How do you pronounce "que" ?

[twinklebug]

I have a question for you allllll......

My son always says..."ON ACCIDENT"...instead of "by accident"...

When he has to put that combo of words in a sentence he always says "on accident" and everyone around him corrects him and tells him he should say.."by accident"!!!

Which is correct, I think BY is correct!! DS is 24yo!!!!

24 yo and still using that term I'd tell him "Hun, unless you're standing ON or IN and accident you just had, it's BY accident"

 

[Mortlives]

24 yo and still using that term I'd tell him "Hun, unless you're standing ON or IN and accident you just had, it's BY accident"

I think the confusion comes from the fact that something can either be accidental or on purpose.

 

[momrek06]

24 yo and still using that term I'd tell him "Hun, unless you're standing ON or IN and accident you just had, it's BY accident"

!!! ITA!!!

When he says "ON" he sounds like he is 5yo!!!

It is such a habit now....

And may I add this 24yo has a Master's in European History....

 

[mama4]

Being from the south, it's all Coke. Even if it's Pepsi. A typical conversaion might go like this:
"Would you get me a coke?"
"Sure, what kind?"
"Pibb Zero, please"

Lol- true, true! I do say "soda" now that I'm an adult but I remember saying "coke" for Pepsi, 7UP, even Nehi sodas.

 

[shoney]

One that drives my 58 year old mother crazy is when someone says

" I seen...." for instance, "I seen it on television last night"

She always says that the thirty something and younger crowd are always making this mistake. She works in sales and is astonished at how many education executives make the mistake.
I have to admit she corrects me sometimes too and always with the reply of
"its have, has or had seen or I saw"!!!
(ps I have a masters in education!)

 

[momrek06]

I have to share this...I have a younger son attending the University of Glasgow in Scotland. There are students from Norway, Australia, Germany, France, USA and obviously Scotland/UK and many more countries all there studying. DS said to me, most of them speak BETTER english than I do....

For instance: DS says..."During the summer I used to go to bed very late"...

The SCOTS will say..."During the summer I was accustomed to going to bed very late"...

DS tells me...ahhh...they all speak so PROPERLY.

 

[amylevan]

I am an ON line person. The line has already been formed, there are people standing there forming the line, and I am joining them by getting ON line. My friend and I have actually argued this point.

And a non-related argument: my DH (and all his friends that we went to college with) claim that you go outside and "have a catch", whereas I merely say that you are going out to "play catch". How can you "have" a catch???

 

[disney-super-mom]

Well, where I'm from people usually say pop. "Can I get a pop? Sure, what kind do you want? I'd like a diet Pepsi. Coming right up!"

I've always pronounced queue as "Q".

I get confused about using the term "hospital". Where I'm from people say
"the hospital". For example somone would say, "My dad is in the hospital."

However, I've noticed that many people don't use the word "the" in front of hospital. They would say, "My dad is in hospital." That sounds so weird to me.

Not sure which is correct. What do you say?

 

[Ride Junkie]

One that drives my 58 year old mother crazy is when someone says

" I seen...." for instance, "I seen it on television last night"

She always says that the thirty something and younger crowd are always making this mistake. She works in sales and is astonished at how many education executives make the mistake.
I have to admit she corrects me sometimes too and always with the reply of
"its have, has or had seen or I saw"!!!
(ps I have a masters in education!)

That one drives me NUTS!! You hear "I seen" a lot when you watch "Cops".

 

[Sleeping Becca]

That one drives me NUTS!! You hear "I seen" a lot when you watch "Cops".

I suspect it is also rampant on Jerry Springer, and Judge Judy.

 

[disneyfanfamily]

I was in Alabama at the end of August for a wedding. We went to a restaurant and asked for a pop. She gave me a look....like she misunderstood me. Then I said "I will have a coke." The confusion left her face. I think that is funny for people to call non coke a coke....Cracks me up! They probably think I am funny for calling it a pop...

 

[snusnu]

I get confused about using the term "hospital". Where I'm from people say
"the hospital". For example somone would say, "My dad is in the hospital."

However, I've noticed that many people don't use the word "the" in front of hospital. They would say, "My dad is in hospital." That sounds so weird to me.

Not sure which is correct. What do you say?

It's colloquial. English-speaking Europeans often omit the article. Americans add the article. They're both right.

 

[erikthewise]

I like to pronounce it like the lower case q.

Is that wrong?

Of course not. That IS the correct pronunciation.

 

[twinklebug]

colloquial..

Say that five times fast!

Oh, yes! I love all these grown-up words.
Something I don't get much of around here as DD is into gossip, and DS is into anything that rhymes with "heart" but sounds rude.

Ya-Know what bugs me more than a difference in opinion on what one should call their carbonated beverage? (which I believe "beer" is the universally agreed upon form) The use of "ya-know" in every other line, or worse, when it's paired up with "like".

Like, ya-know what I did today?
No, I don't know, so why don't you pass me my brewski and get on with it?
(runs for cover)

 

[DebIreland]

Some of you may have heard this before, but I'll ignore the history lesson of this argument and give the short version. Basically, the English language makes such little sense that, using various spellings of sounds, you could spell the word "fish" as "ghoti"

Breaking it down:
gh (as in the word "tough") = F
o (as in the word "women") = I
ti (as in any word ending in "-tion") = SH

Amazing! I just love that. I read it a while back here on the DIS - not sure if it's you who posted it then - it was a similar thread to this one - but I passed it on to lots of people. It's really something!

 

[pepperw23]

Thanks everyone. Now I will have to send this thread to her so she can see that not only was she correct , but that I also spelled the word incorrectly . We are huge Disney fans, I dont think she will let me forget this too soon

Don't feel bad, I just figured out last year that faux is not pronounced "FOX" but "FOE" ha ha. Boy did I feel stupid.

 

[El Tel]

Yesterday I was chatting to some business guests from Washington DC. They are staying in the UK for some time, so they are renting a flat (apartment) in London. They were taken aback when the estate agent (realtor) said she would give them a 'tinkle' later. In the UK this is used as a twee way of saying phone call (as well as the other meaning).

One of the Disney sayings that makes me smile to myself every time (I'm easily pleased at WDW) - is the announcement that the ride / bus will start 'momentarily'. In UK English this means 'for a little while' rather than 'in a little while'.

 

[Jackmonkey]

They say the many dialects of Arabic are the toughest languages to learn. Unless you are Arab, then it's American English.

On the whole on line / in line issue, I always though that if you were standing behind the person in front of you, that would be in line, and if you were side by side with the people (like in military ranks) then that would be on line.

... But how many of you people get on the airplane instead of into it?

 

[El Tel]

... But how many of you people get on the airplane instead of into it?

I was wondering why I felt so faint and cold on flights - thanks for the info

 

[krismas29]

Don't feel bad, I just figured out last year that faux is not pronounced "FOX" but "FOE" ha ha. Boy did I feel stupid.

Oh my gosh that brought back memories! My aunt told me a few years ago that she was buying a "Fox" fur coat because they were all over the stores and looked so cute.

It took me AGES (like 2 years) to figure out that she had meant faux fur. I always thought she was a bit odd for wanting a fox fur!

You know what really drives me nuts for some reason? When people say "a couple or three". For instance, I would say "I'd like a couple of cookies" which could encompass anywhere from 2 to 5 cookies. People I work with (in TN) say "I'd like a couple or three cookies".

Why does this bother me? I have no idea!