A bit more pronunciation fun...
Vase (thing to put flowers in) can be vaaz or vays, both are correct, the difference is usually based on class or region.
Scone (small crumbly bun / US biscuit) is skonn or skown, both are correct for the same reasons.
In both instances a particular version can be used just because it fits better: the classic example here is Discworld’s The Scone of Stone, pronounced as you might expect, even though in its real-world equivalent The Stone of Scone, that Scottish place-name is pronounced more like skoon.
*****
Rain, Reign and Rein are all pronounced more or less the same yet all have different, non-interchangeable meanings - but you’ll still see the second two used wrongly more times than you’d like.
And then there are words like Pique Peek and Peak, Breach and Breech, Peel and Peal, Compliment and Complement - again all pronounced more or less the same, all with completely different non-interchangeable meanings varying with context and indeed whether they’re used as noun or verb.
English is a succession of successful pitfalls placed in plain sight - this site could be seen from a plane - to trip or trap any weary wanderer who is less than wary.
While wandering, this one went wondering out of his way to weigh a secret load of lodestone that someone had secreted under a tree near a well. He meant to seize it but now sees, through eyes that secrete tears, the tears in his clothes caused by a bear which couldn’t bear his presence.
It probably believed he was after the hoard of food that had once been a horde of creatures, cheap stuff like birds that once went cheep and deer that might have been dear to buy if they’d got by the bear.
The maid at his lodging might have made repairs though first he had to flee. So he leapt like a flea many feet across a brook, quite a feat, but the bear brooked no denial. Its muscles coiled like a spring, then it made a spring the way bears do in Spring.
He breathed in short pants while its claws, sharp as any clause in a rent agreement, rent his short pants, but they barely bared his hide as he tried to hide. He could have tried the bear in court, but so near its homestead it might have caught him instead.
The breaches in his breeches came apart. A part of the bear’s failure to meet the meat was not getting a grip; maybe it suffered from grippe after taking a fall in the fall. We end our tale with no sting in its tail, since the wanderer didn’t fall in the well.
So all’s well.
I had to stretch a bit in places (grippe? come on!) but not as much as I’d expected, and it goes a long way to demonstrate why English is such a difficult language to learn, never mind master. And that’s before class, regional and dialect variations get added to the mix.
Are we having fun yet?
:->
*****
Finally...
Colonel (military rank) is spelt that way but pronounced kurnel / kernel because it started as the French rank for an officer commanding the sort of infantry column (la colonne) familiar from the Sharpe series. That rank was "Colonnel” and both “L”s were voiced.
The French pronunciation changed over time and became (approximately) “co’onel” while the spelling became “Colonel”. Italian still has and sounds every “L” as “Colonello”, Spanish went the other way as “Coronelo”, while in Irish it’s Coirnéal, pronounced and now usually spelt “cornal”.
Why the English version looks and sounds as it does, I have no idea; possibly a long familiarity with words that don’t sound the way they look, along with a disinclination to pronounce anything foreign (especially French) the way the foreigners do.
*****
Lieutenant (military rank) is lootenant in the US armed forces, luhtenant in the British navy and leftenant in the British army and air force.
That British “lef-” version is the outlier. Apart from Malay (Leftenan, a possible Britfluence) no other language (that I bothered checking) which starts this word with “L” has an “F” sound anywhere.
French (Lieutenant), German (Leutnant), Dutch (Luitenant), Danish (Løjtnant), Swedish (Löjtnant ), Norwegian (Løytnant), Estonian (Leitenant), Finnish (Luutnantti), Polish (Lejtnant), Ukrainian (Лейтена́нт, pron leytenant,) Russian (Лейтена́нт pron. leitenant)…
*****
ETA: @katbelleinthedark has pointed out (in no uncertain terms, gosh) that "Lejtnant” isn’t the Polish word for Lieutenant (thanks for nothing, Wikipedia link from “Lieutenant”.) The proper word is “Porucznik”, which fairly obviously doesn’t have either “L” or “F” sounds anywhere. So, deleted. Any other corrections will also be, er, corrected. No need to shout, just ask.
*****
And that’s enough of that. Stannat-EASE. Dis-MISS.
@dduane - “Why is a plane coming out of his head?”
Me - “It’s a Spitfire.”
DD - “And?”
Me - ....
DD - “That’s the only answer I’m going to get, isn’t it?”
Me - :->
445 notes
·
View notes
hey remember that caramel-carmel Fake Script i was writing? yeah it's technically not done but i'm tired of tinkering with it so here it is! we'll just say it's a uhhhh uncovered partial script or somethin
this is not in any way official! it's a 100% unaffiliated fanwork & i am Just Fucking Around for Funsies
~
BARNABY: oh, I love carmul!
FRANK: [long, disgusted pause] …what?
BARNABY: Carmul! You know, those tasty little treats you’re holdin’!
FRANK: You mean caramel?
BARNABY: That’s what I said.
FRANK: [scoffs] No, you didn’t. You said carmul.
BARNABY: We’re sayin’ the same thing here.
FRANK: We absolutely are not!
JULIE: [giggles] You really aren’t.
BARNABY: Carmul, caramel, tomato, tomahto! What does it matter!
FRANK: [flustered, stammering] It - it matters! Julie, you agree with me, don’t you?
JULIE: Well… I don’t know, Frank! I think both are fun!
FRANK: You’re both wrong, then! Wally, you agree with me, don’t you?
WALLY: [hesitant] …I say carmul.
FRANK: No! Not you too! How could you poison him like this, Barnaby?
BARNABY: Don’t look at me! I’m innocent, honest!
FRANK: Ha! So you admit that carmul is the wrong pronunciation!
BARNABY: [groans] ah, geez… throw a dog a bone!
FRANK: I’d be delighted to if you’d just-
[distant yelp as Eddie trips off-screen]
FRANK: Eddie! Thank goodness, finally someone who can put an end to this debate!
EDDIE: [nervous laugh] Oh no, what did I stumble into this time?
BARNABY: Hold on a tic, Frank. Hey Ed, take this. What do you call that tasty treat?
EDDIE: [with a tinge of fear] A… caramel?
FRANK: [triumphant] a-HA!
SALLY: [approaching] Did someone mention carmul?
FRANK: AGH!
BARNABY: [delighted] Perfect timing, Sally!
SALLY: What, for a delicious morsel? Hand it over, thank you!
FRANK: You’re all wrong, and I’ll prove it! We’re going to go around the neighborhood and - wait. [under his breath] One two three four - [returns to normal volume] we’re taking this to Poppy’s!
BARNABY: Then Home, then Howdy, yeah yeah - might as well ask the daisies, too.
JULIE: Oooh, and the butterflies!
SALLY: While we’re at it, we should phone everyone in the book, just to get the widest audience input.
FRANK: [unamused] You all think you’re so funny.
EDDIE: Well, you gotta admit it’s… it’s…
[brief, tense pause. Eddie clears his throat]
EDDIE: It’s perfectly sensible!
[Frank makes an affronted noise]
FRANK: Poppy will see sense.
-
POPPY: I’d be delighted to have a cah-mehl, but I’m afraid it-
FRANK: [aghast, truly astonished] You’re joking. You have to be joking. CAH-MEHL? Does no one in this town have sense?! Besides Eddie, of course. And Julie - on a technicality.
EDDIE: [oddly pleased] Why thank you.
POPPY: My goodness, did- did I say it wrong?
BARNABY: [gleeful] Not in the least, Pops!
SALLY: As far as I’m concerned, you added an extra layer of… pizazz to the word. In fact, I may adjust my own pronunciation accordingly!
POPPY: [flustered] Oh, well, I didn’t - don’t change on my account -
SALLY: Take the compliment, Poppy.
POPPY: [meekly] Thank you.
[Sally wanders from the group, practicing the slightly adjusted pronunciation]
WALLY: I’m not sure I understand. What’s wrong with carmul or… care… mul… carmel…
POPPY: Don’t strain yourself dear, you’ll get a migraine.
FRANK: What’s wrong is that it’s ENTIRELY incorrect! It! Is! Pronounced! Caramel!
JULIE: Aww, Frank, I’m sure Home and Howdy will agree with us! Team Caramel, WOOO!
BARNABY: [barely restrained disbelief] Boy, won’t they!
POPPY: I’m not sure what the fuss is about… there isn’t much of a difference, is there?
[Frank makes a high pitched, frustrated noise and stomps off. He can be heard calling Home’s name in the background]
JULIE: Oop, there he goes!
POPPY: Oh - oh dear. I didn’t mean to rile him up.
BARNABY: Don’t twist your beak about it - Frank’s just bein’ Frank. Now if you’ll excuse us, I wanna see how it goes with Home.
WALLY: [quietly, thoughtful] But Home doesn’t talk like us…
POPPY: If you’re sure… Do let me know how it goes.
SALLY: [swaying back to the group] I’ll phone you post-haste! Or even better, I can come by for one of your delicious muffins and regale you with the whole escapade, in detail.
POPPY: [audibly pleased] That sounds - well that sounds like a wonderful idea! I have some fresh from this morning-
BARNABY: Sounds great! See you around, Poppy.
-
FRANK: Home, I have an important question to ask you. Is the correct pronunciation for this candy ‘carmul’, or ‘caramel’? One creak for caramel, two for the incorrect carmul.
BARNABY: Talk about a bias…
[Home stays silent. Sally yawns.]
FRANK: One creak for caramel, two-
[Home slowly shuts their curtains]
FRANK: Hmph! The nerve… well, I suppose a house that can’t speak shouldn’t have a say, anyway.
WALLY: Home can speak. He just does it differently.
BARNABY: And I’m pretty sure they just agreed with me, Walls, an’ Sally.
JULIE: They did not!
BARNABY: Looked like it to me!
SALLY: I have to agree with Julie. Home just declared itself a neutral party, and so the vote can’t be counted either way. On to Howardson!
JULIE: Yes! Howdy! Our last hope!
FRANK: He may have terrible taste in company, but he’s a sensible businessman. Poppy and Home have let me-
JULIE: Us!
FRANK: -us down, but surely Howdy will back us up.
BARNABY: [faux-serious tone, knows something they don’t] Absolutely. Without a doubt.
-
[store bell chimes]
HOWDY: Howdy-do - [brief pause, a tinge of surprise] everyone! My my, what brings the entire neighborhood to my bountiful bodega? Finally decided to clean me out for good?
BARNABY: [snorts] With how fast you restock? I think I’d break my funnybone!
FRANK: We have important business.
HOWDY: [mildly curious] Do we? That’s news to me! But I’m letting you know now that I don’t deal in bugs, Frankly. It’d be hypocritical.
FRANK: Believe me, I wish I were here to talk insects. Unfortunately, I need to settle a score. Mr. Dear, if you would?
EDDIE: If I would what?
SALLY: [stage-whisper] Barnabello gave you the, ah, parcel earlier?
EDDIE: The…? Oh! Oh, right - I have it right here, just… give me a second… which pocket…? There we go.
[sound of a small, hard candy placed on the countertop]
HOWDY: A carmul all for me? You shouldn’t have! No, really, you shouldn’t have. I’m on the clock.
BARNABY: [loud bark of laughter] I knew I could count on you, pal! So what’s the tally, Frankie?
[Frank mutters something inaudible]
BARNABY: What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me bein’ right!
FRANK: [explosive] You’re all wrong! The correct pronunciation is caramel, CARAMEL! You’re all - you’re all just - heathens! Heathens, I say! I’m taking my company elsewhere!
EDDIE: Mr. Frankly…
JULIE: [overlapping, following] Aw, c’mon Frank!
[the door jingles. Julie and Frank’s hushed arguing in the doorway underlies the dialogue]
HOWDY: It sounds like I missed quite the context! Mind filling me in?
BARNABY: That was pretty much it; a real potato potahto argument.
HOWDY: If you say so, Barn. Speaking of potahtos-
[the background argument abruptly cuts off, the door jingles again as it's closed]
FRANK: [rapidly rejoining the group] Hold it! You don’t really say potahto, do you?
BARNABY: [under breath] Here we go again…
SALLY: [deeply amused] Where on Earth did you pick up such a butchered pronunciation? I must have missed the sign on my tour down from the heavens.
EDDIE: [baffled, underlying the dialogue] I’ve never heard anyone say it that way.
JULIE: Oh! Is it a joke? Like, Barnaby says potato-potahto, and then you jokingly say potahto to make us laugh?
HOWDY: It’s not a joke. That’s how it’s said.
FRANK: [genuinely disturbed] No - no one says that. It’s potato.
HOWDY: Well I say potahto, thank you very much! And if you ever want one from my store again, you’d do well to accept that.
[Various grumbles of reluctant acceptance]
HOWDY: Good. Now, can I get any of you a refreshing drink after such a squall? You must be parched!
WALLY: I wouldn’t mind a glass of mulk.
[Horrified silence. A pin drop would be deafening]
[Sudden uproarious and overlapping argument]
154 notes
·
View notes