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Original poster

What would you say to a friend/colleague who pointed out, kindly

199 replies

MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:28

That you were mispronouncing a foreign word?

Just wondered if I am touchy or this is another time when she says something to me and I should stand up for myself?

OP posts:
FellatioNels0n · 17/02/2013 16:29

Depends on the word. If she said that you should call chorizo 'horeetho' I'd say she was a knob, and not to worry about it.

shushpenfold · 17/02/2013 16:29

I'd have been mortified probably, but once I'd calmed down and stuck pins in a doll I would be glad that they had told me so that I didn't do it again!!

FellatioNels0n · 17/02/2013 16:30

Unless she was Spanish and then I'd smile politely and say thank you for the tip.

edam · 17/02/2013 16:31

What Fellatio said. If it's a word that has been Anglicised, or that would otherwise sound daft if you tried to assume the relevant accent, then she can be ignored. If you are making what most people would consider to be an error, it's useful information.

Did she do it quietly and nicely?

LynetteScavo · 17/02/2013 16:32

It depends on the word, and whether they are right or not.

I mean, you can't really stand up for yourself if you are wrong, you just have to accept it.

If they are wrong, then you should stand up for yourself, and point out they are being a knob.

BIWI · 17/02/2013 16:32

You realise that you have to tell us the word, don't you?!

Original poster
MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:33

It was Italian, a food stuff. I thought she sounded stupid saying as she did so politely pointed out how you do say it.

Her reply was pretty harsh and I was stunned to be honest, it involved swearing and telling me I was stuck up and a cow!

OP posts:
TheSecondComing · 17/02/2013 16:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:36

I can't tell you the word. She has mentioned mumsnet a couple if times and I think maybe she is a mumsnetter or lurks on here.

Just wondered if I was being unreasonable or she was being incredibly rude in her reply?

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Original poster
MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:37

I didn't put on an accent at all.

OP posts:
HollaAtMeBaby · 17/02/2013 16:38

So this is a reverse scenario? You're the one who corrected her? Sorry, but you were rude.

mablemurple · 17/02/2013 16:38

Ha! I was once corrected in France by a French waitress over my pronunciation of the word coconut. As far as I am aware, that is not the French word for coconut, it is the English word and therefore I will continue to pronounce it my way.

The correct pronunciation, apparently, is coconoot.

Had she corrected my pronunciation of noix de coco, though, then fair dos Smile

VBisme · 17/02/2013 16:39

Why do you care if she sounds stupid?

Just wondered if I am touchy or this is another time when she says something to me and I should stand up for myself?

This makes me think that you two have a difficult relationship and you were trying to get one up on her - clearly that was her impression.

cruxible · 17/02/2013 16:40

Was she pronouncing pizza as pit -sar?

Original poster
MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:42

No I seriously wasn't trying to get one up on her. I just thought she would prefer to know she was saying it wrong and be able to day it properly in future.

Funnily enough I am just a regular person who wasn't being nasty or trying to score points.

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shushpenfold · 17/02/2013 16:42

Interesting....I've just remembered a lady who was on a one day a week course with me in London and several of us went to the local deli to order ciabatta toasties. She proceeded to tell all of us that it was pronounced see-a bah-ta and I must admit that it was the last time she went with us. I'm not quite sure why she did it with hindsight as we were all pronouncing it incorrectly (apparently....along with most of the UK) and she could not have thought that it would end well.

moondog · 17/02/2013 16:43

Mable, that is hilarious! Grin
My mother was once corrected repeatedly by a shop assistant on how she was (correctly) pronouncing Soave. Said assistant insisted it was 'so-ave' (ie rhymed with 'gave')

In the end my mother smiled and said 'Tell you what, I'll buy my Soave elsewhere.'

Tee2072 · 17/02/2013 16:45

I am dying to know what the word was. If you could understand what she was getting at, why correct her?

GetOrf · 17/02/2013 16:46

Oh I want to know the woooooooord.

Fwiw I don't think it was rude to tell her. SHE was rude to call you a stuck up cow.

SauvignonBlanche · 17/02/2013 16:46

Hard to say really, it depends how you did it.
I would have maybe repeated it back to her somehow, but pronounced it correctly.

Fairydogmother · 17/02/2013 16:47

I'll admit to being a person who has on occasion corrected someone over a word! I had ordered a ciabatta in a deli and she corrected me on the pronunciation but it was so laughably wrong that I'd corrected her back before I knew it!

It can be a bit hard to stay quiet when people repeatedly mispronounce words so I'd probably have done the same as the OP!

Catchingmockingbirds · 17/02/2013 16:47

She can probably work out from your posts that this thread is about her anyway, you may aswell tell us all what the word was :o

GetOrf · 17/02/2013 16:47

Was it focaccia pronounced fock-a-see-a.

Or penne to as in Sean?

BIWI · 17/02/2013 16:49

What word was it, though, that was making her sound stupid? Mispronouncing things (especially foreign words) is something that people do all the time. But sounding stupid?

Unfortunately a lot of British people don't care if they pronounce foreign words wrongly. It sounds like this is her attitude, and that she was reacting very defensively to being treated as if she is stupid.

(Not defending her, btw ...)

And you so have to tell us!

Original poster
MadameCastafiore · 17/02/2013 16:49

I just Said do you mean ...........

Wasn't rude, didn't snigger. She had missed out a vowel and made the word sound like something completely different. Was just a statement really.

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