If Americans want to say Twat they should say it properly.

[bigmouthstrikesagain]

There is a very irritating trend in US TV where an actor will use "twat" as an insult, but pronounce it "twot" ... it is painful and I need it to stop.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

And what's with adding "r" to words ending in "-a"? I've heard "cinemar" in England plenty of times. Are they not pronouncing it "properly?" I would say they're just speaking according to their accent and, as odd as it sounds, I wouldn't be pursing my lips over it.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

Mitzy I'm American and I've always pronounced and heard it rhyming with "thought." It's not a trend. It's not a new word to Americans, just less commonly used.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Although I think I prefer the Gram version of Graham.

Graham Parsons just doesn't have the same ring to it!

[MajesticWhine]

If you think of watt or squat then saying it like "twot" makes sense.
Parsta is annoying as is Lartay.

[TwoSmellyDogs]

You seem to be confusing two issues here OP. Firstly the word 'twot' which is complete gibberish - my Dad uses 'twot' and he's 100% British. He's also a bit of a dweeb sometimes.
As for other pronunciations - is it not a bit rude to have a full on all-pile-in rant about how another nation pronounces words? I think it is. Very rude. There are lots of American posters here - do you think they're enjoying this?

[Lonelynessie]

Yanbu, I watched a film the other day and it had Jason Statham in it and he said twot and not twat, I got the rage and turned the movie off! How can an English actor with an English accent say twot? It just wouldn't happen and sounded even stranger than it already does when an American person says it.

[WMittens]

I suppose the 'erb thing is a French pronunciation. They also pronounce fillet steak the French way too.

But they seem to do what they want when it comes to 'clique' and 'niche'.

[OnlyLovers]

Everyone in London says 'Lartay' as far as I can tell from my experience in the coffee queue. Makes me twitch. I will go postal over it one day, I predict.

[sleepyhead]

I had quite a heated argument with an American re: aluminium years ago (we had both been drinking).

FWIW, they spell it differently - aluminum so the different pronunciation makes sense.

It took us absolutely ages with both of us insisting that we pronounced it the way it was spelled to realise that .

[MitzyLeFrouf]

'But they seem to do what they want when it comes to 'clique' and 'niche'.'

The Brits mix and match pronunciations too.

They say 'ballet' and 'bouquet' the French way, but pronounce 'valet' and 'fillet' in a very un-French way.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

I pronounce clique and niche like the French do.

You all say "fillette" but you don't say "ballette."

And what the hell is up with "lieutenant?"

[WMittens]

Yanbu, I watched a film the other day and it had Jason Statham in it and he said twot and not twat, I got the rage and turned the movie off! How can an English actor with an English accent say twot? It just wouldn't happen and sounded even stranger than it already does when an American person says it.

Understandability for the Merkins. It grated on me when, in V for Vendetta, the detective pronounced 'lever' as 'levver'.

[gleam]

Oh dear - I say latte like lartay - that isn't how you're meant to say it?

[MuttonWasAGoose]

Yeah, the "aluminium" thing is pretty funny. I've Googled it. I think there's an argument for both ways.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

I do enjoy your pronunciation of "jalapeño" however.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

I say halla-pay-n'yo.

And I'm sticking with it!

[WMittens]

but pronounce 'valet' ... in a very un-French way.

I'd only pronounce the 't' when referring to the action of cleaning e.g. a car. If I was referring to a person as a valet, I would pronounce it 'vallay'.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

It really jars when a British character in a Hollywood film pronounces something the American way or makes an American pop culture reference.

I was watching Sliding Doors recently (such a crap film) and romantic male lead (man with pea sized head) says 'this is like an episode of Jeopardy'.

No one in the UK has ever seen Jeopardy!

[CuttedUpPear]

Don't get me started on folofel

[OnlyLovers]

Latte is like 'mat-tay' (sort of. It's hard to write down, I'm discovering).

Basically, the 'a' is short, like in mat.

[WMittens]

Yeah, the "aluminium" thing is pretty funny. I've Googled it. I think there's an argument for both ways.

Aye - discovered by an American I believe, so in theory that should be the "right" pronunciation. British English uses '-ium' for consistency with other elements' names.

[MitzyLeFrouf]

Julian Fellowes would sniff most disdainfully if he heard you pronounce 'valet' as vallay WMittens!

It's one of those U, non-U markers he loves.

[hazelnutlatte]

I pronounce jalapeño the American way - hala-pen-yo.
I have been accused of being a twat for doing this but it's because I lived in the US for a while as a teen and had never heard the word before then. Every time I hear someone say hala-peen-o i have to really resist the urge to correct them (as that really would be twattish behaviour).
I also say lartay for latte even though I know it's wrong. Saying it any other way makes me sound like I'm attempting a Yorkshire accent.

[stuffthenonsense]

ris-oh-toe (and often on things like hells kitchen its an even worse ris-oh-doe) instead of risotto, theres a double T in there, how on earth can it be anything other than risotto? also that girl in Frozen, they spell it Anna then call her Onna, plus the snowman..the minister who conducted our wedding in Norway was called Olaf, he told us it is pronounced Urlf. i suppose my problem is the assumption that Americans speak English when in fact they speak American. my problem not their mistake i suppose.

[RachelZoe]

Oh for fucks sake.

Vowel pronunciation is down to accent. There's no "proper" way to say these things.

And whenever someone starts moaning about something that should be done "properly" I envision a pursed-lipped provincial little old lady.


Quite. It's more anti American nonsense. There are other countries on earth OP. There are plenty of people out there who think you're getting pronunciations "wrong" too.