Have you ever heard a word on TV or movie or some audiobook and exclaimed in shock, “Wait, THAT’S how you pronounce that word?!”
Well, I have. I remember some very significant words that I thought were pronounced a certain way when I was young and then found out that wasn’t the right way at all. Now, from someone who isn’t a native English speaker, this is understandable and even expected. After all, we ain’t some angrez ki aulad who can tell the difference from desert to dessert and meat to meet. We’re desi people. And desi people, sometimes, make very desi mistakes.
Here are some words that I had been pronouncing very wrongly when I was young and was shocked to find out their correct pronunciation. Also, side note, there should be a better, shorter word for pronunciation because this one is too damn long and I can’t write it without taking help from spell check.
Anyway, here goes…
Word # 1: Archive
Meaning: A depository containing historical records and documents
How I pronounced it: Ar-cheev
Correct pronunciation: Aar-kIve
World finds ways of getting you out of ignorance. I distinctly remember hearing this word in the movie Night at the Museum and having a realization like, oh-oooooh! THAT’S how you pronounce it! Gotcha!
Word # 2: Midget
Meaning: A person who is markedly small OR Very small
How I pronounced it: *sigh* … mid-get
Correct pronunciation: mi-jit
I’m super embarrassed at admitting to this crime of mine. I mean, mid-get? Really, Tahreem? C’mon! Anyway, I heard someone say the word in a video and that’s when I wanted to die with shame.
Word # 3: Tomb
Meaning: A place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
How I pronounced it: to-mb
Correct pronunciation: toom
Okay, I think I’m not the only one who mispronounced this word. I’m sure y’all watched and loved the movie Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie when you were young and maybe played the game too. I know I did. So I had a shock of my life when I learned the correct way of saying this word. It was like, my whole life had been a lie!
Word # 4: Asthma
Meaning: Respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing; usually of allergic origin
How I pronounced it: ass-ta-ma
Correct pronunciation: az-ma
This one I wasn’t so much shocked by, rather I was surprised. I realized not only me but everyone else had been pronouncing it wrong. Ever heard of phrase “So wrong it’s right”? This could be the case with this word. Everyone says it wrong so why not keep it that way, am I right?
Word # 5: Genre
Meaning: A kind of literary or artistic work
How I pronounced it: jen-er
Correct pronunciation: zhaan-ra
Such an obvious mistake that one. Turns out, this French-origin word ain’t said the way we thought it did. Shame.
I think five words are enough for this post. I can’t really think of more. Share the words that you’d been mispronouncing for a long time down below. Thank you for reading. Allah hafiz.
PS: I almost named this post “Words my young desi a** mispronounced” but then I decided to keep things PG.
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