All Italian-Americans are WRONG!
One of them finally admitted to me that they have been mispronouncing supposedly Italian words incorrectly, all along.
Reference:
Yes, We're Willfully Ignorant!
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Quote:
Okay, so now I've looked into this a little, and it appears that the practice of leaving off (or just barely pronouncing) the last vowel of those words is an Italian-American practice, and is commonly heard in the New York/New Jersey area.
As for me, I've said moot-suh-rel' and ri-goht' for so long now that it would take sustained, conscious effort and much wincing and discomfort for me to pronounce those words the way that you, most English speakers, and the dictionary do. And I just don't feel like it. So there. ;)
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This is a great day for English speakers all over the world. Rejoice!
Change can start with just one person. Hopefully CJ will get the ball rolling by sending an article in to the monthly newsletter, "Mangling Food-related Words Today," and others will sit up and listen.
Hear our cry, Italian-Americans! Throw off the yoke of mush-mouthiness! Embrace the English language and eliminate the horrid "practice" of speaking in "Italish."
The one good thing you guys do is cook; now it's time to improve further.
Thank you.
Reference:
Yes, We're Willfully Ignorant!
--------------
Quote:
Okay, so now I've looked into this a little, and it appears that the practice of leaving off (or just barely pronouncing) the last vowel of those words is an Italian-American practice, and is commonly heard in the New York/New Jersey area.
As for me, I've said moot-suh-rel' and ri-goht' for so long now that it would take sustained, conscious effort and much wincing and discomfort for me to pronounce those words the way that you, most English speakers, and the dictionary do. And I just don't feel like it. So there. ;)
--------------
This is a great day for English speakers all over the world. Rejoice!
Change can start with just one person. Hopefully CJ will get the ball rolling by sending an article in to the monthly newsletter, "Mangling Food-related Words Today," and others will sit up and listen.
Hear our cry, Italian-Americans! Throw off the yoke of mush-mouthiness! Embrace the English language and eliminate the horrid "practice" of speaking in "Italish."
The one good thing you guys do is cook; now it's time to improve further.
Thank you.