Just based on how often I notice someone mispronounce a word without realizing it (or have done so myself and realized it later). Statistically I’m probably still doing it with some word.
Contiguous. Didn’t find out about that one till I got to college… That was embarrassing as f***.
At some point in my life I started enunciating every syllable of the word “comfortable,” where as most Americans opt for “kuhmf-tr-bl.” I don’t remember when or why I started doing otherwise, but I can’t go back now.
Ghoti
Ha I don’t even know what that is so I will never say it.
GH is pronounced F like in “enough”.
O is pronounced E like on “women”.
TI is pronounced SH like in “action”.
Therefore, ghoti is pronounced fish.
You CAN pronounce it fish, but you can also just simply not pronounce it.
GH is pronounced _ like in high.
O is pronounced _ like in jeopardy.
T is pronounced _ like in potpourri.
I is pronounced _ like in receive.
Therefore, ghoti is completely silent.
I once spoke with a Southerner about favorite books. They recommended a series they called “The Will of Time”.
Only later I found out they were talking about The Wheel of Time.
I started at a company that had a lot of people from India. I have no problem with anybody from anywhere but It takes me a little while to become familiar with accents. That little fuzzy search option in my brain that listens to one thing and realizes what they’re trying to say is woefully undersized.
It’s my third or fourth day on the job I’m nice and early and my boss’s boss strolls in. I’m the only one there.
Suresh: I need you to check on the Catalina office. Me internal: I roughly heard of Catalina but I don’t know anything about it I don’t even know where it is, maybe it’s a city in Spain or something. They do have some international offices maybe I’m missing something. Me: Catalina? Suresh: Catalina, I need to know the status of Catalina. Me Internal: s***, that didn’t help. Furiously googles, no, that’s not any help either. Can I ask the CTO to spell something, would that be a career-ending move on day three? Should I ask him what country it’s in, should I say I don’t have the information for that office obviously I’m a working human being I could look them up and call them if I knew. Suresh reading my confusion: Catalina, Catalina, about 6 hours from here… Norte Catalina. Me: ohh so sorry, no problem, I will find the contact information for our North Carolina office check on them and let you know.
