The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

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lëtzeshark
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by lëtzeshark »

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.
It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by jal »

lëtzeshark wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 amOn a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant?
/lɛfˈtɛnənt/, as my pronunciation (as a non-native speaker) is mostly informed by British English.


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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by Travis B. »

I pronounce lieutenant as /luˈtɛnənt/ [ʟ̞uˈtʰɜ̃ːɾ̃ɘ̃ʔ]~[ʟ̞uˈtʰɜ̃ːɘ̯̃ʔ], which shouldn't be surprising.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by Raphael »

I think I'll make it dependent on which institution the officer in question is serving in.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

lëtzeshark wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 amOn a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant?
/luːtʰɛnɪʔ/ [lɪ̯uːtʰɛ̃nɪ̃nʔ] for me.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by Travis B. »

lëtzeshark wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am
/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.
It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)
BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by lëtzeshark »

Travis B. wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 6:14 pm
lëtzeshark wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am
/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.
It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)
BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?
It might be between [ɫ~l̪], but I do have a dental contact at the end of the sound (might be a semi-syllabic consonant with a preceding [ə]), which is probably why I transcribed it that way. (I have a somewhat nonstandard English by US standards, which leads people to sometimes ask where I'm from when I'm in the US.)


Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by hwhatting »

lëtzeshark wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.
That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by anteallach »

Travis B. wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 6:14 pm
lëtzeshark wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 7:54 am
/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Sun Feb 22, 2026 10:10 pm How do y'all pronounce colonel? I've always pronounced it /ˈkɚnəl/, but I've heard several people pronounce it as it's spelled, and it got me wondering which is correct.
It's always [ˈkʰɝnəl̪] for me, which incidentally also rhymes with kernel, but I grew up in a military environment, so it's a word I'm used to.

On a related note, how do you (all) pronounce lieutenant? (For me, it's about [l̪uˈtɛnənt], which is also the pronunciation I heard most as a kid.)
BTW, do you pronounce even coda /l/ as a dental 'clear l' in English?
My dark L is dental: in a word like, well, dental it is quite noticeable that the tongue touches the teeth, whereas for the other coronals the contact is alveolar as expected.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by Travis B. »

lëtzeshark wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.
My usual pronunciation of determine is equivalent to yours, being /dəˈtɜrmən/ [d̥ɘˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)], but when I stress the word I often have /diˈtɜrmən/ [d̥iˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)].
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by lëtzeshark »

Travis B. wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 8:08 am
lëtzeshark wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 1:27 am Other one that I just thought of, but because I hear it pronounced a very... "particular" way quite often: how do you pronounce determine? (And this is especially for non-native speakers.) I pronounce it [dɪˈtʰɝmɪn], incidentally.
My usual pronunciation of determine is equivalent to yours, being /dəˈtɜrmən/ [d̥ɘˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)], but when I stress the word I often have /diˈtɜrmən/ [d̥iˈtʲʰʁ̩̃ˤːmɘ̃(ː)(n)].
Sometimes the [diˈtʰɝmɪn] pronunciation is also present for me, but it's not very common. (At least in the dictionary, both are correct.)
hwhatting wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:12 am That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?
Exactly that. I first heard it from my Hungarian ex-boss loooooong ago (clearly not native), and I hear it here and there at conferences. Bit nails-on-a-chalkboard-like.
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Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

Post by Travis B. »

lëtzeshark wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:40 pm
hwhatting wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 2:12 am That's how I pronounce it as well. I guess the peculiar pronunciation you refer to is along the lines of [dɪtɝ'maɪ̯n], which I have sometimes heard from non-native speakers?
Exactly that. I first heard it from my Hungarian ex-boss loooooong ago (clearly not native), and I hear it here and there at conferences. Bit nails-on-a-chalkboard-like.
Oh god, now I can't help but think of that pronunciation (which I have never heard IRL) and how wrong it sounds...
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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