2002-03-05

I don't mean that it bugs me when people pronounce tomato tah MAT o, or aunt like ant or vice versa. Those words actually have alternate pronunciations--it is correct to pronounce them either way. I don't even mean some of the dialect things I have heard--like all the women in New Hampshire, named Marsha (pronounced MAH sha). I don't even care about the people who say youse guys. And I kinda giggle at the people who say things like, "well I axed (asked) her to the prom." I mean really because i get this picture of this guy using an axe to convince the girl to date him.

Nope, what I am talking about began when I was in grade school and I realized that some people pronounced the word wash as warsh. And it seemed to be the whole sound--so washing machine became warshing machine. Even at the tender age of eight that grated on my nerves. Then of course there is the common one I think we all hear: how do you pronounce the word picture? Because if it sounds like pitcher then every time you say it in front of me my ears will grate. My boss at the saltimine library pronounced it pitcher. I still cringe sometimes hearing it in her voice.

I have a new one now that really grates, and I think it is quite regional. I have found a whole group of people who pronounce the word library lyeberry. Even the voice (not mine) that instructs you you have reached the librarian office and please pick your librarian pronounces it lyeberry. At first I thought it was cute, and I pictured all these berries that were really low ph. Now it grates. I don't know why, but it does. And it seems to be very common in one of the neighboring towns. It is almost like I can ask (or axe) people to pronounce library and then tell them where they are from.

I guess this is where I should put in the disclaimer and tell you all about my own pronunciation that tends to make other people's skin crawl. You know just so you know that I realize that these people can't help it and that they don't do it just to see me cringe. You see, I didn't even realize until I was told by a woman I babysat for, that I pronounce the word for like fer. So, If I talked about the woman I babysat for, I'd probably say it like: I babysat fer her. And actually the woman's problem with that was not only did it grate her New Jersey accented self but her two year old had extrapolated it into other words so she (the two year old) would talk about sitting on the fler and answering the der. So, I guess at least I don't do that.

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