MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > The word you find weird

The word you find weird

posted 5 years ago by PeteRose (2893)
97 replies | jump to latest

Every once in a while a word strikes me as different somehow, different than I've always heard it, even though it's the same as it always was.

Today, that word is: orange.

I've heard it and said it a million times, but today it's weird. One thing that's setting me off is there are a variety of ways people pronounce it. I say it about how it's spelled: or-anj. My boyfriend says it really sharp: ornch. Mark Healy on Roseanne and the narrator of Forensic Files say: are-anj. Now even the way I say it sounds weird to me.

What words do this to you?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

This may seem weird, but I think the word 'good' is a strange word. A lot of English words have a latin origin, but this one is Dutch/German. It's like we briefly speak a foreign language.

Americans don't say it in a foreign way but British English it really is a foreign sound. (udd sound)

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

Yeah it seems the latin-root "bene" version remained a pure prefix in English, becoming things like beneficial and benevolent.

It never formed its own convenient packaged version of "good" like it does in other languages such as Italian (bene), Spanish (bueno/bien), and French (bien/bon).

[–] TexasJack (12515) 5 years ago

Hey PeteRose, nice to see you again. Sorry I don't have any weird words for you, but I'm enjoying the thread.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

peterman - a thief or safe cracker.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 5 years ago

"Going." It's hard to mis-read considering it's basically always in context, but once I see it enough, it becomes its own word pronounced like "boing" and suddenly sticks out like a sore thumb. (LOL I just saw that I posted this on the previous page 17 days ago)

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Hyperbole, It always gives me trouble.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (73908) 5 years ago

HyperBowl...that's how I always read it
Sounds like an awesome game!
HyperBowl Sunday🎉🍻👍

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Same here, It'll always be Hyperbowl for me too 😁

[–] slimone (7996) 5 years ago

Another one:

persnickety

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

pyre

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12932) 5 years ago

French words. It drives me crazy that they insist on using all these letters, but they don't actually SAY them! I'll give some examples:

Hors d'Oeuvres - it's pronounced "or-derves," but looks like something else entirely

Poitiers - pronounced "pwah-tee-ay," but I keep wanting to say "poy-tee-ers"

It's the only area where being raised to read English words using Phonics messes with my head.