How do you pronounce "que" ?

[momrek06]

I've heard the same thing with "Prom".

I've always said "Going to THE prom".

But, I hear a lot (especially on TV, so I'd presume that the left coast says it this way) "Going to prom," as if "prom" is a verb.

Drives me nuts.

ITA ...what is up with that...!!! Even in watching any "SOAPS" and the actors/actresses are getting ready for THE Prom...they all always say just PROM...sounds so weird to me.

They said the same thing on the MTV show Laguana Beach...???

"Who are you going to PROM with?"!!!

 

[english rose 47]

Well then, what the heck is a "half farthing?"

a quarter of a halfpenny pronounced haypenny and of course a rubber is pronounced a rubber in England but has a totally different meaning!!!!

 

[Goofy4]

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

Just ask anyone from THE Ohio State.

If this hasn't been posted yet (of even if it has)...

The BBC refers to a team in the plural -- "With the exception of Drogba and Essien, Chelsea were dismal". After noticing that a while back, I've noticed American news sites occasionally doing the same. And of course, "defence" is the key to the game.

 

[Lorelai]

I went to college in DC and I had a roomate from the "Norfolk" area of VA.

I would occasionally ask about things in "Norfolk" (I pronounced the "folk" part as "How are you folks doing"?). One day, she told me that no one in Norfolk actually says Norfolk. They leave the "l" completely out of it, and their "o" sounds way more like a "u".

I didn't want to be rude and mispronounce her hometown, so from then on it was Nor***. It just felt like swearin' to me though.

 

[zookeeper]

The ya know is also very common here in Michigan. Being right by Canada we have fun asking Canadians to say out and about. The fun of hearing oot and aboot, eh.

I grew up in Windsor, Ontario (across the river from Detroit). I went to university in Ottawa and everyone there teased me for my American accent.

For the record:

- I say Q - queue is French for tail
- I say key for quay
- I drink pop, not soda
- I sit on a couch (it's only a sofa if it has a bed in it)
- I get money from a bank machine (not an ATM)
- I park my car in a garage (the final g sounds like the 'dg' in judge), however, my DH (from Ottawa) parks in the garage (final g sounds like 's' in treasure)

I also find it amusing when people say that they don't speak with an accent. Everyone speaks with an accent it's just a different accent depending on where you are from.

 

[Princesa]

Our local Subway actually has a lovely sign posted in the dining room by the beverage station-- "Refills are only for customers of the Dinning Room"
I simply could not help myself....I asked the manager if they often had people come to din and was that only on certain nights?


I grew up in southern IN and every soda/pop was a coke. I went off to college, and would ask my friends if they would like a coke. If yes, I would then say Pepsi or Mountain Dew? After getting myself laughed at multiple times, I finally trained myself to say pop like they did.

I don't have too much problem with most errors--just grin and bear it, but I must admit "I seen it" and "I done it" grate on my nerves after a bit.

My boss spells napkins as knapkins and I can't figure out how to correct him without making him feel bad...


My DD has always since she learned about Sleeping Beauty called her Sleeping Booty. And yes, we laugh, and no, we don't correct her because it is just tooooo funny! when she met Aurora at CRT she gave her a big hug and shouted "I love you Sleeping Booty!" That poor girl had the hardest time not laughing. Bravo to her that she pulled it off! Now that DD is 5 maybe we should do something about that

 

[smiller]

I say pop, sucker, and in line (on line for phone or internet).

As for the prom, to me it can go both ways:
I'm going to the prom.
Who are you going to prom with?

Ending in a preposition brings me to my next comment. We Chicagoans like to add unnecessary prepositions at the end of our sentences:
Where are you at?
Wanna come with?

And finally, my biggest peeve is when people use apostrophes for plurals:
CM's
90's
ADR's

I'll get over it. It's just the copyeditor in me!

 

[brbenoit]

I grew up in Windsor, Ontario (across the river from Detroit). I went to university in Ottawa and everyone there teased me for my American accent.

For the record:

- I say Q - queue is French for tail
- I say key for quay
- I drink pop, not soda
- I sit on a couch (it's only a sofa if it has a bed in it)
- I get money from a bank machine (not an ATM)
- I park my car in a garage (the final g sounds like the 'dg' in judge), however, my DH (from Ottawa) parks in the garage (final g sounds like 's' in treasure)

I also find it amusing when people say that they don't speak with an accent. Everyone speaks with an accent it's just a different accent depending on where you are from.

But you do say University instead of College.

And do you go to the washroom instead of the bathroom?

 

[zookeeper]

But you do say University instead of College.

And do you go to the washroom instead of the bathroom?

I say both bathroom and washroom, although I'm not sure why???

In Ontario there is a distinction between a University and a College so I usually don't interchange those.

I also thought of another one... I say "Q"-pon not coo-pon for coupon.

 

[LucyR]

I say Q
I drink pop
I sit on a couch (a davenport has a bed in it, but that's an old-fashioned term my mother always used)
I go to the bathroom
I graduated from college

But then there's all the dialects that are specific to one's family. Usually as a result of some kid mispronouncing something in a cute way, and it sticks (like pasketti). For years I didn't even realize that hang-guh-ber was really hamburger!

 

[snowwite]

I've always pronounced it "Q".

Ditto

 

[Robo]

No rules for names.

Koch can be pronounced as Coke.

Macleod pronounced MaCloud.

Pall Mall pronounced Pell Mell.

Takei pronounced Tukay.

Sean pronounced Shawn.

Sade pronounced Shaw-DAY (or Shar-DAY).

Robo pronounced RAW-Bow (or ROW-Bow).

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

The other regional thing that I have difficulty with is when people in certain parts of the U.S. use an adjective to describe a soft drink. Instead of using the word Pop many people use the word Soda. When the full description is known universally as Soda Pop, with Pop being the noun and soda being the adjective describing the type of pop that it is.

Actually, you've got it backwards.

Soda is the noun, as in Soda Water (the main component of the drink). Pop is the adjective, to describe the taste/carbonation. Just to be sure, I looked it up at Websters. It's funny, because that's always the thing I think when I hear someone ask for "Pop", LOL. I always want to ask "...corn?" The thought of going to the movies and getting a tub of popcorn and a pop in a cup sounds so strange to me. That one has always tickeled me too, but if you look at Pepsi's corporate report they sell soda, not pop. I find "pop" cute, but it's use seems to really be declining.

The only mistakes that make me shudder personally are when someone is using a phrase they don't understand. For example, you will see lots of people who talk about "for all intensive purposes", or, my biggest pet peeve : people saying someone has a "mute point". For some reason that just sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

I'm sure we all say things others would find off. I started reading early (2-3), and by the time I hit school I was reading books that had words I hadn't really hard conversationally yet, so even now as an adult although I say the words correctly I don't always think them the right way when I'm reading or writing the word. A good example of this is coup. As in, military coup. When I write the word (not terribly often, as it doesn't come up, LOL), I think "coup" so I spell it correctly, but if I was saying it aloud I'd correct myself. Another word like that is "Wednesday". I'm a terrible speller, so when I write it I say "WED-nes-day" in my head so I get it correct.

Language is so fun.

NED

 

[DebIreland]

"for all intensive purposes"

I love that one!

 

[k5thbeatle]

It's spel

 

[mama4]

Regional differences don't usually bother me at all unless I truly can't understand what someone is telling me. Can't say I've ever called soda "pop" but I have called it "coke". I've called a couch a "sofa" and I've said going to the prom as well as going to prom.
However, two mistakes that bother me are pronouncing the word height "heighth" and saying "I could care less instead of "I cound not care less". Dh always quietly replies "then go on, care less!" This last "pet peeve" makes me realize that a lot of people must not pay attention to what they're actually saying

 

[mickeymousemom]

This thread is cracking me up !

I have always said "Q"
I sit on a couch
I drink "coke" in many different flavors

My mom says "granite" for granted...and pronounces nuclear "nook-u-ler"
Our local, family owned coffee shop has Expresso on their menu boards...it's ESPRESSO people. I even heard Sandra Lee on the Food Network say "Expresso" several times in one show the other day.

Now, the new thing on these boards that's driving me nuts are the people who say they have an ADR for "Ragland" Road. There's NO "D" guys...It's RAGLAN Road.

I guess we'll have to probably add that on to the list of restaurants people will never get right

O'hana's
Boma's
Akerhaus
1900 Park Faire
Ragland Road

...and for those of you who do this and think I'm picking on you..no way...
For the longest time, I spelled 'Ohana, O'hana....I couldn't figure out why the name LOOKED Irish but wasn't...

 

[k5thbeatle]

It's spelled "q-u-e-u-e" but it is actually pronounced "Thwartwobbler Mangrove" by strict English definitions!

 

[momrek06]

I have a very interesting one for you all....

My mom's name is Helen...pronounced HE**EN just like everyone or anyone you might know with the name Helen (insert the two L's to pronounce it correctly)(I used stars so MODS would not get mad)!!!

Now my Mom named Helen ALWAYS pronounces the word HELICOPTER like this HEELICOPTER..."Mom, it is not HEEL, it is HE**ICOPTER"...my Mom explains to all of us..."Girls, I do not like saying the word HE**!"...all us girls..."Mom, what is YOUR first name?"...Mom..."that does not matter, I am refuse to say the word HE**!"

OKAY, so the above conversation is the total TRUTH!!!

My life in a STATE of TOTAL CONFUSION....

 

[lovetoscrap]

Here is another seen 3 days ago at MCO (the Orlando Airport for those that don't fly to WDW).

On the cash register of the little nut store in Terminal A to gates 169.

"We do not except $50 or $100 bills"

Even my 10 yr. old dd understood why this was wrong. ACCEPT!!!!


I also get annoyed by signs that use YOUR and YOU'RE incorrectly. A place we used to go to had signs that said "Smile, Your On Camera", and "Please Place You're Order Here". It drove me NUTS!