Londoners: questions on pronounciation?
Jan 5th, 2007, 11:34 AM
#122
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>"Be sure to pronounce kilometres correctly. It is Kill--Oh--Meeters, so that it rhymes with centimetre. Most Brits get it wrong "
How can we get it wrong - it's a French word .....<
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm,
Kilo - from the Greek, is a preface meaning 1000.
Meter or metre, in this case is a unit of length.
Thus Kill oh meter
It is NOT Kil OM eter, that would be a device that measures "kils".
In "speedometer", and any other measuring device (thermometer, hygrometer, rotameter, etc) the accent is on the OM.
How can we get it wrong - it's a French word .....<
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm,
Kilo - from the Greek, is a preface meaning 1000.
Meter or metre, in this case is a unit of length.
Thus Kill oh meter
It is NOT Kil OM eter, that would be a device that measures "kils".
In "speedometer", and any other measuring device (thermometer, hygrometer, rotameter, etc) the accent is on the OM.
Jan 7th, 2007, 04:47 AM
#123
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Talking of pronunciation, I have always wondered why people in the US pronounce Moscow as moscaaw (we Brits say MoscOW to rhyme with LOW), and Las Vegas as LOS Vegas.
Can anyone explain, I'm just genuinely curious?
Can anyone explain, I'm just genuinely curious?
Jan 7th, 2007, 05:05 AM
#124
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I would guess it came to American via the German Moskau. Whereas in Britain we were probably more familiar with the French Moscou, since until late into the 19th century, the only British people likely to have many dealings with the place were diplomats who would probably be speaking French.
Jan 7th, 2007, 02:14 PM
#126
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Maybe pronouncing the 'Las' in Las Vegas as 'los' came from people who didn't appreciate the distinction between Spanish masculine and feminine articles and used 'los' as they would in names like Los Alamos and Los Angeles. Or maybe 'los' was just easier to say, which is the main reason a lot of spoken place names don't reflect the spelling.
On the other hand many Americans seem to my non-American ear to pronounce the English word 'loss' something like the 'Las' in Las Vegas' should be pronounced.
On the other hand many Americans seem to my non-American ear to pronounce the English word 'loss' something like the 'Las' in Las Vegas' should be pronounced.
Jan 8th, 2007, 04:56 AM
#128
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Plaistow.. this seems to me to be a relic of something larger. You do see old spellings of "plaister" (for plaster) and "maister" (for master) - but I have no idea whether it's the pronunciation or the spelling that's shifted most.
Jan 8th, 2007, 05:08 AM
#129
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No body knows the origin of "gone pear shaped". There was a programme on the TV a while ago tracking down the earliest uses of various phrases and submitting them to the Oxford English Dictionary - and "pear-shaped" was one of them.
They were unable to find a definitive usage before about 1970, and the theory was that it had entered the public vocabulary through The Sweeney.
"We're the Sweeney son, and we haven't had our dinner"
They were unable to find a definitive usage before about 1970, and the theory was that it had entered the public vocabulary through The Sweeney.
"We're the Sweeney son, and we haven't had our dinner"
Jan 17th, 2007, 10:45 AM
#130
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Regarding the pronounciation of Las Vegas I understand that only the uninitiated use the "Las." To those who frequent that city (in Canada at least) those people call it "Vegas." Ask my 84 and 85 year old aunts. If this is not correct I will let them know.
Seriously, my feeling is that whatever the locals call it is the way to say it -- if you can.
Seriously, my feeling is that whatever the locals call it is the way to say it -- if you can.
Jan 17th, 2007, 10:59 AM
#131
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Spanish speakers generally pronounce the "Los" in Los Angeles to rhyme with "dose", whereas they pronounce the "Las" in Las Vegas roughly the same way the rest of America does.
Oct 14th, 2008, 08:45 AM
#133
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Sorry to resurrect this thread from the grave, but I've got two things to add:
-If there is an English town with 'bury' on the end, it's pronounced like 'brie' (the cheese). So, Shrewsbury is 'Shrews-brie', not 'Shrews-berry' (like my family in the States call it).
-There's a place in Shropshire called Ratlinghope, which is apparently pronounced 'Ratchup'.
-If there is an English town with 'bury' on the end, it's pronounced like 'brie' (the cheese). So, Shrewsbury is 'Shrews-brie', not 'Shrews-berry' (like my family in the States call it).
-There's a place in Shropshire called Ratlinghope, which is apparently pronounced 'Ratchup'.
Oct 14th, 2008, 12:08 PM
#138
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Not pronunciation, but my daughter called me with a couple of recipe questions. I knew what icing sugar is, but the directions called for baking in a "covered baking pot." Does anyone know what that is? The recipe appears to be for a spice cake; i.e., 3 cups of flour, a tsp. of baking powder, several spices, etc.
Oct 14th, 2008, 01:50 PM
#139
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It's just what it says, I think. I have several covered baking pots, I use them for casseroles or noodle pudding or things like that. For meats or roasts, you might call it a Dutch oven and it would be bigger and metal, but smaller ones are glass or ceramic or something.
I can see a very moist cake might be baked in something like that or a pudding-type cake.
I can see a very moist cake might be baked in something like that or a pudding-type cake.
