From Bad Resumés to Poor Command of the Spoken Word (Page 2)

Preach it, TriAya.

Suggesting that the way YOU pronounce words is superior to the way others pronounce is, um, kind of elitist.  I love grammar. I LOVE it. But this a very large country, world, in fact, and English has many variant pronunciations which are regionally, culturally the norm.

But yeah, (prescriptive) correct spelling and formal writing, IMMHO, is acceptable.

That's what I find confusing.  I understand different regions would have some sort of different pronunciations (accents) but saying it the way that is not how it's spelt is very confusing.  It makes learning a new language difficult. 

No Kidding, DK!  There are very few words that are pronounced the way they are spelled (In English.)  

GHOTI  can be read as FISH if you use the pronounciation of the words enouGH, wOmen, and informaTIon.... weird. Plus, English has more words than any other language (roughly 650,000) Makes it tough. 

according to our head office in Vancouver, we do not answer the phone correctly.   We say "LABratory" and they say "laBORatory".    so, I guess I shouldn't grate too much against "libary" and "probly"............

Hollis,

You know I hate to disagree with you -- especially when you are right -- but I swear, everytime I hear someone say eXpresso instead of eSpresso it makes me want to drill a nail through my head.

Of course, that could be from years of disgruntled starbucks employement.

Over time, eXpresso, and aKs, and libary (speaking of nail through one's head) could very well become the "correct" pronounciation.  Kinda like now it's OK to end sentences with prepositions. You, and I, and many other people on this thread will likely continue to go on saying things the "correct" way, and will continually be fighting the tides, but, this is language, and it evolves.   That is all. 

Heee. Sort of like when I was living in Texas, my mom would 'correct' me from saying things with a southern accent. She fought the tide, and then just moved me to Minnesota. 

Over time the spelling would change, too. 

LaBORatory is the British pronunciation.  When I first came to the U.S. people didn't understand me and some would correct me saying "oh you mean LABratory". 

aluMINium becomes aLUminum, plaTINium becomes PLATinum

What I don't understand is the "silent H" thing.  Why put the 'h' there when you don't pronounce it?

'Im taking up this new hobby called "yogging" .. yeah apparently you just run for hours and its supposed to be great.'

I disagree, they will never be the correct pronunciation. An incorrect pronunciation is just that, an incorrect pronunciation. Just because something is "ok" does not make it right. It is still considered incorrect English to say "where you at". (I come from a British English background, so I am biased)

From people like me who can't pronounce certain grouped consonants, and then other people spell it like they hear it.

I have to think about it to pronounce it correctly.

Not good with "film," either. Fill-em ...

British English is  a totally different story.

In the USA, we do not have a national language (English is, de facto, but not in law )
There is great debate among linguists, lexicographers, sociologists etc about this very issue.

Even William Safire, one of the more conservative language guys, says that the rule about not ending sentences with prepositions is "quaintly ridiculous..."

In your example, there are 2 issues: lack of verb, and that pesky preposition.   Both of these are as much grammatical as they are related to pronunciation, but that, still, is a separate issue. Because "where you at" follows a consistent pattern within a specific group, it can be considered correct within the grammar of that language/dialect.

Next issue: the difference between language and dialect.

Which of course, is 100% political in my most humble and laypersonesque opinion 

-Hollis, who did not proofread or spellcheck. 

“This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.”

- attributed to Winston Churchill