this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The best ones are thoughts that many people can relate to and they find something funny or interesting in regular stuff.

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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.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (7 children)

For me it isn't "some" word it is "many, many" words.

charcuterie (shar-KOO-terr-ee) (TIL)

potable (POH-tah-bull)

prerogative (preh-ROG-ah-tiv) -- wait, wat? Damn. I say it (pur-OHG-ah-tiv)

preternatural (pree-ter-NAT-chur-al)

remuneration (reh-myoo-ner-AY-shun) -- I'm not admitting how I say it lol

surprise - let's just say I spelled it suprise for ages. sigh

victual (vittle) - wait, that's how you spell it??

Indefatigable (IN-dih-FA-tih-gə-bl) not in-dee-fa-TEEG-able

Primer: \PRIMM-er\ -- small book / short informative piece of writing. (Brits can use long-i for both the paint undercoat and the book).

Mischievous: \MISS-chuh-vuss\ though mis-CHEE-vee-us is a non standard alternate pronunciation.

Interlocutor: \in tuhr LOCK you tore. I had no idea how to pronounce this so I never said it.

I think some "mispronunciations" are down to regional pronunciation. Like, I say miniature as MIN-ih-chure by habit though I'm well aware of how it's spelled and "should" be pronounced. I swear that's how I heard it growing up.

Maybe it isn't regional and it is just me. That would explain some things lol.

And uh, yeah I have a bunch more, some I know but am forgetting at the moment. Undoubtedly I mispronounce many more while having no idea. What must people think of me? Lol

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Look, I was on board until you started throwing out made up words like preternatural, victual, and indefatigable, then I knew you were pulling my leg.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Horatio Hornblower would like a word if you think Indefatigable is a made up word!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

In war we're tough and able [steps on cat]

Quite indefatigable

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Clearly pronounced in-de-fa-tee-gable

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

But many times, they're given rhymes that are quite un-sing-able.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Looks like you're mainly struggling with words of french origin, which is fair, the language is fucked up.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

TIL it’s “prerogative”…

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I'm American and have never heard "prim-er" I've always heard "prime-er".

I say miniture when it's an adjective like a smallish thing, but mini-a-ture when I'm using it as a noun, like the pieces used in tabletop gaming.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

victual (vittle)

I knew that "vittle" was from the word "victual," but I never knew that they were actually pronounced the same!

Mischievous: \MISS-chuh-vuss\ though mis-CHEE-vee-us is a non standard alternate pronunciation.

I hate that alternate pronunciation. How do you get "vee-us" from "vous"?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Idk. Likely some people misheard or misread it way back and then repeated.to others and it spread. How does any word change over time, right?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

The only time I have actually heard someone use indefatigable is in the Monty python, where they intentionally pronounce it wrong

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

/prəˈrɒgətɪv/ Huh. I guess usually when a schwa and a rhotic is involved, my dialect drops it. I pronounce it /prˈrɒgətɪv/ which could be romanized to pur-ROH-guh-tiv. But there's no actual separation between the u and the r there.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Interesting. I find the combination of rhotic - schwa - rhotic rather awkward. That could explain why it is commonly mispronounced.