Amy Tan's Blog - Posts Tagged "mispronunciations"
Mispronouncing words
Have you ever heard someone pronounce a word incorrectly and wondered whether to correct him or her? How about your pronouncing a word a certain way and discovering years later you had been saying it incorrectly (horrors)? How about pronouncing a word a certain way and later thinking you were saying it incorrectly because everyone used a different pronunciation, but then discovering you were right all along?
So here are three examples--one of which I had been saying incorrectly:
Lupine
Homage
Vladimir Nabokov
How do you say those words? Say it aloud and see the correct pronunciation below.
LUPINE: Many say "lu-pin." Merriam Webster says: "lu-pine" ("pine" as in "pine" tree), which is what I have been saying. But the pronunciation is all over the place, depending on which dictionary you consult:
In other words, say it anyway you want and you're correct. To be able to say it perfectly, however, you should be standing in a field of lupine.
HOMAGE: Many say "Oh-MAJE." which rhymes with French cheese "fromage." Merriam Webster: "HOM-idge," (this is my approximation of MW's phonetic transcription). The French spell it: "hommage," with the stress on the first syllable. I have mispronounced this word as "oh-MAJE" all my adult life. I used to think that people who said "HOM-idge" would be embarrassed to know they had said it incorrectly. Tables turned. Whichever way you say it, it's nice to pay that to certain people important in your life and not just those who are famous.
VLADIMIR: Many say "VLAD-duh-meer." Nabokov said it is pronounced "vlad-DEE-mer," and here I am not using the precise Russian phonology. But as Nabokov explained, "Vladimir" rhymes with "redeemer."
NABOKOV: Many say "NA-buh-coff," with the stress on the first syllable. The correct pronunciation approximates: "Nah-BOH-kav," with that stressed "o" being said in way that is close to "cough," or "caught."
Few people pronounce Vladimir Nabokov's name as he would have wanted. The important thing is whether you love his books enough to refer to them by his name. "Speak, Memory" is a must-read, especially for writers and those who love memoirs.
So here are three examples--one of which I had been saying incorrectly:
Lupine
Homage
Vladimir Nabokov
How do you say those words? Say it aloud and see the correct pronunciation below.
LUPINE: Many say "lu-pin." Merriam Webster says: "lu-pine" ("pine" as in "pine" tree), which is what I have been saying. But the pronunciation is all over the place, depending on which dictionary you consult:
In other words, say it anyway you want and you're correct. To be able to say it perfectly, however, you should be standing in a field of lupine.
HOMAGE: Many say "Oh-MAJE." which rhymes with French cheese "fromage." Merriam Webster: "HOM-idge," (this is my approximation of MW's phonetic transcription). The French spell it: "hommage," with the stress on the first syllable. I have mispronounced this word as "oh-MAJE" all my adult life. I used to think that people who said "HOM-idge" would be embarrassed to know they had said it incorrectly. Tables turned. Whichever way you say it, it's nice to pay that to certain people important in your life and not just those who are famous.
VLADIMIR: Many say "VLAD-duh-meer." Nabokov said it is pronounced "vlad-DEE-mer," and here I am not using the precise Russian phonology. But as Nabokov explained, "Vladimir" rhymes with "redeemer."
NABOKOV: Many say "NA-buh-coff," with the stress on the first syllable. The correct pronunciation approximates: "Nah-BOH-kav," with that stressed "o" being said in way that is close to "cough," or "caught."
Few people pronounce Vladimir Nabokov's name as he would have wanted. The important thing is whether you love his books enough to refer to them by his name. "Speak, Memory" is a must-read, especially for writers and those who love memoirs.
