Things that people say that make them sound too pretentious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The name of my club is six words long and contains the phrase "country club". What do I call it without using the word club to not sound pretentious?

Belmont

My club is named after a town. You think when two members of, say, Augusta, make plans to "have dinner at Augusta"? Augusta ga is a place. The "club" is the country club with the same name. I really don't think most people say it to be pretentious- the clunky alternative is saying "the place where we play golf", that sounds dumb too.

[Anonymous]

"My child is so gifted." Ugh, just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The name of my club is six words long and contains the phrase "country club". What do I call it without using the word club to not sound pretentious?

Belmont

My club is named after a town. You think when two members of, say, Augusta, make plans to "have dinner at Augusta"? Augusta ga is a place. The "club" is the country club with the same name. I really don't think most people say it to be pretentious- the clunky alternative is saying "the place where we play golf", that sounds dumb too.

Unless the people are idiot (which given this conversation, they very well may be), Augusta will work just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from East Asia. Even though English is my second language, I have a bigger vocabulary than 90% of native-born Americans I encounter. To have my friends tell me that they think I'm pretentious simply for the fact that I use words like "nadir" and "gossamer" is truly amusing and eye-opening.

#sorrynotsorry

That's probably just because in casual conversation, there is usually a better word than those two. You sound like you talk like a twat or aren't as fluent as you think.

Agree! Using big words that your listener may not know it usually the domain of the uneducated with the "word of the day" calendar in this country. I feel bad for your friends because you sound like a judgmental b*tch!

+1. People that are educated don't use 10-cent words when 5-cent words will do the trick. Clarity and conciseness are more important than how big your vocabulary is.

Some people enjoy words and language. Nothing wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My favorite are the people who you have known for years and were called "Kathy" and now insist on Kathleen (even though you've been calling them Kathy for twenty years or more) or the likes...Bob becomes "Robert" etc.

...or Barry becomes Barack. People mature and don't want to use their nick names anymore. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of these examples qualify as pretentious.

I think it's pretentious when people are speaking English and suddenly pronounce a French or Spanish word like a native speaker. Or if they have a name like Suzanne and insist that you pronounce it "SuzAHN"

Pak EEE stahn

Alex Trebek (Jeopardy) does this all the time and my husband and I always groan. He *has* to pronounce any foreign word with a flamboyant accent, just so the audience knows how intelligent he is.

See this kind of thing would never occur to me that people are taking personally. To be fair, he is Canadian and this is a common thing there. When you are more well travelled or grow up surrounded by various nationalities and languages it becomes second nature to pronounce things correctly and you don't do it to piss people off, you do it because that is how the words are pronounced. When people don't pronounce words correctly (eg EYE-RACK instead of Iraq) that is when you get made fun of like "I'm going to pronounce your FOREIGN words the 'MERICAN way!"

People often do it to remove ownership of the word. They mispronounce it on purpose, at least the military guys I work with do, on purpose.

This is a good observation. So true. And pretty effective too.

Not following. How does this remove ownership of the word?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite are the people who you have known for years and were called "Kathy" and now insist on Kathleen (even though you've been calling them Kathy for twenty years or more) or the likes...Bob becomes "Robert" etc.

...or Barry becomes Barack. People mature and don't want to use their nick names anymore. Get over it.

+1. In my book, a 60-year-old Kathleen is preferable to a 60-year-old Kathy.

[Anonymous]

Gotta link to a thread on the Tweens and Teens forum. Someone posted a question about JROTC. A poster suggested the OP post in the Private/Independent Schools "where there are lots of St. John's parents". When I posted, I noted I didn't know what St. Johns has to do with JROTC, the poster told me 'Try not to sound so dimewitted [sic]' and then went on about the history of St. Johns. Like I'm supposed to know what St. Johns has to do with JROTC! How pretentious to think I'm dimwitted because I didn't know about a private DC high school! DH and I grew up in the area and the only St. Johns we know are churches! Ha!

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/0/670217.page#11584551

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont think most of you know what pretentious means.

+1

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of these examples qualify as pretentious.

I think it's pretentious when people are speaking English and suddenly pronounce a French or Spanish word like a native speaker. Or if they have a name like Suzanne and insist that you pronounce it "SuzAHN"

Yep. I hate this. And I break out in laughter every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of these examples qualify as pretentious.

I think it's pretentious when people are speaking English and suddenly pronounce a French or Spanish word like a native speaker. Or if they have a name like Suzanne and insist that you pronounce it "SuzAHN"

Yep. I hate this. And I break out in laughter every time.

Like the newscaster on NBC4 Erica Gone-zow-lace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saying "lanai" instead of porch or deck.

Well I do this, more to make fun of my front porch....I was sitting out on the Lanai when in reality it is a stoop.

With that said, it is not pretentious in Hawaii.

This is a good point. You don't always know whether a person using a word is being the opposite of pretentious, if it's an often-used word for where and how they grew up.

Actually, a word that has pretentious origins and is commonly used is "townhome." It's a townhouse.

It's a rowhouse.

Townhouses are usually condos. Rowhouses are in DC specifically (other places usually call them other names) and are not condos...

[Anonymous]

I HATE when people refer to town and country...like if they live in the city and they are considering a home " in the country" or vice versa. Get over yourself, you are not blue bloods from Oxford England looking to go and find a manor home...gee whiz.

[Anonymous]

Back on the subject:

"I have to powder my nose" or "Where is the Water Closet"....

when you could just say "where is the sh****r", or as Archie Bunker would say, "Where is the Toilet".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back on the subject:

"I have to powder my nose" or "Where is the Water Closet"....

when you could just say "where is the sh****r", or as Archie Bunker would say, "Where is the Toilet".

???