Breathable

We were browsing the sporting goods store in Bonifacio High Street when I heard one of the salespeople describe a really expensive pair of shoes as "water proof and britabol." I was clueless as to what "britabol" was. My first thought was it had something to do with the Brita water filter, although what a water filter has to do with a shoe is beyond me.

I eventually realized that what the salesperson was trying to say was that the shoe was "water proof and breathable." In this case, his mispronunciation could have very well cost him as a sale! I will not buy a "britabol" shoe (what the hell is that?) but I will get a "breathable" one.

Now, some might say that the mispronunciation is due to a heavy accent (see my previous posts regarding the "i" and "e" sounds and the "th" and "d" sounds) and that might indeed be true. However, I have heard very good speakers of English who make themselves clear despite their heavy non-English accents (I'm thinking of my European friends whose English is heavily accented but very understandable).

English is actually very forgiving where accents are concerned. If what you're trying to say is obvious despite the accent, you're ok. In the case of the poor salesperson, his accent made things very unclear and difficult for all concerned. Remember, an accent is not an excuse to avoid learning proper pronunciation.

Shake That Fruit!

The other day, I went to the Ongpin area for a foodie's day out. We had a wonderful paella lunch at the supposed oldest restaurant in Manila, Ambos Mundos, on C. Florentino street and then we walked to Ongpin for goodies (tikoy with peanuts, yum!). While walking, I saw a very cheery sign which said, "Shake DAT Fruit!

Now, the sign was very pretty and very appetizing. It belonged to a fruit stall which made fruit shakes, hence, "shake dat fruit." The store and its goods aside, I'm more concerned with the quality of the English shown here.

I don't know whether it's because of text language or because Filipinos often mistake the "d" sound for the "th" sound, but there are so many instances of "th" words" spelled with "d." How many times will you encounter "dat" instead of "that," "da" or "d" instead of "the" and "dey" instead of "they"? Indeed, these popular text-speak shortcuts worry me because I think they're helping in the degeneration of the English spoken and used here. For one, this problem wreaks havoc on spelling. Also, I think this mistake is adding to pronunciation problems. Since "th" words are often spelled with "d," many Pinoys forget how to properly pronounce the sound (see my previous post on pronouncing "th").

Please, text-speak is fine if you're sending a text message but be aware of the proper way to spell and say words. If you're a Filipino trying to get a job abroad, remember, not all people use text-speak the way we do and some people might not understand you if you pronounce words like "the" with "d."

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I had some computer problems.

It's Video!!

Chris attended a lecture the other day and noted two mispronunciations of the word, video. It seems that some Filipinos, even highly-educated ones, don't know how to pronounce this word.
He said that there were speakers who pronounced the word as "beedio." This is actually the most common Pinoy way of saying the word. I think it stems from the Filipino problems with the "b" and "i" sounds, which I've blogged about before.

The second way Chris heard the word mispronounced is one I've not heard ever: one of the major speakers said "veedeio." The explanation for this I can think of is that perhaps the speaker had not been exposed to the correct pronunciation of the word, which is why he thought it was pronounced with separate "e" and "o" sounds.

Here's the correct way of saying "video."

I hope all is well with everyone and that no one got caught in the mess in Makati yesterday.

It's "Nurse!"

I don't know why I keep encountering this pronunciation error. When I come in contact with Filipina nurses trying to work abroad, many of them say, "I am a nurst." I always wonder where the "t" sound is coming from as it's obvious that the word ends with an "s" and not a "t."

Anyone care to offer a theory about why this error happens?

Sometimes, I think it's the stress. Nurses have to cope with so much in order to work abroad that some mistakes are liable to be made along the way.

It's not "nurst," it's "nurse!"

I hope nurses read my blog.

Fickle and Pickle

While in the bus on the road to Baguio, we got to watch snatches of mind-numbing, inane, Philippine TV. We saw a bit of a game show and a bit of a variety show. In one of the shows, I heard the host say "pickle-minded" instead of "fickle-minded."

Now, "fickle" and "pickle" are two very different words. When you describe someone as "fickle," you're saying that he/she easily changes his/her mind. You're fickle if you go to a shoe store, pick one pair of shoes, then decide you want another pair instead. After deciding on the new pair, you change your mind again and decide to go with the first pair you chose. So, a "fickle-minded person" is someone who constantly changes his/her mind.

A "pickle" on the other hand, is a vegetable preserved in a vinegar or salt solution. It's something eaten. There is no such thing as a "pickle-minded" person. The word can also be used to describe a mess or some trouble someone is in: "He got caught cheating. He is in a pickle now."

I know that the mispronunciation stems from the "p" and "f" problem that many Pinoys have. Pinoy English speakers tend to pronounce the "f" sound for the "p" sound and vice versa. Please, if you have this problem, be conscious of it. Listen to the correct pronunciation of the words here: "fickle" and "pickle."

Actually, we don't even have to say "fickle-minded." Being fickle is a state of mind. Adding "minded" to the word just adds mental clutter.

If you're planning on working in an English-speaking country like the U.S. or Australia, learn to say "fickle" right. If not, you might find yourself in a pickle.

Let's Eat Curry!

Last Thursday, we ate in Fish & Co in Shangri-La and the waitress was telling us about their Seafood Curry. She pronounced "curry" as "kerry" which caused some confusion for me. For a split second there, I didn't know what "seafood kerry" was.

If Pinoys don't say "kerry," they tend to say "karry." Both are wrong. The word curry, after all, is spelled with a "u;" therefore, it's pronounced "curry" with a "u" sound.

Enjoy the holiday! How about trying to cook curry?

Pronunciation: Current

I called the biggest phone company here in the country to speak to a customer service employee regarding my bill and I heard a pronunciation mistake while listening to the PABX recording (press 1 for dsl, press 2 for billing, press 3 to speak to a customer service representative). The word in question is "current."

The recording I heard used a woman who pronounced it as "kerrent" and the error was noticeable enough that for a split second, I didn't know what she was saying. This word is also often mispronounced as "karrent."

When pronouncing the word, remember that it's spelled with a "u;" therefore, it takes the "u" vowel sound and not any other. Listen to the correct pronunciation of "current" here.

Pronunciation: Confirm

While going home on the MRT, my husband and I heard the word confirm pronounced as "confeerm." I'd like to blog about this because it is a very common pronunciation error.

The pronunciation error lies in the use of the long "e" sound. I've mentioned before that some Pinoys confuse the long "e" sound with the short "i" sound, which leads to errors such as this one.

When saying the word confirm, the correct way to do so is to use the short "i" sound, so the "f," "i," "r," and "m" sounds kind of roll into each other. Listen to the correct pronunciation of confirm.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, pronunciation errors can be corrected one word at a time.

I Want Pour of That! What?!

My post today is about the problem Filipinos have with the "p" and "f" sounds. This infamous problem is prevalent but not impossible to correct. I think the confusion between the "p" and "f" sounds can be corrected one (or two) words at a time. Today, I want to look at the pronunciation of the word "pour" as compared to the word "four."

My title is confusing because the word "four" is pronounced with a "p" sound. Now, "pour" is a completely different word from "four." While the latter is a number, "pour" means to make liquid flow out of a container. The two words are very different and confusing their pronunciation can dramatically alter what you are trying to say.

Listen to the proper way of pronouncing "pour" and "four."

If you're having trouble with the "p" and "f" sounds, try to memorize which sound goes with what word.

Take care!

Focus on Pronunciation: Particular

Here's another English word that Filipinos seem to have trouble with: particular. I hear this word often pronounced as "parteekular," which is wrong. I really don't know why this word is wrongly pronounced with a weak "t" and long "e" sound. It might have something to do with the long "e" sound and the short "i" sound that Pinoys also mix up.

Listen to the proper way of pronouncing particular. Notice that the "i" sound is short and the "t" sound is strong.

Now, many English speakers all over the world tend to pronounce certain words differently (think of the differences in British, American, and Australian pronunciation). This is really because we have different accents. Often, the words are still clear and understood. The thing is, there's nothing wrong with knowing the standard English pronunciation of the word.

Focus on Pronunciation: Favorite

I'm mostly well now so I'm back to posting regularly. Today, I decided to work on a pronunciation post regarding the word favorite.

I've been hearing people pronounce this word as "peyborit," which is wrong. I think the mistake lies in the way Filipinos confuse the "f," "p," "b," and "v" sounds. So, instead of using the "f" sound on the word favorite, they use the "p." The "v" sound is likewise replaced by the "b" sound.

Here is the proper way of pronouncing the word favorite. Notice that in the proper pronunciation, the "f" and "v" sounds are clear. Also, the "i" sound isn't too sharp.

The English language can be rather forgiving about pronunciation issues but do try to pronounce words properly. If you don't pronounce right, you may be severely misunderstood.

Focus on Pronunciation: "The"

Ooops! I'm posting this again. My friend Noel pointed out that I made a mistake with the files I uploaded. Sorry!

The date and time on my blog are acting weird again. For the record, it's Thursday, September 13 here in Manila. I do post everyday, despite what the date and time show.

Kaye left a question for me the other day. She wants to know the correct pronunciation of the. The has two pronunciations depending on whether it precedes a vowel or a consonant. If it precedes a vowel, it's pronounced like this. If it's before a consonant, this is what it sounds like.

Often, Filipinos pronounce the with a "D" sound, as in "da" or "di." Both are incorrect. Even worse, others just say "di" all the time which does not show the difference between the sounds before consonants or vowels. The "d" sound for the is also incorrect. Always use the proper "th" sound.

Listen to the difference in the pronunciation here and in a short sentence.

Kaye, I hope I was able to answer your question and thanks for reading. Everyone, keep the questions coming!

English Pronunciation: Country

I've heard the word country mispronounced so many times. Instead of the proper pronunciation, I hear it being said like this.

Listen to the proper pronunciation here.

I think that some pronounce country with an "au" sound instead of the proper "u" sound because they think the "ou" in a word automatically means an "au" or "ou" sound. This is not true. The word country is an example.

Love your country, everyone!

English Pronunciation: I'd Like to See the Menu

This is my second post on pronunciation. I've been checking out various file hosting sites so again, please be patient if the pronunciation files don't load right away. I'm currently using zshare and it's a bit slow. Also, it takes a while before the volume of the audio file gets loud enough to be heard. If anyone knows of a good file sharing website, please let me know.

It seems that many Filipinos mispronounce the word menu. Often, I hear people pronouncing it as meNOO. This is incorrect. The correct pronunciation is MENyu.

I think meNOO is the Filipino way of pronouncing an English word and we use this when we're speaking in Filipino or Tagalog, as in "pakita nga nung meNOO." The problem occurs when we speak English and we still use the Filipino pronunciation. Just remember, when you're speaking in English, say "I'd like to see the MENyu, please."