Tag Archives: pronunciation

Pronunciation tip: pronunciation

Posted on November 2, 2022 | 1 comment

Most of us, as kids, learned that it’s “pronunciation” and not “pronounciation.” But do you know why? And do you know why someone might think you’re saying one when you’re saying the other?

1 Comment

Posted in word tasting notes

Tagged categorical perception, great vowel shift, pronounciation, pronunciation, Pronunciation Tip, video

How do you say “succinct”?

Posted on May 2, 2022 | Leave a comment

My latest article for The Week looks at a divide that not everyone is even aware is a divide: how people say the word succinct – and a few other cc words such as flaccid and accessory… and why there would be any divergence on the subject at all.

A succinct but not flaccid examination of English pronunciation

Leave a comment

Posted in The Week

Tagged flaccid, pronunciation, succinct, The Week

trebuchet

Posted on February 13, 2020 | 3 comments

This is a word that can really throw you.

I don’t just mean its object, that butch tree, that brute tech, that better-than-catapult that can hurl large stones, small cars, and any old piano or organ through the countryside:

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in word tasting notes

Tagged how to say, pronunciation, trebuchet, word tasting notes

I tell Boston about Celtics

Posted on March 28, 2018 | 3 comments

Edgar B. Herwick III, of the National Public Radio station WGBH in my erstwhile stomping grounds of Greater Boston, got me on the phone (Skype, actually) to find out why Celtic music is “keltik” but the Boston Celtics are “seltik.” Of course, I told him. You can listen to the radio show, or read the script, or both:

Why We Pronounce ‘Celtic’ Music And Boston ‘Celtics’ Differently

3 Comments

Posted in language and linguistics

Tagged Boston, Celtic, Celtics, interview, NPR, pronounce, pronunciation, radio, WGBH

I woke up in the middle of the night to talk to the BBC about pronunciation

Posted on February 22, 2018 | Leave a comment

A producer from BBC Radio Solent (in southern England) asked me if I could be interviewed for their morning show. I said sure, when? How about 8:45 am? Hmm… England time or Toronto time? Oh, uh…

Well, anyway, I got up in the middle of the night to take a 3:45 am phone call and talk to Sasha Twining about how to say PyeongChang and a few other things. Here’s the link to the show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05vswzq My segment starts at about the 17:10 mark and goes for about 5 minutes.

Sorry about the audio quality. We had arranged to use Skype with the phone as a backup but they couldn’t get the Skype to hook up so you’re hearing me on my phone headset.

Oh, also: the link to the show is only valid for 29 days. So listen to it by March 23, 2018, or you’ll be too late!

Leave a comment

Posted in BBC, pronunciation tips

Tagged BBC, BBC Radio Solent, how to say, interview, pronunciation, Pyeongchang, radio

I tell San Francisco how to say Pyeongchang

Posted on February 12, 2018 | Leave a comment

The local ABC news in the San Francisco Bay Area asked me if they could use my video on how to say the 2018 Olympic venue names in one of their news clips. I said yes, of course – I mean, if I don’t want people to see these videos, why do them? (Of course I know most people don’t really care about how to say non-English names accurately. I don’t mind; the videos are just for people who want to know.) You can see the clip here:

How do you pronounce Winter Olympics location ‘Pyeongchang?’

Leave a comment

Posted in pronunciation tips

Tagged 2018 Winter Olympic venues, ABC, news, Olympics, pronunciation, Pyeongchang, television, TV, video, Winter Olympics

Winter Olympic pronunciation tip: sz – Polish vs. Hungarian

Posted on February 5, 2018 | Leave a comment

With the Winter Olympics, you’ll see a slight increase in the number of Eastern European names you haven’t encountered before, including a definite uptick in ones containing sz. Most of those will be Polish or Hungarian. And that’s where the trouble starts, because it doesn’t sound the same in Hungarian as it does in Polish. So I’m going to tell you how to say not just sz but every available combination of c, s, and z in each of the two languages.

Leave a comment

Posted in pronunciation tips

Tagged Emőke Szőcs, how to say, Hungarian, Karolina Sztokfisz, Magdalena Czyszczoń, Natalia Wojtuściszyn, Petra Jászapáti, Polish, pronunciation, Pronunciation Tip, Sára Luca Bácskai, Winter Olympics

Chinese pronunciation tip 6: si, shi, ci, chi, zi, zhi, Cixi, and mei shir

Posted on January 29, 2018 | Leave a comment

I’m going to turn my pronunciation tip attention to the Olympics soon, but I wanted to cover one more thing in Chinese first: the I’s. Half the time you say them just as you see them, but the other half the time… you have to keep your eyes steady on this. I mean your I’s.

Leave a comment

Posted in pronunciation tips

Tagged bu shi, chi, Chinese, ci, Cixi, how to say, I, Mandarin, mei shir, Pinyin, pronunciation, Pronunciation Tip, Romanization, shi, si, transliteration, zhi, zi

Chinese pronunciation tip 5: Lucy Liu’s feng shui

Posted on January 25, 2018 | Leave a comment

Today’s pronunciation tip is on iu and ui. If Lucy Liu and Liu Xiaobo had talked about feng shui, how would you talk about that? Now you know…

Leave a comment

Posted in pronunciation tips

Tagged Chinese, feng shui, Liu Xiaobo, Lucy Liu, Mandarin, Pinyin, pronunciation, Pronunciation Tip

Chinese pronunciation tip 3: Mao Zedong, Cao Xueqin, Z, C

Posted on January 18, 2018 | Leave a comment

I’ve added another pronunciation tip on Chinese, and you can expect a few more. Then I’ll move on… there are lots of other languages that people wonder about. Expect Hungarian, Finnish, Turkish, and lots more. But today, it’s time for Chairman Mao… and a closing quotation that is not from his little red book but may have to do with politics.