More on Misspoken or Mispronounced Words and Phrases

Having trouble viewing this message? [Click here to view it online.]( To unsubscribe or change contact details, scroll to the bottom and follow the link. [GrammarBook.com]( Your #1 Source for Grammar and Punctuation More on Misspoken or Mispronounced Words and Phrases A few weeks back we explored words and phrases that can sabotage our communication—and our perceived persuasion—by being mispronounced or misspoken. The [article]( inspired thoughtful feedback and additional entries from readers who likewise monitor the proper use of English. What follows are two items from our current list that were questioned, as well as more words and phrases to watch out for. Contested Entries Forte to mean “strength” or “talent,” correctly pronounced fort, often mispronounced as for-tay. Responses both supported and opposed this entry. Observations in favor distinguished the French forte (silent e: fort) meaning “strong” from the Italian forte (FOR-tay) meaning “loud.” In this case, pronunciation communicates definition, reinforcing our stance that forte to mean “talent” or “strength” in American English maintains the silent e. The opposition pointed out that forte has no satisfactory pronunciation in American English. While acknowledging the difference between the word’s French and Italian uses, some linguistic purists will also point out the accurate pronunciation of the French forte is for—the t and the e are both silent. Another reader further noted that the Merriam-Webster dictionary allows for pronunciation of forte as either fort or for-tay. After weighing the feedback and evidence, our stance is that try as we might to define and uphold a single proper usage, forte will vary in pronunciations that may not form a majority. If they do, the most prominent form in American English will likely tilt toward for-tay with the accent on either the first or the second syllable or no accent at all. Niche to mean “suitable position, distinct market segment”; correctly pronounced nich, often mispronounced as neesh. Similar to the counterclaims concerning forte, opposing observation cites the pronunciation of this French word meaning “recess, alcove” as neesh or, in some cases, neesh-uh. While we recognize the word’s source and original treatment, we are most interested in American English pronunciation and usage. Within that context, most of our office dictionaries, as well as those we checked online, list the pronunciation nich. A few allow for neesh as a secondary pronunciation, which is more popular in British English than in American. Added Entries Our readers identified these other misspoken or mispronounced words and phrases: Word or Phrase (Glitch: S=misspoken, P=mispronounced) Correct Treatment brother/sister-in-laws (S) brothers/sisters-in-law physical (relating to financial matters) (S) fiscal (FIS-kuhl) I could care less. (S) I couldn’t care less. irregardless (S) regardless jewelry (P) JOO-uhl-ree not JOO-ler-ee library (P) LIE-brer-ee not LIE-bare-ee Old Timers’ Disease (S) Alzheimer’s disease prostrate disease (S) prostate disease frigerator (S) refrigerator salmon (P) SAM-uhn not SAL-muhn verse (to mean opposed to, in conflict with) (S) versus We also received references to words with two apparent schools of pronunciation: era (EER-uh or AIR-uh) and often (OFF-en or OFF-tun). As with forte and niche, here we have diction that may be proper and common to some but not accepted by others. Furthermore, dictionaries provide one pronunciation or the other (or both) for each word. As we’ve noted before, our stance is that we’ll stick with OFF-en while designating OFF-tun as a [hypercorrection]( . We also conclude that this topic inspires us to refer to multiple dictionaries when we’re uncertain of how to say a word correctly. Doing so opens us all to different points of view and helps us determine which pronunciation suits our sense of accuracy, as well as our style of usage. We’ll remain on the lookout for other words and phrases that can interfere with articulate writing and speaking. We encourage you to continue doing the same! [View this article on our website]( Free BONUS Quiz for You! {NAME}, because you are a subscriber to the newsletter, you get access to one of the Subscribers-Only Quizzes. Click here to take a [Pronouns Quiz]( and get your scores and explanations instantly! We will be adding many more quizzes this year to our already substantial list of quizzes. If you have suggestions for topics we have not yet covered, please send us a message at help@grammarbook.com. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus, Lester Kaufman, and Tom Stern The Authority on English Grammar! Eleventh Edition Now Available An indispensable tool for busy professionals, teachers, students, homeschool families, editors, writers, and proofreaders. Available in print AND as an e-Book! Over 2,000 copies are purchased every month! The publisher of The Blue Book, Jossey-Bass, A Wiley brand, is offering a 35 percent discount for those of you who order the book through [Wiley.com](. Shipping and tax are not included. Simply go to [bit.ly/1996hkA]( and use discount code E9X4A. Offer expires December 31, 2018. [Order Your Copy Today!]( Hundreds of Additional Quizzes at Your Fingertips Subscribe now to receive hundreds of additional English usage quizzes not found anywhere else! Teachers and Employers Save hours of valuable time! You may assign quizzes to your students and employees and have their scores tallied, organized, and reported to you! Let [GrammarBook.com]( take the hassle out of teaching English! "Fun to test my skills." "The explanations really help ... thanks!" "I can select the quizzes to assign to my students, and then the results are reported to me automatically!" [Find out more about our subscription packages]( Don't need all the quizzes? You can now purchase the same quizzes individually for ONLY 99¢ each. [Purchase yours here.]( If you think you have found an error in a quiz, please email us at help@grammarbook.com Wordplay English In A Snap: 68 One-Minute English Usage Videos FREE Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. [Click here to watch](. Forward this e-newsletter to your friends and colleagues. If you received this FREE weekly e-newsletter from a friend, [click here to have it sent to you each week](. Look for more Hot Tips from [GrammarBook.com]( next week. Miss a recent newsletter? [Click here to view past editions](. Lester Kaufman, P.O. Box 472, Mill Valley, CA 94942, United States You may [unsubscribe]( or [change your contact details]( at any time. [Powered by:](