Product Description New to the best-selling 100 Words series: 100 pronunciation pitfalls and how to talk right through them Have you ever been told that a certain word you have been using is correctly pronounced in a different way? And what about those words with more than one pronunciation -- does it matter which one you use? Will your pronunciation sound silly? This latest installment in the best-selling 100 Words series, 100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces, settles the score on 100 controversies and misconceptions about words with difficult or slippery pronunciations. Selected by the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, these words are tongue twisters of a different kind. Each word is presented in dictionary format, with a note explaining the pronunciation problem, how it arose, and why it is controversial. Here are but a few of the questions this book answers: Does the word dour rhyme with sour or tour? Which syllable is properly stressed in harass and desultory? Is there a final ay sound in cadre, forte, and lingerie? Why do people put an extra syllable in words like mischiev(i)ous and triath(a)lon? Should it bother us when presidents and generals say nucular? Fun to read and informative as well, 100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces is bound to appeal to anyone who doesn?t want to be the center of attention for the wrong reason.
Customer Reviews:
"Language is always changing." September 28, 2008 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"100 Words Almost Everyone Mispronounces," from the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, will be of interest mostly to English teachers, librarians, and others who are meticulous about language. In an age of email and text messaging, correct spelling and pronunciation are becoming increasingly uncommon. The words listed in this book range from the frequently used--such as almond, divisive, harass, and forte--to such uncommon words as antipodes, desuetude, hegemony, and quietus.
This ninth entry in the "100 Words" series contains clearly written definitions, sample sentences, detailed etymologies, and intriguing explanations of how and why a word's pronunciation may change over time. Sometimes, there is no obvious reason for such a change. For example, the word "flaccid" ("lacking firmness, resilience, or muscle tone") used to be pronounced "flaksid," with a "k" sound from the word's Latin derivation. No one knows precisely when or why speakers began to say the double c sound as if it were an s, but now flaccid is commonly pronounced "flasid." Even highly educated readers may be surprised at the correct pronunciation of such words as "detritus" and "puerile," and they will also gain insight into the connection between a word's language of origin and its pronunciation.
Whether you are interested in words for professional reasons, wish to sound more erudite, or are just curious about the vagaries of the English language, this slim and sometimes humorous volume provides entertainment, clearly written and accurate information, and a glimpse into how words have evolved over the centuries. In fact, the editors assure us that "pronunciation is not a matter of absolute authenticity but of broad consensus," so today's mistake may become tomorrow's standard pronunciation.
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