Assume v. Presume

gomezz said:
There was a documentary on telly recently where the presenter was saying oriented rather than orientated, an American scientist I think?
Click to expand...
If you look it up, it appears that oriented is the preferred version in both American and British English (and both versions have the same meaning).
I think the Prof. in question was trying to be too clever. (Perhaps he could have argued that orientated was to become a Chinese potato:disagree:.)
gomezz said:
The battle over aluminum is lost, at least within the scientific community.
Click to expand...
Noooooooo!
OK. I'm a failed engineer, not a scientist - but I'm going to say aluminium, nuclear, uranium, helium and laboratory. I'm going to use the spelling sulphur. I will call water - water (not aqua), perfume (not parfum). And all this messing with the language, bull :poop:.
 
Last edited:
EEPhil said:
Noooooooo!
OK. I'm a failed engineer, not a scientist - but I'm going to say aluminium, nuclear, uranium, helium and laboratory. I'm going to use the spelling sulphur. I will call water - water (not aqua), purfume (not parfum). And all this messing with the language, bull :poop:.
Click to expand...
The stuff of AvP!
 
EEPhil said:
If you make the mistake of watching Grand Designs - Kevin McCloud has problems pronouncing "collapse". His version is c'lapse. :clap:
Click to expand...
That pronunciation of vowels as -er- is universal now. I seem to recall Fowler calling it the dederderdiness of RP.
 
prpr said:
People have been saying "pleece" for years.
And then there's "garridge".
Click to expand...
Pleece - Please or Police? And probably not in Scotland.
Garridge - heard that one in an old film: "The Long Arm" (1956). (In a Welsh accent) "That's [the name handwritten on the top of a newspaper] not Grange, it's garridge" (complete with rolling r's). Also very common in these parts. We don't have gar-aar-ges here unless we're really posh!
 
What about guh- RAHJ?

garrij is the normal uk pronunciation, the other is USA.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
How on earth do you lot pronounce

bird turn perch shirt learn?

All are -er-, upside down e in the IPA. aka schwa

1280px-Schwa_%28vector%29.svg.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What about

tube, gourd, mall, aunt?

My wife says aunt and ant the same way. Constant confusion! :unsure:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top