Words or phrases that annoy you (even if you can't explain why) . . .

[andyw715]

I live in NC and have never heard those words pronounced with a -tour instead of -choor

 

[polyphenol]

New ones to add to the pile: one being a tech neologism, and the other a pronunciation peeve de-luxe…

The tech neologism, yielding the concatenation “phablet”, is such a train wreck. [Thinking back to the convergence of PDAs and mobile phones, I’m relieved the tech world didn’t start using neologisms like “PDAphone” (pronounced “PEE-duh-foan”) or “phonDA” (“foan-DUH”) or even “palmphone” ( 🤦‍♀️ ).

Anyhow, I lack the equipment to move aside the “phablet” train wreck, so onto the pronunciations.


This one is a regionalism in the U.S., principally down in the south. The pronouncing of words like “temperature”, “aperture”, and “mature” with not a phonetics of -choor, but instead with -tour.

I was reminded of this rude sound (for me, in the same family as fingernails on chalkboard) not too long ago whilst watching a YT clip from, I think, Tennessee. The person speaking said “temperature” as “TEM-puh'-tour” (it was, audibly, more like “TEM-puh-tooooour”). I shrieked audibly.

I skipped the rest of the clips and had to close the tab, then and there, to suppress the urge to do something rash which I’d regret later. Having grown up in Texas, one would hear this structure of pronunciation from people some two or more generations my elder. Evidently, this nightmare style of pronunciation has leapt over from Silent and Greatest Generation speakers from those regions, over to the mouths of late-Millennial and Gen Z people.

Good lordt, whyyyy…

Neither of your pronunciations sounds right to me - a UK English speaker. The below is closer - but still not quite as I hear myself speaking. (That isn't a good guide, I know. I should record my voice and then decide what it sounds like - or get someone else to do so.)

temperature
noun
uk /ˈtem.prə.tʃər/
us /ˈtem.pɚ.ə.tʃɚ/

temperature

1. the measured amount of heat in a place or in the body: 2. to have a higher…

dictionary.cambridge.org

 

[usagora]

uk /ˈtem.prə.tʃər/
us /ˈtem.pɚ.ə.tʃɚ/

Interesting, because I'm in the US and most people I know use the "UK" pronunciation above (where the 'r' sound comes directly after the 'p').

 

[polyphenol]

Interesting, because I'm in the US and most people I know use the "UK" pronunciation above (where the 'r' sound comes directly after the 'p').

I think I pronounce the 'e' between 'p' and 'r' - at least a bit. Rather than 'pr'.

 

[Doctor Q]

If you're going to threaten someone, you tell them what you want them to do, and the consequences if they don't. For example, "Hand over your wallet or I'll hit you over the head with this pipe" or "Drop the investigation or I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

So why is it trick or treat? It should be treat or trick!

 

[adrianlondon]

If you're going to threaten someone, you tell them what you want them to do, and the consequences if they don't. For example, "Hand over your wallet or I'll hit you over the head with this pipe" or "Drop the investigation or I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

So why is it trick or treat? It should be treat or trick!

I think it's simply because it "sounds right", like "tick tock" and "bing bong" instead of "tock tick" etc.

 

[Doctor Q]

I think it's simply because it "sounds right", like "tick tock" and "bing bong" instead of "tock tick" etc.

In Germany, kids say "Süßes oder Saures" (sweet or sour), which is a more appropriate statement of a threat.

 

[usagora]

If you're going to threaten someone, you tell them what you want them to do, and the consequences if they don't. For example, "Hand over your wallet or I'll hit you over the head with this pipe" or "Drop the investigation or I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

So why is it trick or treat? It should be treat or trick!

Just don't think of it as an "this or else" statement which requires a specific order but rather just two choices, one bad and one good. i.e. "You have one of two choices: we can trick you, or you can give us a treat."

 

[Mousse]

If you're going to threaten someone, you tell them what you want them to do, and the consequences if they don't. For example, "Hand over your wallet or I'll hit you over the head with this pipe" or "Drop the investigation or I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

So why is it trick or treat? It should be treat or trick!

TIL...Halloween is a kid's extortion racket.😱 I always thought it was the kids asking for either a magic trick or yummy treats.

I'm moving to Australia where one angry Aussie doesn't celebrate Halloween.😁

 

[B S Magnet]

Neither of your pronunciations sounds right to me - a UK English speaker. The below is closer - but still not quite as I hear myself speaking. (That isn't a good guide, I know. I should record my voice and then decide what it sounds like - or get someone else to do so.)

temperature
noun
uk /ˈtem.prə.tʃər/
us /ˈtem.pɚ.ə.tʃɚ/

temperature

1. the measured amount of heat in a place or in the body: 2. to have a higher…

dictionary.cambridge.org

Two bits:

One: I’m in Canada. My accent is distinctly central Canadian anglophone (and metropolitan, at that). Although I grew up in Texas, I rejected the varying drawl associated with all the linguistic regions there before I reached adulthood.

Two: I utter the above example words, those ending with “-ture”, with “-tʃər” — what I referred to, in lay terms, as “–choor” (for those who don’t work regularly with IPA). Both “-tjər” and “-choor” are very far from “-tour” — which, I ought to note, covers a portion of “US”, as described in detail earlier.

That is to say: there is not a uniform “US” pronunciation, lest one demarcate a geographic portion of the U.S. as another, discrete place (which, well, didn’t work so well out some 160-odd years ago).

If you're going to threaten someone, you tell them what you want them to do, and the consequences if they don't. For example, "Hand over your wallet or I'll hit you over the head with this pipe" or "Drop the investigation or I'll make sure you never work in this town again."

So why is it trick or treat? It should be treat or trick!

It derives from a long history of fairly clever resistance (of survival, mostly) by street beggars who’d approach to distract, humiliate, and/or waste the time of by-passers — i.e., the “trick” — but… all of that could be avoided with a minor offering — i.e., the “treat” — in lieu of that time/humiliation/distraction.

 

[Doctor Q]

It derives from a long history of fairly clever resistance (of survival, mostly) by street beggars who’d approach to distract, humiliate, and/or waste the time of by-passers — i.e., the “trick” — but… all of that could be avoided with a minor offering — i.e., the “treat” — in lieu of that time/humiliation/distraction.

Ah, so those guys who smear a rag across your windshield and expect a tip for it are just performing a version of "trick and treat."

 

[B S Magnet]

Ah, so those guys who smear a rag across your windshield and expect a tip for it are just performing a version of "trick and treat."

You’re referring to “squeegee kids”.

No. For worse or better (often worse, as you noted the dirtying source for their bucket of water), that’s informal, or “under-the-table” labour.

 

[Gregg2]

The person speaking said “temperature” as “TEM-puh'-tour” (it was, audibly, more like “TEM-puh-tooooour”).

Although this is not a pronunciation thread, this pushes my button also. Around here, all the weather people on TV say "tem puh churr". Even online dictionaries do not seem to make it a 4-syllable word, although it's broken up with spaces as if it has four, yet the phonetic markings only give three. Of course, none of them say "meteorologist" correctly either.

 

[B S Magnet]

Although this is not a pronunciation thread,

(Mis)pronunciation can make a word annoying, so it’s fair game here.

this pushes my button also. Around here, all the weather people on TV say "tem puh churr". Even online dictionaries do not seem to make it a 4-syllable word, although it's broken up with spaces as if it has four, yet the phonetic markings only give three. Of course, none of them say "meteorologist" correctly either.

I hadn’t really put much protestation around the middle portion of “temperature”, but the line between “tem-puh-choor” and “temp-puh-tour” is awfully close. My annoyance is, especially, with the last portion, as it repeats itself like a mutating virus in other commonly used words (like the aforementioned “mature” and “aperture”, “expenditure”, and so on).

[For anyone who once lived in southeast Texas, an unusually good example of this in action was to imagine hearing Marvin Zindler saying the word “temperatures” during his weekly restaurant reports on local news.]

 

[usagora]

Even online dictionaries do not seem to make it a 4-syllable word, although it's broken up with spaces as if it has four, yet the phonetic markings only give three.

The macOS dictionary doesn't show syllabification in the pronunciation (just in the spelling). However, it does indicate the various accepted pronunciations of the word by putting certain syllables in parentheses, indicating those may be omitted, in which case it would be pronounced as three syllables even though the word is technically four syllables. This isn't unique to this word. Spoken language is not an exact science. Often we shorten words when speaking them or blend syllables together so you can't hear them distinctly. In fact, often pronouncing every syllable of every word in a sentence clearly will make you sound very awkward and robotic.

Another example of a four syllable word that is pronounced as three syllables in some dialects of English is the word "ordinary." Some pronounce it | ˈôrdnˌerē | while others pronoune it | ˈôrdnˌrē |. Plenty of other examples.

 

[B S Magnet]

The macOS dictionary doesn't show syllabification in the pronunciation (just in the spelling). However, it does indicate the various accepted pronunciations of the word by putting certain syllables in parentheses, indicating those may be omitted, in which case it would be pronounced as three syllables even though the word is technically four syllables. This isn't unique to this word. Spoken language is not an exact science. Often we shorten words when speaking them or blend syllables together so you can't hear them distinctly. In fact, often pronouncing every syllable of every word in a sentence clearly will make you sound very awkward and robotic.

View attachment 2306147

Another example of a four syllable word that is pronounced as three syllables in some dialects of English is the word "ordinary." Some pronounce it | ˈôrdnˌerē | while others pronoune it | ˈôrdnˌrē |. Plenty of other examples.

Warsh that down with a glass of milk!

 

[Doctor Q]

(Mis)pronunciation can make a word annoying, so it’s fair game here.

It's properly feb-roo-ary, not feb-yoo-ary, but most TV announcers don't seem to know that.

 

[VisceralRealist]

"temperature" is definitely three syllables for me, and is for most people I encounter here in California. I usually find the best pronunciation guides on Wiktionary: /ˈtɛm.pɹəˌt͡ʃɚ/ Although if you can't read IPA, it just looks like nonsense.

I taught myself to say "February" with an "r" in there. I grew up saying "Febuary", but it now sounds juvenile and incorrect to me.

 

[B S Magnet]

It's properly feb-roo-ary, not feb-yoo-ary, but most TV announcers don't seem to know that.

Fun story about “February” having a special place in my heart:

In a grade school spelling bee, I watched twenty contestants ahead of me absolutely twist into contortions trying to spell “February”. When the turn reached me, I smiled and did what needed to be done. I was also the last person still standing and won my first bee.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Four syllables come out of my mouth when speaking such words: Temperature (and yes, it is "choor" for me), ordinary, February, and so on.

 

[VisceralRealist]

What about "veterinary"? As far as I know, that one is always tetrasyllabic in the U.S. but only trisyllabic in the U.K.

 

[B S Magnet]

Four syllables come out of my mouth when speaking such words: Temperature (and yes, it is "choor" for me), ordinary, February, and so on.

I imagine the “-tour” ending is a U.S.-only regionalism, or one confined to an identifiable demographic — one or the other. I’ve never heard the “-tour” ending on any “–ture”-spelled word here in Canada.

What about "veterinary"? As far as I know, that one is always tetrasyllabic in the U.S. but only trisyllabic in the U.K.

I’ve definitely heard penta-syllabic “veterinary” more often here than “ve–trin-air-ree” or “ve-trin-ree”. But this also speaks a lot to how a “modern standard Canadian” anglo dialect was influenced heavily by the talent at the CBC news desk each night (:cough: Peter Mansbridge :cough:).

 

[Mousse]

(Mis)pronunciation can make a word annoying, so it’s fair game here.

My Southern drawl coupled with my Old Country accent makes every word I speak a mispronunciation.😭 People who know me, understand why I rarely speak.😶

[For anyone who once lived in southeast Texas, an unusually good example of this in action was to imagine hearing Marvin Zindler saying the word “temperatures” during his weekly restaurant reports on local news.]

"Slime in the ice machine."🤮 Gawd I miss Marvin.🤠

 

[Chuckeee]

Here in California,
Mary
Merry
Marry
are pronounced exactly the same by the natives.

 

[usagora]

Here in California,
Mary
Merry
Marry
are pronounced exactly the same by the natives.

Hmm. I'm not in CA, but I thought pretty much everyone pronounced those words in roughly the same manner. How do you think they differ, practically? The macOS dictionary even shows the same pronunciation for each: