The English Language

My husband is from a hard languaged country, Norway. ( his name is RuneTrygve) He has been in the states since the month before we got married. If you've ever been around a Norskmen you know they have a very hard time pronouncing the W & V sounds and they pronounce the TH sound as a D sound. So you understand, I hear him say to the kids, "Give this to your Mother" but it sounds like, "Gefa dis to yur Muder". My maidn name is Webb, he still says my name wrong, I love him.
Our kids all have reading problems. I've told every teacher and special ed person that I think it is because of the two different accents they hear. No one has ever agreed with me... What do I know, I'm just 'Der Muder'. :D Every now and then I have to have him say things over. On the phone it is worse. He does so well and spells much better than I do!
He has a very hard language to learn. I've been trying for 14 years. All I say well is, 'I understand little Norwegian.' Like that has ever helped me. lol
 
@ runetuna ~ my maternal grandfather was Norwegian and he wrote phonetically. Ha! It was a kick to read his letters. He wrote with a Norwegian accent.

I know this is old, but whenever I hear people talking about the crazy spelling of the English language I immediately think of "ghoti". That is pronounced "fish" -- gh as in "enough", o as in "women", and ti as in "nation". No wonder we have trouble.

Many of you have already mentioned some of my pet peeves. Especially those who say "could care less" instead of "couldn't care less".

I say "ant". Aunt [taunt] would feel affected to me.
 
Ahhh, Norway, the land of lutefisk and lefse. Being in northern Wisconsin and right next to Minnesota (think the Minnesota Vikings) I have met many of Norwegian ancestry, but no one born there. However when they have that huge international ski race in the area, there are many here from Norway

So many Norwegians up in this area, might account for my friends who pronounce words differently. Even house (think the man who tells the story when you watch The Waltons. they pronounce it so it almost sounds like moose.

Then there are local words for things. When I lived in Illinois, and you went to the park, got some water from the drinking fountain. But my relatives in Milwaukee all got theirs from "the bubbler". And I drank soda. But others always drank pop. And in some areas of the country, it makes no difference WHAT you are drinking, it is all "coke".
When I went to England, I was very happy I was such a big fan of Agatha Christie, because it helped with certain items. i.e. To us, they are cookies....there they are biscuits. We take the elevator, they take the lift. We use an umbrella in the rain, they use a bumbershoot. We wear a sweater, they wear a jumper. We may look under the hood of a car, but they look under the bonnet.

Back to English language, we wave good-bye, and watch the ocean wave come crashing into shore. We plant a seed, but cede the land to others. We can bar folks from drinking at a bar, but sometimes a bar across the door is the only way to keep out the riffraff.
 
The other day my husband and I were talking about medications and I had to laugh at myself when I realized that I pronounce "pill" and "peel" the same way.

Later, I thought about the word, "minute," as in 60 seconds, and "minute," meaning very, very small or insignificant. I won't even try to give the pronunciation on that second one because I might not say it the same way most of you do. Lol..
 
Oh yes, the way things sound when said by people living in the South to us Western or Northern types! My father was born in Waco Texas, and when he passed away the eulogy was given by a pastor who really had a deep drawl.

"John was a fine man, who started life poorly, born to humble farm parents in "WHITE KOTEX'ES"..my whole family looked at each other, trying not to giggle. We are all Californians, and our Dad really did not have a Texas accent since they had moved to Arizona early in his life.
 
Barb and Lil0, looks like I'm on track with minute, as in very small. At least I got one thing right! :rotfl:

Stella, that's a good one. Our long "A" gives non-Texan/Southerners fits. My husband is a Long Islander and his long "I" sounds very much like my long "A." When he first moved here over 30 years ago he went to get some kind of farm equipment registered. The lady told him he'd have to go get a weight slip. He thought she was saying, "white slip" and he was at a loss.
 
this thread is FUN!

let's go on a cruise so we can SEIZE the day on the high SEAS.

some years ago, we worked at a nuke plant in Wisconsin. The nearest town was named Two Rivers, the locals all pronounced it "TRIVERS"
while working at the nuke plant in Maine, I learned that you could drive ya' cah to Bah Hah bah and drink a soder. (drive your car to a bar and drink soda)
out here in Arizona I live near a road called "Salome Highway" it's pronounced Sah loam or even S'loam and not Sal oh may
 
I remembered a few mistakes I made here at the Spectator. Let's see. I often stretched facts, instead of stressing them. That is, until some good posters here kindly corrected me. And, the funniest one of all, I think, was when I wrote : " In Salem, people are often declared dead while they are still breeding ". Of course, the appropriate spelling was breathing. Then again, that also was good for a few laughs ! :rotfl:Hey, it's Salem, it could happen ! :rotfl:

Then yesterday, my husband and I were talking and sometimes we talk in English with our girls to practice. And apparently, I pronounce "traitor" like "trader". Better be careful if I don't want to insult traders out there. :)
 
I continue to chuckle how Kate, and I think Lucas, continue to say Dimeeera, instead of the correct pronunciation, DiMera.
 
I think many of us do that sort of thing. But it truly is hard for those raised in another language to know that sees, seas, seize are all pronounced the same and mean different things. Same goes for weigh, way, or neigh, nay. Or that read can be pronounced two different ways (like reed and also red...which are words of completely different meanings.)

This is why I think one can learn to speak English, but reading and writing it is another matter.
 
Barb, my daughter teaches writing to ESL college students. She brings home some very funny things in the composition papers she has to grade. You are right though--I can't even imagine trying to learn English as an adult.
 
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