Pronunciation and more...

[mcgillianaire]

An Awesome Year of Indian Cricket Ahead:
It began with a bang @ the SCG and it's a pity they didn't win, but despite ending in a draw, it was an exciting match for the most part. Hopefully the series performance will set the tone for the remaining Test series for the year: vs Pakistan away (3), vs B'desh away (2), vs Australia home & vs S.Africa home! It's not often that you get to play so many tests against three of the more competitive teams on the circuit...

Of course, as is their wont, India will be playing a squillion ODI's inbetween, but it's good the majority of them are against worthy teams like the Kanga's and Paki's. Oopsie, did I just make a politically incorrect boo boo? :-)

And for probably the first time in my life I've finally got a doze of proper cricketing englightenment and hope we win all our Test Series @ the expense of meaningless ODI's. Pappu would be proud...

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Today's Discussion:
In a recent chat with Aditi about accents, she came up with the following question and thought it would be a worthwhile idea putting it to the best of minds that travel across these pages. Looking forward to some constructive replies this time. Although your plain-speak Mr.Prakash was refreshingly welcome indeed. I love what's going on in general so keep 'em coming ppl...

The question is: "You know when someone pronounces a word wrong and you have to use the same word and you don't know whether to embarrass them and pronounce it the right way, or be incorrect and pronounce it their way? What would you do and/or what have you done until now? Are there any pro's or con's to both ways?"

Would love to hear your thoughts and comments...

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For those interested, here are some more links to useless information: *smile*

1. List of metropolitan areas by population
2. The All Music Guide
3. The World Clock
4. Languages of the World Charts
5. Bandwidth Speed Test

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Just in case you are wondering why I am awake @ so bizarre an hour, keep in mind I've been having really f*cked up sleeping patterns of late and the latest one saw me sleep from 10pm-1:30am. :-) I have no idea how much longer I will be awake for until I feel tired again ...

Still, that's improvement from the day before yesterday when I slept for nearly five hours straight between 5pm and 10pm (local time)! Must be the weather...

Comments

"Correcting" words

[(Anonymous)]

On a similar topic, here in Australia the majority of people (outside South Australia) say daance and branch, and an highly educated minority (and South Australians) say dahnce and brahnch. Sometimes, when I use the latter (which I almost always do), I get even rural, broad-accented Queenslanders adopting the more cultured pronunciation. My mother also switches to match me. My grandmother doesn't.

As to your actual question, I would use the "correct" pronunciation. It ought not embarrass them if you use it without saying anything. "Oh is it pronounced that way, is it?" "Yes." And carry on. Or something.

against worthy teams like the Kanga's and Paki's. Oopsie, did I just make a politically incorrect boo boo? :-)
No, I don't think you did. "Kangas" is a weird term that I first heard from Ricky Ponting, describing the (formerly North Melbourne) Kangaroos Football Club. It seems that either it's caught on recently or I was just ignorant. We did use to play Kanga cricket when I was little (plastic stumps and bats, tennis ball), though. And there's nothing wrong with "Paki", except that you have to have a short a sound (as in "bat") when saying Paki. Pahki doesn't sound right at all.

You'll note that I've said "we did use to play". I've decided that the construction "we did used to play" should be got rid of, because it sounds ugly to have both the auxhiliary verb and the -ed suffix.

Re: "Correcting" words

[dubaiwalla.livejournal.com]

Oopsie, did I just make a politically incorrect boo boo? :-)
No, I don't think you did.
I believe that "Paki" is considered a racist insult in Britain, applied to all those of a brown skin tone. It's fine to use here, though.

And there's nothing wrong with "Paki", except that you have to have a short a sound (as in "bat") when saying Paki. Pahki doesn't sound right at all.
Opposite here. But then, it's pronounced Pah-kiss-tahn, and hardly anyone in the West gets that right either, so it would be strange for them to get the pronunciation right for Paki. Not that the latter's even a real word, with a correct pronunciation. But I digress...

[(Anonymous)]

i m like a bird i want to fly away

you're more like a sheep.

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

keep flying away like a bird. but do come back for another round of refreshing analysis eventually. hehe