Help me with words I can’t pronounce

[Thisisthelaststraw]

Prompted by a few recent threads. I’ve realised there are loads of words I can’t pronouce. I can probably google or something but all together here seems better.

I’ve only in the last number of years figured out hyperbole is not hyper bowl and superfluous is not super-flu-us

Here are ones I still can’t pronounce..

Archetypal
Macabre
Gillet
Hegemony
Chipotle

There’s actually loads more I just can’t think of now.

Glad you didn’t take me wrong!

I know what you mean by p-cahn, it’s like the p sound when you’re learning your phonics at school

Had no idea it was fran gee pan ay by the way!

I think the usual English (British?) Pronunciation would be Fran gee pan. Like marzipan. But Italians definitely pronounce the final e.

Malevolent. I have to Google it constantly to remind myself of the pronunciation.

DS is obsessed with dinosaurs and I struggle to pronounce most of the Dino names in his favourite books. It's a sad day when you stumble over words whilst reading to a 3 year old

We were taught diplo-docus when we were at school, but I mostly hear it said diplod ocus these days.

WhyDidIEatThat I think it is a matter of getting tuned into the local accent.

I love the way they pronounce Felixstowe - more like Filliks-toe

Frangipane. I'm an incomer. But I hear Londoners pronounce Marylebone as Mar luh bon. Does that seem right?

Bethesda is also a village in Wales, it's Beh then thez and dar. In Welsh the emphasis is usually on the last syllable

Chutzpah - my friend pronounces it with the 'ch' sound as in Scottish loch

It was probably from the Algonquian speaking people but why wouldn’t there be an E in it?

Pecan does derive from an Algonquian word, but first it made its way into French via French settlers when it became pacane and then into English as pecan. The etymology does suggest that p'cahn and its variants are probably closer to the original than pee-can.

Also the p'cahn pronunciation is primarily in the South. Other Americans use variants of pee-can.

Facade- I always say it in my head like fakard and I have to have a long think about the right way to say before I say it out loud.

Tuesday pronounced as chooseday
YouTube- youchoob
I know it's not right but I can't help it

Dontbug, I think that's better than Tews day and You tewb. Sounds a bit too queenly.

Oo, I've thought of a couple. Turmeric. I pronounce it so that the first syllable sounds like it is going to be turd iyswim, but I hear others say too-meric. Which is right?

And paprika. I say it with the emphasis on pap, but my adult children laugh at me and say it should be pap-REE-ka.

No idea who determines these things, but if we are going by local pronunciation for pecan etc, how should turmeric and paprika be said?

Jamhandspeints- thank you, that makes me feel better. I do think that people who pronounce it as tews seem quite posh.

I think a lot of words differ between dialects and accents. It's hard to say who is right.

Sorry for misspelling of your username,
I blame autocorrect and a lack of an edit button.

I would like proud to partake in your pecan pie

I live in Norfolk and Happisburgh is Haze-bruh and Wymondham is Win-dum.
There's loads of oddly pronounced place names round here. The spelling never caught up with the changing sounding of the words.
I can't bring to mind any others now but they are around.

I grew up in London and my Aunt used to live in Marylebone, just off the High Street. Everybody pronounced it Mary-le-bone. I still hear locals pronouncing it that way.

Nowadays I often hear people, specially from outside London, pronouncing it Mahlibon and wonder when and why poor Mary lost her y. Perhaps people who aren't used to it can't be bothered articulating all those syllables.

I thought of a Norfolk one, tacolneston (might not be how you spell it but it’s pronounced like tacklestun).

History of the word pecan is fascinating!

Peen O'Shay

Helmut