Why can’t people pronounce “especially”?

[Anonymous]

Never heard that, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I secretly find it cute when people mispronounce words like that because it is more like a dialect (like people in certain areas saying warsh instead of wash or dropping vowels) and I don't need to notify anyone else when I hear it, feel aggravated or start a thread

Op here.

Warsh doesn’t bother me.

Dialects are endearing.

But I just can’t write off “ex-specially” as a dialect.

To me it sounds like the mispronunciation of a child. We’ve all heard a 4 year old make such a mistake. It just sounds child-like more than anything else.

Ask yourself why you label some differences as dialects and some as mistakes. Is there a regional difference? Perhaps a racial or class difference? Your biases are coming out clearly in your post, even if you are blind to them.

If you live in the dc metro area then you are familiar with our regional dialects (DC is different than Baltimore, hon).

And when a person only mispronounces one word (in this case especially), then how could it be a dialect?

And when the people mispronouncing it are white Americans who grew up MC/UMC and are objectively highly educated, why would anyone suggest bias is at play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I secretly find it cute when people mispronounce words like that because it is more like a dialect (like people in certain areas saying warsh instead of wash or dropping vowels) and I don't need to notify anyone else when I hear it, feel aggravated or start a thread

Op here.

Warsh doesn’t bother me.

Dialects are endearing.

But I just can’t write off “ex-specially” as a dialect.

To me it sounds like the mispronunciation of a child. We’ve all heard a 4 year old make such a mistake. It just sounds child-like more than anything else.

Perhaps the simplest approach would be to enlarge your understanding of what dialects (and accents and pidgins and creoles and languages) are and how they develop. Or you could choose to indulge your just-can’t and wallow in being bothered. It sounds like you’re soliciting support more than you’re actually trying to overcome your desire to “correct” people who don’t speak like you. Perhaps you could learn to code switch, OP. How many languages and dialects do you speak? Learning a few more might be a great way to expand your vocabulary and occupy your mind.

[Anonymous]

Lighten up, OP.

[Anonymous]

Mantra: Sometimes different people speak differently. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many people say “ex-specially”?

I want someone to do a PSA or YouTube tutorial coaching people on how to break it down and say it correctly.

Eh-specially.

No X.

I wish this didn’t bother me as much as it does.

Are you racist?

come up with something new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I secretly find it cute when people mispronounce words like that because it is more like a dialect (like people in certain areas saying warsh instead of wash or dropping vowels) and I don't need to notify anyone else when I hear it, feel aggravated or start a thread

Op here.

Warsh doesn’t bother me.

Dialects are endearing.

But I just can’t write off “ex-specially” as a dialect.

To me it sounds like the mispronunciation of a child. We’ve all heard a 4 year old make such a mistake. It just sounds child-like more than anything else.

Perhaps the simplest approach would be to enlarge your understanding of what dialects (and accents and pidgins and creoles and languages) are and how they develop. Or you could choose to indulge your just-can’t and wallow in being bothered. It sounds like you’re soliciting support more than you’re actually trying to overcome your desire to “correct” people who don’t speak like you. Perhaps you could learn to code switch, OP. How many languages and dialects do you speak? Learning a few more might be a great way to expand your vocabulary and occupy your mind.

FWIW I am fully bilingual and I studied linguistics in college along with other foreign languages that I haven’t fully mastered.

I’m not sure how code switching or dialects apply when we are talking about white Americans mispronouncing the word especially unless there is some midwestern or East Coast dialect where it is common knowledge that the word especially is pronounced differently. If *this* is actually a thing, then please enlighten me and I’ll finally disabuse myself of this admittedly bizarre pet peeve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many people say “ex-specially”?

I want someone to do a PSA or YouTube tutorial coaching people on how to break it down and say it correctly.

Eh-specially.

No X.

I wish this didn’t bother me as much as it does.

It's the same reason people say expresso. It's called epenthesis. e + /sp/ is a spicy combo that's not very common in English, so speakers will shift to /ksp/ "ex" because it's easier to say and more familiar. English is full of these...feb-yoo-ary because "br" is a more challenging cluster. We learn words by ear first and sometimes those motor patterns become automatic long before spelling enters the picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mantra: Sometimes different people speak differently. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.

Like saying Ver-SACE? Gotcha.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many people say “ex-specially”?

I want someone to do a PSA or YouTube tutorial coaching people on how to break it down and say it correctly.

Eh-specially.

No X.

I wish this didn’t bother me as much as it does.

It's the same reason people say expresso. It's called epenthesis. e + /sp/ is a spicy combo that's not very common in English, so speakers will shift to /ksp/ "ex" because it's easier to say and more familiar. English is full of these...feb-yoo-ary because "br" is a more challenging cluster. We learn words by ear first and sometimes those motor patterns become automatic long before spelling enters the picture.

Sure.

But wouldn’t you correct your kid if they said ex-presso?

[Anonymous]

Why do Americans pronounce water (warder), schedule and metal (medal) differently than Brits. Should the Brits be correcting them, or do they accept that Americans have an accent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I secretly find it cute when people mispronounce words like that because it is more like a dialect (like people in certain areas saying warsh instead of wash or dropping vowels) and I don't need to notify anyone else when I hear it, feel aggravated or start a thread

Op here.

Warsh doesn’t bother me.

Dialects are endearing.

But I just can’t write off “ex-specially” as a dialect.

To me it sounds like the mispronunciation of a child. We’ve all heard a 4 year old make such a mistake. It just sounds child-like more than anything else.

Ask yourself why you label some differences as dialects and some as mistakes. Is there a regional difference? Perhaps a racial or class difference? Your biases are coming out clearly in your post, even if you are blind to them.

While this might be the case for many peeved people, I bet op just isn't that big a fan of the neighbor but cannot articulate why, so anything neighbor does that is "off", will irk op to an extra degree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because some people have difficulty with it. Like ask, library, and breakfast.

It's not like they're saying a totally different, unrecognizable word. You know what they are saying and you're choosing to get huffy about it. Chill.

Wait, how do people say "breakfast"?

Brake-fast. How do you say it, racist?

Never heard this

Now you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I secretly find it cute when people mispronounce words like that because it is more like a dialect (like people in certain areas saying warsh instead of wash or dropping vowels) and I don't need to notify anyone else when I hear it, feel aggravated or start a thread

Op here.

Warsh doesn’t bother me.

Dialects are endearing.

But I just can’t write off “ex-specially” as a dialect.

To me it sounds like the mispronunciation of a child. We’ve all heard a 4 year old make such a mistake. It just sounds child-like more than anything else.

Perhaps the simplest approach would be to enlarge your understanding of what dialects (and accents and pidgins and creoles and languages) are and how they develop. Or you could choose to indulge your just-can’t and wallow in being bothered. It sounds like you’re soliciting support more than you’re actually trying to overcome your desire to “correct” people who don’t speak like you. Perhaps you could learn to code switch, OP. How many languages and dialects do you speak? Learning a few more might be a great way to expand your vocabulary and occupy your mind.

FWIW I am fully bilingual and I studied linguistics in college along with other foreign languages that I haven’t fully mastered.

I’m not sure how code switching or dialects apply when we are talking about white Americans mispronouncing the word especially unless there is some midwestern or East Coast dialect where it is common knowledge that the word especially is pronounced differently. If *this* is actually a thing, then please enlighten me and I’ll finally disabuse myself of this admittedly bizarre pet peeve.

Do you walk about saying you're going to Par-ee and Roma this summer or are you going to Paris and Rome as pronounced inaccurately by English speakers? Do you correct people who say they're going to Milan instead of Milano?

From your linguistics studies you would have learned/learnt that people from different regions and countries speak English differently. Surveys can pinpoint quickly if you're from Texas, Maine, London, Glasgow or Sydney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do Americans pronounce water (warder), schedule and metal (medal) differently than Brits. Should the Brits be correcting them, or do they accept that Americans have an accent?

Because you are from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.