The Plague Of Internet Mispronunciation

[Freg3000]

Lately, I have been finding myself mispronouncing words that I read primarily (basically only) on the web. Such as Chimera.

I always pronounced it "Chi (as in Chair) mera." But then at MWSF I heard Steve pronounce it "Chi (like Kiser) mera."

Same thing with warez. Whenever I saw the word online, I'd say "war-ez." But then my friend told me it's pronounced "wear-z."

Does anyone else do this? It happens to me all the time. If it does happen to you, what are the other words you mispronounce?

[vniow]

How about people's screennames?

I swear people mispronounce mine all the time, it's vi'neeeohh, not va'neyeow.

[strider42]

I would say that warez is pronounced so it rhymes with chairs. thats what I've always thought anyway. It is, afterall, a play on the last syllable of "software" (or so I've always assumed).

as for chimera, I've always actually pronounced it with the soft CH like chair, but on thinking about it, it may very well be the hard sound like a K, like the word chiten (what makes up an insects exoskeleton which was famously mispronounced in a Doctor Who episode). checking dictionary.com, it is indeed a hard K sound. Who knew.

[Macette]

chimera is the big one for me.

and it took me a long time to get used to PRAM (tho that's not specifically internet i guess)

[rainman::|:|]

My grandfather pronounces it "war-ez" too, i thought that was weird. I always pronounced it rhyming with chairs. As for chimera, i pronounced it with a soft "ch" too, until i was corrected (partner has a degree in english, and it's something to do with old literature)...

pnw

[Nipsy]

Even though I use it daily, consult on it daily, etc. I am still guilty of saying 'OS ecks' every once in a while.

Stems from the long beta period, where is was discussed in type more than in voice.

Hard habit to break....

[GrandShenlong]

just a little FYI: Chimera was an ancient mythological beast, slain by Bellerophon (MI:2 anyone?). It was an amalgam o snake, lion, and goat (i think, some weird combo). The pronunciation is ki-MAY-ruh.

[scem0]

Our word ‘Chimera’, which is not only a beast but also an organ that has been genetically engineered, came from the Latin ‘Chimaera’, which was a mythological female beast – part snake, part goat, and part lion. So, I would guess that the correct English pronunciation would be how it was pronounced in Latin. But that also brings up an argument, because in classical Latin it would be pronounced kie-my-rah, and an ecclesiastical pronunciation would be pronounced ‘chim-aye-rah’. So neither the ecclesiastical pronunciation nor the classical pronunciation goes along with how most people say it in English. Personally, I pronounce it ‘kie-meer-ah’.

[SPG]

Even though I know it's supposed to rhyme with chairs, I like saying it like "Juarez" as in "Today the Juarez cartel eluded border agents, the INS, and the DEA while..." Makes it sound a whole lot more sinister.

[MontanaMacster]

I know how it is supposed to be pronounced, but I always slip and call it crap.

[MacFan25]

Originally posted by MontanaMacster
I know how it is supposed to be pronounced, but I always slip and call it crap.

lol :D I think that I probably mispronounce a lot of screen names.

[FattyMembrane]

Originally posted by GrandShenlong
just a little FYI: Chimera was an ancient mythological beast, slain by Bellerophon (MI:2 anyone?)
unlike warez, chimera is actually a word in the dictionary, so you can look up the proper pronunciation if you're stuck. one that bothers me is linux. is it pronounced with a hard i (line) or soft i (spin)? i always say it with a soft i, but since the creator's name is linus, i suppose the hard i would be correct.

[King Cobra]

Originally posted by MontanaMacster
I know how it is supposed to be pronounced, but I always slip and call it crap.

I don't think you slipped, man. :cool:

As for the "warez" thing, I combine the two. I pronounces it /wear-azz/.

I usually say /ch-imm-era/, but I don't use "chimera". :D

[zimv20]

what about SQL?

i've heard "ess cue ell" and "see qwell"

what about when it's MySQL?

also:

for everyone who's ever read a book that teaches how to do something, remember that primer is pronounced to rhyme with "dimmer," not "rhymer."

a primer that rhymes with "rhymer" is something that helps start a fire or acts as a basecoat (like for painting)

[Choppaface]

Originally posted by zimv20
what about SQL?

i've heard "ess cue ell" and "see qwell"

most people say the letters in the acronym

[macktheknife]

Many people call SQL "sequel." Unfortunately, this is how Microsoft pronounced it when it released its SQL Server product. This reminds me of how Microsoft never refer to surfing the web as "navigating" but always as "exploring." Always call MySQL "my-ess-kue-ell" (like "my-s-q-l") to show that Microsoft doesn't control your vocabulary. :D

[bousozoku]

Originally posted by FattyMembrane

unlike warez, chimera is actually a word in the dictionary, so you can look up the proper pronunciation if you're stuck. one that bothers me is linux. is it pronounced with a hard i (line) or soft i (spin)? i always say it with a soft i, but since the creator's name is linus, i suppose the hard i would be correct.

Linus would be something like Lean oos and Linux--Lean oocks.

Prior to being an acronym, SQL was called Sequel at IBM.

Freg3000:

I wouldn't depend on the way Steve Jobs pronounces anything. :D

[Kid Red]

So you guys who say war-ez also say sharewar-ez? Freewar-ez? No. It's wares, as in plural but spelled with a 'z' because it's against the 'man' like in graffiti.

[cr2sh]

These real nerdy types come in the shops sometimes and call it "lie-nux" I tend get violent...

Wear-ez

How about "forte".. anyone care to mispronounce that word?

[zimv20]

Originally posted by cr2sh

How about "forte".. anyone care to mispronounce that word?

???

that's a real word. does anyone say anything other than "four tay?"

[Zion Grail]

Zim: It actually depends on the situation.

If you mean forte as in music, it's "for-tay". If it's forte as in "That's my forte, or thing I'm best in", then it's "fort". :) Source: Everything You Know Is Wrong (book), Author: Paul Kirchner.

[cr2sh]

As Zion pointed out, it is pronounced "fort." It comes from the french word for the strong portion of a blade.

<EDIT> from webster.com

Main Entry: 1forte
Pronunciation: 'fOrt, 'fort; 2 is often 'for-"tA or for-'tA or 'for-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: French fort, from fort, adjective, strong
Date: circa 1648
1 : the part of a sword or foil blade that is between the middle and the hilt and that is the strongest part of the blade
2 : one's strong point
usage In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived 2forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English.

[marcsiry]

I heard a sound clip of Linus Torvalds saying "Linux," and he pronounced it "Lee-nooks."

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by marcsiry
I heard a sound clip of Linus Torvalds saying "Linux," and he pronounced it "Lee-nooks."

i had a HS teacher that pronounced it with a hard I as well, for the same reasoning (how his name was pronounced) and i would have KILLED for this evidence back then... it was so annoying :) especially when i started picking it up accidently...

pnw

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Zion Grail
Zim: It actually depends on the situation.

If you mean forte as in music, it's "for-tay". If it's forte as in "That's my forte, or thing I'm best in", then it's "fort". :) Source: Everything You Know Is Wrong (book), Author: Paul Kirchner.

well, i'll be.

i learned something new today. :-)

[GrandShenlong]

The "forte" in music comes from Italian, whereas apparently the forte in common usage in derived from French.

[iAlan]

me confuse speak no really:cool:

[bousozoku]

Originally posted by cr2sh
As Zion pointed out, it is pronounced "fort." It comes from the french word for the strong portion of a blade.

<EDIT> from webster.com

Main Entry: 1forte
Pronunciation: 'fOrt, 'fort; 2 is often 'for-"tA or for-'tA or 'for-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: French fort, from fort, adjective, strong
Date: circa 1648
1 : the part of a sword or foil blade that is between the middle and the hilt and that is the strongest part of the blade
2 : one's strong point
usage In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived 2forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English.

If it's French, then it would be pronounced for, not fort.

[cr2sh]

Originally posted by bousozoku

If it's French, then it would be pronounced for, not fort.

Which is precisely what my edit reflects. :confused: