Q&a On Words That Are Difficult To Pronounce

[Guest Guest]

How do you pronounce the following words?

avalanche

yaoi

melange

nuptial

realtor

verbiage

[Rhyn Chan]

Avalanche: Eh-Va-Lanch

Yaoi: Yao-Ee

Melange: Meh-Longe (btw this is a similar word to rendezvous http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/melange here for the actual pronunciation)

Nuptial: Nup-Shial

Realtor: Real-ter

Verbiage: Ver-biage

The closest breakdown for you (;

[Guest Guest]

Thanks dude

[Rhyn Chan]

welcome!

[XiaoMessy]

You could use the online dictionary..

[gstc82]

THEIR.

[lovehandle]

alot couldn't get " towards" right!

People pronounce it wrongly as "to-werds" ....WRONG!

it s Too-wARds (as in hospital "wards")

or lounge (launch is wrong prounounciation), it should be laou-ungch

[Guest Guest]

I hate it when people pronounce the following words wrongly:

tsunami

salmon

almond

Wednesday

[lovehandle]

You have to pardon them, they are not japanese

hence alot read it as "Suu-Nami" instead of "Tsk-nami"

Am i right to read almond as el-men?

[Guest Guest]

Correct pronunciation

Tsunami = 紫(zi) nami

salmon = sa-mern

almond = ah-mernd

Wednesday = Whens-day

[sum1outhere_03]

One big common one...

Who likes to eat "Sakae"? It's pronounced as sa-ka-aye, not sa-ke (liquor for Japanese)

[PaterTenebrarum]

Increase (noun) and increase (verb) are pronounced differently. Ditto for decrease. Many S'poreans do not pay attention to stresses.

And many S'poreans wrongly use the "o" sound instead of the schwa. For example, many pronounce "computer" as "kom-pyoo-ter". It is actually pronounced "kerm-pyoo-ter.

[Guest juliet]

  On 3/7/2012 at 1:47 PM, PaterTenebrarum said:

Increase (noun) and increase (verb) are pronounced differently. Ditto for decrease. Many S'poreans do not pay attention to stresses.

And many S'poreans wrongly use the "o" sound instead of the schwa. For example, many pronounce "computer" as "kom-pyoo-ter". It is actually pronounced "kerm-pyoo-ter.

Just a joke. My pronunciation teacher who is from UK and speak standard British English once told me that

no one will understand me after completing the pronunciation course.

I agree with what you said. Mang singaporeans neglect schwa sounds.

Camera: it actually two syllables, most singaporeans pronounce as cam-mi-ra. No schwa sound at the end when they pronounce as

cam-mi-ra. some even stress the second syllable 'mi'.

I would say the most common mispronounced word in singapore is

'wednesday'. It also has only two syllables. It should be pronounced as 'wendz - day', not 'wed - nes - day '.

[SuperSentai]

I took a semester of English pronunciation elective during my poly days, where we had to memorise the IPA (International Phonetic Symbols). Learnt about all the correct pronunciation, stresses etc. It was fun in a way, and needless to say, during the tests (where I had to read a passage and record it into the computer), I got a bit tongue-tied, and had to re-record many times.

Also studied Japanese, so I've no problems with Japanese-derived English . But yaoi isn't English.

Another common mistake is the difference between \æ\ (bad) and \e\ (bed). For example, the 'e' in "dress" and "best" rhymes with "bed", and not "bad", like how most Singaporeans would pronounce it. Also, "Singapore" is pronounced as "singer-por", and not "single-por".

Edited March 7, 2012 by sentai

[Anderson]

The most common mistakes here are words starting with wh....and th.... they are not pronounced properly, sounding like a words of another meaning. Eg:

when - went

where - ware

wheel - will

white - wide

three - tree

through - true

thread - treat

third - turd

[qedcwc]

  On 3/7/2012 at 3:26 PM, sentai said:

Also, "Singapore" is pronounced as "singer-por", and not "single-por".

Shud refer back to its name from its Malay roots, which is Si-nga-pu-ra > Si-nga-pore.

I'd prefer not to use the word 'singer' if I were you.

[Guest A]

It really depends, many of the English words have French roots, and thus can be pronounced according to the French pronunciation, like someone mentioned earlier: Rendezvous. I have no idea what melange means in English but in French it simply means 'to mix' and I suspect it probably means something similar in English too? However, do bear in mind these words are normally pronounced with an English accent(since presumably you'd be using it in an English conversation)and whoever you're speaking to may not understand you if you go French. I find this very annoying because why should I pronounce a French word in an English way when I clearly know how to say it in French. But then language should be a tool of communication and not a hindrance. Tough decision.

A

[SuperSentai]

  On 3/7/2012 at 10:49 PM, qedcwc said:

Shud refer back to its name from its Malay roots, which is Si-nga-pu-ra > Si-nga-pore. I'd prefer not to use the word 'singer' if I were you.

Just like you said, "Singapura" is just the "root", and not the actual word itself. If you were saying "Singapura", then you can say it the malay way. But its spelling has been changed to "Singapore", and therefore its pronounciation should changed to the English way too.

[Guest Guest]

Wah lao... lots of anal people here man...

[qedcwc]

  On 3/8/2012 at 2:06 AM, A said:

It really depends, many of the English words have French roots, and thus can be pronounced according to the French pronunciation, like someone mentioned earlier: Rendezvous. I have no idea what melange means in English but in French it simply means 'to mix' and I suspect it probably means something similar in English too? However, do bear in mind these words are normally pronounced with an English accent(since presumably you'd be using it in an English conversation)and whoever you're speaking to may not understand you if you go French. I find this very annoying because why should I pronounce a French word in an English way when I clearly know how to say it in French. But then language should be a tool of communication and not a hindrance. Tough decision.

A

  On 3/8/2012 at 2:36 AM, sentai said:

Just like you said, "Singapura" is just the "root", and not the actual word itself. If you were saying "Singapura", then you can say it the malay way. But its spelling has been changed to "Singapore", and therefore its pronounciation should changed to the English way too.

In reference to Guest's post, I still think that the term 'Singa' shud be pronounced as it was originally in Malay, since it meant 'lion'.

Dunno which asshole British colonist in the past pronounced 'pura' into 'pore'.

[Guest Erotictales]

Jap transliteration in general you have to pronounce every vowel. Usually, it works if you parse the pronounciation into sets of two letters, typically one consonant followed by one vowel.

[imchaser]

  On 3/8/2012 at 7:42 AM, qedcwc said:

In reference to Guest's post, I still think that the term 'Singa' shud be pronounced as it was originally in Malay, since it meant 'lion'. Dunno which asshole British colonist in the past pronounced 'pura' into 'pore'.

Qedcwc, SingaPORE is not a malay country. Dont start on the history lesson please.

[imchaser]

MOLESKINE : Mol-a-Skeen-ah

Plumber : Plum-mer

Imchaser : Eye-Am-Chaser

[XiaoMessy]

  On 3/8/2012 at 8:38 AM, imchaser said:

Imchaser : Eye-Am-Chaser

:clap:

[qedcwc]

  On 3/8/2012 at 8:22 AM, imchaser said:

Qedcwc, SingaPORE is not a malay country. Dont start on the history lesson please.

Mister, did I even say that?

The name was originally in Malay, you can't deny that, can you?

[steppenwolf]

A local initiative here which I find it friendly & useful...

http://www.goodenglish.org.sg/category/improve/pronunciation-guide-say-it-right

[imchaser]

  On 3/9/2012 at 7:13 AM, qedcwc said:

Mister, did I even say that?

The name was originally in Malay, you can't deny that, can you?

Oh no here we go again.

[SuperSentai]

  On 3/9/2012 at 7:13 AM, qedcwc said:

Mister, did I even say that? The name was originally in Malay, you can't deny that, can you?

Well, it's not as though Malay has no loanwords from other languages which Malays didn't change the spelling and pronunciation ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Malay_loanwords

Edited March 9, 2012 by sentai

[Guest jasonne]

My take on pronounication :

Chee Bye or Ji Bye ?

Lan Jiao or Lan Chiao ?

Kan Ni Na or Kan Ni Neh ?

Lam Par Ji or Lam Par Chee ?

[manman]

I think qedcwc was just trying to say that Singapore should be pronounced as

SI

NGA

PORE

[Blacque]

MENU

Many people pronounce it as meh-niu, which is wrong!

[avalux200]

my pet peeve?

Salmon, Almond, Wednesday, Medicine

...to name a few haha

also a HUGE pet peeve: people who shorten long sounds, and lengthen short sounds (eg. chip vs cheap)

Edited March 9, 2012 by avalux200

[greysuperhero]

  On 3/9/2012 at 2:24 PM, blacquenoir said:

MENU

Many people pronounce it as meh-niu, which is wrong!

But it is pronounced meh-niu http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/menu_1?q=menu

[avalux200]

  On 3/9/2012 at 2:43 PM, greysuperhero said:

But it is pronounced meh-niu http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/menu_1?q=menu

it's a NUU vs NIU thing I guess. I go with Me-Nuu. Haha.

[Rhyn Chan]

I'm starting to agree that the people here are getting a little more anal than they should HAHAHHA.

Sorry, just my two cents (x

[SuperSentai]

  On 3/9/2012 at 2:43 PM, greysuperhero said:

But it is pronounced meh-niu http://dictionary.ca...h/menu_1?q=menu

It's "men-niu". Singaporeans just pronounce as "meh" (meh-niu) instead of "men" (men-niu) for the first syllable.

Let me break down the IPA for menu (/menju:/):

m - the "m" sound as in moon

e - the "e" sound as in "bed"

n - the "n" sound as in "night"

j - the "y" sound as in "yes"

u: - the "oo" sound as in "moon" (long vowel)

Edited March 9, 2012 by sentai

[Guest Guest]

Find this thread useful. While we don't really need to speak Queen's English in our everyday conversation, it's nonetheless useful to know the correct pronounciations for some commonly used words. You never know when it might just come in handy. So, those who want to bitch, please go away.

One common word that is often mispronounced would be baton. Most pronounce it as the same as you would for bacon, i.e bay-ton. It should be read as ber-ton.

[Guest Guest]

Motor => common pronunciation => moh-to

Correct pronunciation => moh-ter

[avalux200]

since we're on the topic of pronunciations...I couldn't resist this.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PronunciationManual?feature=watch

you HAVE to see the way they "pronounce" these words. AHHAHAH

/brb dying

[qedcwc]

  On 3/9/2012 at 8:19 AM, sentai said:

Well, it's not as though Malay has no loanwords from other languages which Malays didn't change the spelling and pronunciation ...

http://en.wikipedia....Malay_loanwords

All languages have loanwords from other languages.

Amok was taken from mengamuk in Malay.

脱口秀 was taken from talkshow in English

Rendezvous was taken from French.

Fyi, Malay loanwords do have major spelling changes to reflect the pronunciation system, e.g. technology -> teknologi, television -> televisyen etc.

Edited March 11, 2012 by qedcwc

[SuperSentai]

  On 3/11/2012 at 2:20 AM, qedcwc said:

All languages have loanwords from other languages. Amok was taken from mengamuk in Malay. 脱口秀 was taken from talkshow in English Rendezvous was taken from French. Fyi, Malay loanwords do have major spelling changes to reflect the pronunciation system, e.g. technology -> teknologi, television -> televisyen etc.

So it's common to loan words from other languages AND change the spelling/pronunciation, just like the word "Singapore".

[Blacque]

  On 3/11/2012 at 2:20 AM, qedcwc said:

All languages have loanwords from other languages.

Amok was taken from mengamuk in Malay.

脱口秀 was taken from talkshow in English

Rendezvous was taken from French.

Fyi, Malay loanwords do have major spelling changes to reflect the pronunciation system, e.g. technology -> teknologi, television -> televisyen etc.

Taxi = teksi.. if I'm right

[qedcwc]

  On 3/11/2012 at 2:52 AM, sentai said:

So it's common to loan words from other languages AND change the spelling/pronunciation, just like the word "Singapore".

It's common. But i dun think that's the case with the word Singapore.

From a 4-syllable word to a 3-syllable one?

Really beats me at how the colonists arrived at the latter.

[qedcwc]

  On 3/11/2012 at 4:08 PM, blacquenoir said:

Taxi = teksi.. if I'm right

Correct....

[asperger]

[kimlo777]

  On 3/11/2012 at 2:20 AM, qedcwc said:

All languages have loanwords from other languages. Amok was taken from mengamuk in Malay. 脱口秀 was taken from talkshow in English Rendezvous was taken from French. Fyi, Malay loanwords do have major spelling changes to reflect the pronunciation system, e.g. technology -> teknologi, television -> televisyen etc.

and not forgetting that even the Chinese dialects have loaned certain words from the Malay language, eg:

soap = sabun

police = mata

[kimlo777]

  On 3/9/2012 at 2:45 PM, avalux200 said:

it's a NUU vs NIU thing I guess. I go with Me-Nuu. Haha.

when i was studying in the uk, everyone pronounced it as meh-niu. then when i did a project in the usa, i noticed the preference was to pronounce it as men-nuu. think i shall stick with the british way which is meh-niu.

[qedcwc]

  On 3/20/2012 at 9:26 AM, kimlo777 said:

and not forgetting that even the Chinese dialects have loaned certain words from the Malay language, eg:

soap = sabun

police = mata

share = kongsi (gong-si)

clever = pandai (pan-nai)

market = pasar (巴刹)

There is a new word which Chinese Malaysians Malaynized an originally Hokkien word, i.e. sia-sui (embarassing) >>> mempersiasuikan (embarassing)

[angel_dust]

3 names come to mind :

Ivan

Eileen

Kevin

I'm sure you guys know how the aforementioned have been wrongly pronounced.

[qsefthu78]

Some of these allophones sound too similar to be distinguishable from one another. In actual speech, no one would be able to pronounce all words in their standard dictionary pronunciations or phonemic forms. You could only blame the English spelling, which is non-phonetic. Unless you are an academic or phonetician, even the common passers by on the streets of London would give you different variants in pronunciations.

So, yes, let's be less anal about pronunciations