to point out that people who say "choritso" for chorizo...

[MardyBra]

... are assigning an Italian pronunciation to a Spanish word?

You don't need to do a Manuel-style "choreeeeetho" thing. Chorizo with a z sound is fine by me if you prefer, as it's a valid in many dialects.

So, catthief, cerveza should be pronounced thervetha?

Well, ackchewally, Lyra it should be thair-bay-tha in the classical Spanish dialect, but as PP have pointed out, Spanish regional dialects were, historically, less dialects as completely different languages. When Franco was in power they were outlawed in schools etc but they are now coming back and have always been particularly strong in regions like Catalunya, Galicia and the Basque Country. So, there is a large amount of divergence of pronunciation of letters like z .

But, BUT, "ch" in Spanish is never to my knowledge pronounced "K" like it would be in Italian, so anyone calling it "koreetso" is doubly an idiot.

Oddly, I would always say ee-bee-tha but never bar-the-lona in English, always Bar-se-lona.

Maybe if you were washing the sprouting broccoli spears and dropped a small one. They you might say it.

:o

OK, I've been following this assiduously, realising that I am probably becoming just like my late DMIL who couldn't say "lasagne" or "quiche" because they were new foods to her.

I followed the z vs tz vs th part. Would somebody please put that end of the word with the front end so that i can actually say it right? Is it Shoreetho? Thoreetho? Certainly, from what MrsHoratio said, it isn't Koreetho.

Blimey. It's v confusing. I studied French, German and Latin and am only now realising how different Spanish is.

Ch as in chocolate.

Talking of BBC pronunciation (WAY up thread!), years ago the Scottish football team Dundee United were playing in the European Cup. Jan Leeming (shows you how long ago it was) announced that the match would be played at Tanna-dee-chay not realising that the venue was actually United's local ground of Tannadice! Oh how we larfed

Phew, Isla, I left that one off my list but that was the one I say!

I hear 'choreetho and I think 'wanker'.

squoosh - especially if said by likes of said James Martin - feck knows what he says but saw him on TV on Saturday and I must be pregnant or something but I wanted to claw his eyes out through the TV screen.

I think it's time for Delia and her

Yes yes yes! This has annoyed the fuck out of me for years, especially hearing it said wrongly on food programmes. Why on earth would you randomly assign an Italian pronunciation to a Spanish foodstuff??

I wouldn't dream of correcting someone IRL (even the Waitrose manager who 'corrected' me some years ago), but I do regularly bellow in fury at the telly
"It's choreetho you fucking numpty, because it's Spanish!!"

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmth

How odd Squoosh, why would you think someone is a wanker for saying a word correctly? I think the wankers are the ones who give it a random and completely wrong pronunciation, frankly - they just sound really dim.

I once witnessed Jamie Oliver making "gaspach-i-o" on the telly.

Who, Moose?

I present... Quinoa.

I've been eating the grainy little buggers for years and pronounce it like... well like its spelled (kwi-noah). When was it decided to add an affected air kiss to the name 'kin-mwahhhhh'?

My grandmother had a major block about the word "croissant": she'd usually refer to "crosh-ants", or, specifically, "yon croshant things", said in a scathing tone.

I get really bothered by "pannini's" (three mistakes in one word!), "tag-lee-a-teggle" and, most painfully, "con-chee-gilee". I know it's irrational, but I can't help it.

I say hoo-mus. DBiL says hummmmus. DSis says 'that garlicy mouse shit'.

I don't think it's ever had an air kiss, it's always been kin-nwah.

Haha! I say choritho but I'm not a wanker. I also say brusketta and am not pretentious. I just speak Spanish and Italian. I would say tagliatelle properly in an Italian restaurant but not in everyday conversation.

I suppose I'm a twat for not pronouncing the t at the end of crossiant and for not saying croak mon-see-ur too.

I don't however say Paree or Roma in the same way as I wouldn't expect anyone forrin to say Londres.

When I hear someone say choritso I just assume they haven't been to Spain or don't speak Spanish. I do think they're wankers though if they say it in a smug way and have got it wrong.

I'm a crusty old hippy and it was definately kih-noah/quinaoh in ye olden days before it got trendy.

It's now keen-mwahhhh in the aisles of Wholefoods.

Anyone who walks into a sandwich shop and requests a panino should be publically flogged.

I can't help but say latte with a short a though, rather than lartay. That probably sounds pretentious but I learnt it in Italian before the Americans butchered the pronunciation and can't shake it off.

Mardy - for Jamie - see wanker

My mil pronounced shiitake as shite-ache, it can't get worse than that surely?

Genuine lol for shite-ache.