Moist
By Roger B. Rueda

Philippine English (II)

To respond to the call of globalisation an accent, too, is very important. For one thing, call centres here in Iloilo City hire a person with American accent.

A linguist, Carmen Fought, tells that language expresses our identity and reflects who we are, and who we want to be.   Every time we speak, we give listeners information about ourselves and where we are from.

When we travel around the country we often hear people ask:   Oh, are you from Iloilo/Antique/Zamboanga/Bacolod/Ilocos? Or in any case, Where are you from? (with the unstated implicit meaning: because you aren't from around here!) Their guesses might be based on our phonology (the sounds we use, also called accent) or on our choice of particular lexical items. See, accent matters.

So, to people who want to practise American English, try to check the pronunciation of the following words in reliable dictionaries.

The big book of ‘Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide for the Careful Speaker' by Charles Harrington Elster offers suggestions on how to pronounce thousands of words and expressions.   Here are 100 examples!

Abdomen AB-duh-men. Occasionally, ab-DOH-men

Accessory ak-SES-uh-ree. Do not say uh-SES-uh-ree

Alumnae uh-LUHM-nee. Do not say uh-LUHM-ny

American(s) uh-MER-i-kin(z), or uh-MAIR-i-kin(z)

Bacchus BAK-us, not BAHK-us.

Balsamic bawl-SAM-ik. Don't say bawl-SAHM-ik.

Bonaparte   BOH-nuh-pahrt, not BAHN-uh-pahrt

Buffet (sideboard or self-service meal) buh-FAY,

buu-FAY, or boo-FAY

Chamois SHAM-ee

Chauvinism SHOH-vi-niz'm (SHOH-like show, rhyming with

slow)

Congratulations kun-GRACH-uh-LAY-shinz, not

kun-GRAJ-uh-LAY-shinz

Conservatism   kun-SUR-vuh-tiz'm. Do not say

kun-SUR-vuh-tiv-iz'm

Costume Kahs-tyoom (recommended) or Kahs-toom

Debut (verb) day-BYOO; (noun) day-BYOO or DAY-byoo

Demeter di-MEE-tur

Diagnosis DY-ig-NOH-sis (also -sis)

Disastrous di-ZAS-trus

Doppelgänger DAHP-ul-GANG-ur (rhymes with topple

hanger)

Drowned DROWND

Ecstatic ek-STAT-ik

Error   ER-ur or AIR-ur. Do not say AIR

Experiment ek-SPER-uh-mint or ek-SPAIR-uh-mint

Fifth FIFTH or FITH

Flutist FLOO-tist

Forward FOR-wurd (like four + word)

Genre ZAHN-ruh, not JAHN-ruh

Grocery GROH-suh-ree or GROHS-ree

Gymnast JIM-nast, not JIM-nist

Heinous HAY-nis.

Huge HYOOJ. Pronounce the h

Human HYOO-min. Pronounce the h

Hundred HUHN-drid

Interesting IN-tris-ting or IN-tur-uh-sting or

IN-tur-ES-ting

Iraq i-RAHK or i-RAK; Iraqi i-RAHK-ee or i-RAK-ee

Irony EYE-ruh-nee (like the name Ira + knee). Don't

say EYE-ur-nee

Jaguar JAG-wahr

Jargon   JAHR-gun (rhymes with bargain).

Jewel(s) JOO-wuul(z). Don't say JOOL(Z)

Karaoke: KAR-ee-OH-kee

Ketchup KECH-up.

Laboratory LAB-ruh-TOR-ee or LAB-uh-ruh-TOR-ee

Library LY-brer-ee

Liqueur   li-KUR.

Machination MAK-i-NAY-shin. Do not say MASH-i-NAY-shin

Mayonnaise MAY-uh-NAYZ or MAY-uh-NAYZ. Don't say

MAY-nayz

Medieval MEE-dee-EE-vul or MED-ee-EE-vul

Mental MENT'l

Merchandise (noun and verb) MUR-chin-DYZ, not

MUR-chin-DYS

Mirror   MIR-ur or MEER-ur

Nausea   NAW-zee-uh or NAW-shuh; nauseate NAW-zee-AYT;

nauseous NAW-shus.

Newspaper   N(Y)OOZ-pay-pur

Niche   NICH

Not at all NAHT-at-AWL, as spelled

Nuclear N(Y)OO-klee-ur. For Pete's sake, don't say

NOO-kyuh-lur

Obscure   uhb-SKYUUR

Official   uh-FISH-ul. Don't say oh-FISH-ul

Often   AWF-in or AHF-in. Do not pronounce the t

Parental   puh-REN-tul. Do not say PAR-en-tul

Pathos PAY-thahs (-thahs rhyming with pos in posse) or

PAY-thaws (rhymes with play-toss)

Patriot   PAY-tree-it

Pecan pi-KAHN (-KAHN rhyming with John) or pi-KAN

(-KAN like can)

Porsche PORSH

President PREZ-uh-dint (or -dent)

Rabid RAB-id. Do not say RAY-bid

Ration RASH-in (recommended) or RAY-shin

Realtor REE-ul-tur. Do not say REE-luh-tur

Repeat (verb, noun, adjective) ri-PEET

Route ROOT or ROWT

Salmon SAM-un

Sandwich SAND-wich

Semi   SEM-ee (rhymes with Emmy), not SEM-eye

Senile SEE-nyl. (like see Nile). Do not say SEN-yl

Sentence SEN-tints

Similar SIM-i-lur

Spontaneity SPAHN-tuh-NEE-i-tee, not

SPAHN-tuh-NAY-i-tee

Substantive SUHB-stin-tiv, not suhb-STAN-tiv

Succeed suk-SEED (like suck seed or sick seed said

quickly)

Syrup: SIR-up or SUR- up

Taurus TOR-us (TOR- as in torn)

Technical TEK-ni-kuul

Theater THEE-uh-tur

Thesis (singular) THEE-sis; theses (plural) THEE-seez

Tomato tuh-MAY-toh. Regionally (chiefly New England)

and in Britain, tuh-MAH-toh

Tribunal try-BYOO-nul

Usage YOOS-ij

Usual YOO-zhoo-ul

Vaccinate VAK-si-NAYT. Don't say VAS-i-NAYT

Vacuum VAK-yoom

Vase VAYS (rhymes with case and lace) or VAYZ (rhymes

with haze)

Vehement   VEE-uh-mint

Visa VEE-zuh, not VEE-suh. The s is properly soft, as

in rose

Wassail   WAHS'l (rhymes with fossil and jostle)

Washington WAHSH-ing-tun (or WAWSH-)

Wintry   WIN-tree, not WIN-tur-ee

Xenophobia ZEN-uh-FOH-bee-uh, not ZEE-nuh-FOH-bee-uh

Yarmulke   YAHR-mul-kuh

Yolk YOHK (like yoke).

Zealous ZEL-us. Do not say ZEE-lus

Zodiacal zoh-DY-uh-kuul.

Zydeco ZY-duh-KOH (rhymes with try to go).

(For enquiries, email me at banitawriters (at) writing (dot) com.)