to speak "General American" or newscaster English. Is this something I can do on my own? What resources should I use? Super bonus level up points: I also have a slight lisp that I would like to get rid of. I don't notice it until I hear a recording of myself. I also have the front teeth that resemble bugs bunny. Does something like this require a professional therapist?

I thank you in advance for your kind advice.

Dayta or Datta?

janell — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:26:57 -0800

Help me find a dialect map for the pronunciation of the word "data". I want the word "data" to be in the corpus, but Google helpfully leads me to various researchers describing their datasets.

If regional variation isn't the driver for this pronunciation, I'd love to hear about that too.

Japanese Name Pronounciation

garius — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:07:58 -0800

I'm giving a talk tomorrow where I will be covering the work of typographer Eiichi Kono. So my question is pretty simple: how does one best pronounce his name?

How would you tell someone else to pronounce this phrase?

Bookhouse — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:01:06 -0800

I need to insert a pronuciation guide into a script for the following Latin animal name: Pachydiscus seppenradensis. In other words, I just need something on the script page to help the person reading it pronounce it correctly. I can't rely on special symbols or anything longwinded. Just something like is found in this question.

Calling number 9...

Jehan — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:16:06 -0800

How do you say Henry Ireton's last name? Henry Ireton, the civil war general, regicide, and Cromwell's son-in-law, has a lastname which maybe isn't as obvious to pronounce as it looks. I think I've heard it spoken a long time ago, but can't remember how it was said. Can you help?

I've written below a few different ways it could be said, so please choose which one is right, or at least which one you've heard. Feel free to correct any mistakes in the IPA.

1. ['aɪərtən] — "Ayertun" (that is, the first syllable rimes with "fire")
2. ['aɪrətən] — "Ayratun"
3. ['ɪrɪtən] — "Irritun"
4. ['ɪrətən] — "Irratun"
5. Some other way not listed (please say how)

EmphaSIZING Long ISLAND

Admiral Haddock — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:42:41 -0800

How do you pronounce "Long Island"? Think for a second and then join me inside. I was born and raised in New York City, though I never spent much time at all on Long Island.

To my ear (and to my recollection), it's "Long ISLAND," which strikes me as a little peculiar, since the emphasis is falling on the general descriptor word, not the unique part of the name. I hear the same thing with "Rhode ISLAND." If I hear "LONG Island" I don't recognize at as the NYC area landmass at all; it's entirely unfamiliar, and I'd ask "where's that?"

However, for example, I hear "FIRE Island," "GOVERNOR'S Island," and "RIKER'S Island"--which I think is more normal--the emphasis on the unique part of the name. I think this is also the way I hear Staten Island, but it could go either way.

At this point, I've said all these names so many times that everything sounds weird, and my colleagues are looking at me.

How do you pronounce (or hear pronounced) these names? Certainly there is a subset of people pronouncing Long Island with the emphasis on "Island"--why is that? Does it happen with names of places in your area? Is there a name for this phenomenon?

I don't think it's just due to the fact that "Long" and "Rhode" are just one syllable. For instance, up here in MA, I hear (and say) "PLUM Island," not "Plum ISLAND."

You say scone, I say scone; let's call the whole thing off

monkey closet — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:59:11 -0800

We're resigned to our differences over the pronunciation of 'scone' (rhyming it with either 'stone' or 'gone'). The strange thing is that both of us regard the other's pronunciation as sounding 'posh'. So, does scone/scone divide along class lines, or is it more about geography or something else?

Why is she talking about "baggles"?

Mars Saxman — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 11:08:33 -0800

In what regional dialect do people pronounce "bagel" as though it were spelled "baggle"? One of the clerks at a nearby coffee shop here in Seattle talks about serving "baggles", or like "bag-gulls" - a totally flat A-sound instead of the usual soft "ay". I thought she was doing it on purpose to be funny, but it's been months now and she's totally consistent about it. I haven't noticed any other unusual markers in her speech, so I can't tell whether this is an idiosyncratic mispronunciation or just a regional accent I've never encountered before.

How do I pronounce al-jabr and al-Khwarizmi?

espertus — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:32:19 -0800

In a lecture I am planning, I will mention that the words "algebra" and "algorithm" come from a book called al-Jabr w'al-Muqabala by Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī. I don't speak Arabic but would like to pronounce the names as accurately as possible. Can anyone advise me on Arabic pronunciation?

Pronunciation of Stegastes leucostictus

moonroof — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 10:31:02 -0800

Help me pronounce this scientific name: stegastes leucostictus. I have found various sites on the web about pronunciation of scientific names, so I'm pretty sure I've got it right, I just want to be absolutely sure.

Right now, I am pronouncing it as: steg-ASS-tees loo-co-STICK-tuss.

I will be speaking with an American accent for an American audience, if that changes anything.

Ten points if you can identify the play I'm in.

Help me find online resources for how to pronounce difficult words

Susan PG — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:32:12 -0800

I have terrible pronunciation. Can you direct me to dictionary-type sites that teach how to pronounce words using high-quality audio files? Merriam-Webster has the basics and is easy to use, but I am also looking for resources that cover more specialized vocabularies such as cooking terms, medical terms, technology terms, the names of important cultural figures, place names, and product names. Obscurity/difficulty level: stuff like sambal oelek, Yulia Tymoshenko, Mies van der Rohe, SUSE, Schenectady, Elidel, Saucony. I already know about this VOA site and HowJSay.com -- am looking for more & better. Thanks.

Sœur/sûr/sieur/cire/sueur

jweed — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:12:48 -0800

Are there online equivalents of FSI's "Introduction to French Phonology" for other languages? Language courses developed for the Foreign Service Institute are in the public domain and available online. I've found them to be excellent resources and often recommend them as free alternatives to other audio language courses.

One of my favorites is "Introduction to French Phonology". Here's the course abstract:

The Introduction to French Phonology course provides additional drills for those who wish to sound like a native speaker of the language. The course may be used beneficially at any stage of learning the language. It is invaluable for those who are already masters of the language but who wish to speak it better.

The curriculum is based on example dialogues which isolate a few vowel and consonant sounds. Lots of drills, repetition, and minimal pair examples. VERY LITTLE explicit vocab or grammar practice. All pronunciation. (Yes, some people might find it a little dry, but I love it.)

I'd love to get my hands on similarly intense pronunciation courses for other languages, especially if they're available online. Do any exist? If not, are there any comprehensive language courses you've found with a similarly precise emphasis on phonology?

Standard English Pronunciation of Mythological Names

Paquda — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:25:13 -0800

Is there a set of rules one could follow to derive the standard English pronunciation of the names of characters from classical mythology? E.g., if I looked at the name 'Calliope' for the first time, could I, knowing certain principles, figure out that it should be pronounced 'ka-LIE-ah-pee'?

Does this have to do with the Latin pronunciation used in English-speaking countries before the adoption of the current academic pronunciation system? If so, what are the principles of that older, traditional pronunciation system?

Would I need to know which vowels in the Latin are long?

How would a Cockney pronounce "Battlestar Galactica"?

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:16:12 -0800

How would a Cockney pronounce "Battlestar Galactica"?

Clearly, it's pronounced "kisskshhh of ex"

King Bee — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:59:05 -0800

How do you pronounce the hyperbolic trigonometric functions? This has been on my mind recently. I'm talking about the hyperbolic trig functions, sinh(x), cosh(x), tanh(x), and so on. I know people pronounce "sinh(x)" as "cinch of ex" and cosh(x) as "kosh of ex" (kosh, rhyming with gosh, as in gosh, those are awesome trig functions).

I think I've heard people pronounce "tanh(x)" as "tanch of ex" (rhyming with branch). I don't think I've heard, out loud, coth, sech, or csch. That last one just looks absurd anyway.

I'm talking about these on Monday, and it occurs to me that I've never thought of trying to pronounce some of these out loud. I've always said "hyperbolic $TRIG_FUNCTION" when I've needed to.

Do people just say "hyperbolic cosecant"? Do you say "cotch" for "coth", rhyming with "crotch"? Halp me!

Documentaries and radio transcripts for improving British English?

earthwormsleg — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:29:42 -0800

I've been thinking about improving my (received) pronunciation by reading out loud in English. Need help finding materials online. I love documentaries and nonfiction, so I'd appreciate any recommendations on
a) transcribed (!) recordings/podcasts from British radio or
b) good British documentary films (assuming I'd then google out the scripts for reading).

I guess my focus is on "intelligent conversational language" -- thus the more dialogues/direct speech by "ordinary people" I get, the better. (Maybe audiobooks with good juicy language would help as well?) As to the documentaries, I guess everything involving well-drawn characters goes.

I'm a commited listener of Radiolab, This American Life, BBC's Material World and radio documentaries but AFAIK none of them are (no longer) actively putting their transcripts online.

Ah, and reflections or sucess stories as to the efficiency of this learning method (reading scripted conversational language aloud by myself) are welcome, too. Thanks!

Pronouncing Literally, Battery Oddly

everichon — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:08:29 -0800

Growing up, I knew someone who pronounced the word "literally" as "litrally", and "battery" as "battry". When I asked her why she did that, she said it was a vestigial habit from acting classes in college, which would have been in the late 1960s. Now, the guy who cut my hair pronounces things in that way, and, of course, there is Rob Lowe's character on "Parks and Recreation" who also does it. My question: Is this a thing? Is it a regionalism? Was it ever taught in acting or elocution classes? Or is it just an affectation?

Where[Way-uh}? Over there[they-uh].

unceman — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:18:26 -0800

How can I help my 3 year old with his pronunciation? While I understand that my 3 year old son will eventually grow out of this phase, he seems to have difficulty pronouncing his R's. Specifically, words that end in an "AIR" sound at the end of the words like THERE or WHERE. When he says these words they sound like THEY-UH and WAY-UH.

Speech therapy seems like overkill right now since he's still developing. However, I feel like we should at least work towards correcting this speech pattern. Are there any suggested methods that could help him?

People with poor answers will end up on my tzompantli

Panjandrum — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:26:20 -0800

I how do pronounce the name Tlacaélel? As a Pre-Colombian history nerd, my Nahuatl pronunciation is not too terrible, but I have never been able to get a handle on the name above. Irritatingly, I've never found an IPA spell-out either. Seeing as Nahuatl orthography is pretty heavily based on Spanish, the best I've come up so far is Tla-ca-ALE-el, with the ALE being the closest I know how to express the accent in writing, but Ive got no way to confirm this is the proper way to say this name. Can anyone point me towards a good audio pronunciation or IPA version somewhere?