I Say, You Say... (Accents and quirks)

[jaznbonnie]

One of my roommates at school used to pronounce "wash" as "warsh". It took several months but I finally managed to train her to pronounce it without the "r" - "wa(ah)sh".

Was your roommate from Pennsylvania too?

Actually born and raised in California but I think her grandparents were from one of the southern states originally.

Raisindot, why don't Bostonians pronounce r's?

[BobtheDrog]

Everything everyone else has mentioned so pales in comparison to the gut-wrentching, chalkboard-scratching, brain frying awfulness of the Bahhhhhston accent.

better than northside Dublin, Dundalk and Cavan accents

[Conforumist]

Not really a pronunciation thing - but I have noticed that the word 'absolutely' (actually - ab-so-lutey!) gets used a lot by people in conversation. Whatever happened to the word 'yes'?

Ever notice how many people use "awesome" for every stupid little thing!? drives me freakin' crazy!

[Bickaxe]

Being from Oxford, I sez fings proply innit.

The word BATH has its fans (barth to me) and SALT (sort to my dad).

I tend to pick up on things people repeat...anyone watch Celebrity Juice? The way Keith Lemon does his Norn Irish accent and the word 'situation' or ... sityation if you will. My partner does it constantly without realising until she notices me laughing.

[RSoak]

One that makes me wince is the misuse of hysterical. "Oh my god that video was hysterical!" Uh...a video...was overcome with hysteria? Ohhhhh, you mean 'hilarious'. Right, sorry...just threw me there a sec when you completely bastardized the English language. Oh...irregardless, that's another. I mean I could care less!

I understand accents, but as far as flat out mispronunciations: pasgetti, joolarey, realator...sigh.

Lastly we have are those words or phrases that people hear all the time but have never read. Then they attempt to write them and it comes out: whalla!, for all intensive purposes, low and behold, reek havoc...more sighing.

[raptornx01]

[Will of Lancre]

I also pronounce 'lieutenant' as 'loo-tenant' rather than the general English pronunciation of 'lef-tenant'. I have to wonder who the chucklehead who thought up the latter pronunciation was?

I thought that (in Britain) they were lef-tenants in the Army and loo-tenants in the Navy? Any Army or Navy types here to clear this one up?

The Boston accent must sound very odd to other Americans, but it only does the same r-dropping thing that a lot of British English accents do (including "standard"/RP English), so proabably sounds less odd to us.

[Errata]

Noo dan Bairns, blyde tae see dee aa' daday. Foo's du?

[Catch-up]

My grandmother used to say "draw" for drawer. Now that my mom is older, she says it every once in a while.

[chris.ph]

I also pronounce 'lieutenant' as 'loo-tenant' rather than the general English pronunciation of 'lef-tenant'. I have to wonder who the chucklehead who thought up the latter pronunciation was?

I thought that (in Britain) they were lef-tenants in the Army and loo-tenants in the Navy? Any Army or Navy types here to clear this one up?

The Boston accent must sound very odd to other Americans, but it only does the same r-dropping thing that a lot of British English accents do (including "standard"/RP English), so proabably sounds less odd to us.

nope they are lefttenants in the Royal Navy as well

[Bickaxe]

Noo dan Bairns, blyde tae see dee aa' daday. Foo's du?

I add Tabasco sauce to my pasta bol, give it that extra kick.

I'm good with languages me

[SamHain]

As a linguist, the evolution of modern human speech holds an infinite fascination to me. How a single language could be broken down into so many regional sub-languages based on contextual use of words and the accents with which those words are pronounced. The Wonderful World of Words... I could almost right a dissertation on accents...

[Errata]

Noo dan Bairns, blyde tae see dee aa' daday. Foo's du?

I add Tabasco sauce to my pasta bol, give it that extra kick.

I'm good with languages me

I'll keep that in mind

[ChristianBecker]

Wart? Dint unnerstan a werd!

whalla!, for all intensive purposes, low and behold, reek havoc...

Whalla? Like in Arabian or Turkish?
I've seen the others. To "reek havoc" is one of my "favourites".

[Quatermass]

Not really a pronunciation thing - but I have noticed that the word 'absolutely' (actually - ab-so-lutey!) gets used a lot by people in conversation. Whatever happened to the word 'yes'?

Ever notice how many people use "awesome" for every stupid little thing!? drives me freakin' crazy!

Short trip.

Nah, kidding. But I agree, I actually try to minimise the use of the word myself, unless it truly inspires awe.

Noo dan Bairns, blyde tae see dee aa' daday. Foo's du?

...I don't think this is any language known to man.