Do you correct someone when..

[eximius]

Just out of curiosity, I was wondering how best to handle telling someone that they are pronouncing something incorrectly.

For instance, I was being interviewed today and afterwards I was given a tour of the store and got to talking to one of the Assistant Managers, who is from another country and learned English as a secondary (or possibly third) language. She spoke English really well, though with an accent but not one that made it hard to understand her. At one point, she was talking about a location in Arkansas, but she pronounced it 'Are-Kansas' instead of 'Are-Can-Saw'.

I understood her, but wasn't sure if it was appropriate to let her know she is mispronouncing a State that she probably says frequently throughout the week.

So, to all my fellow jubbers, what do you do here? To a potential employer, I feel like correcting them is a bad way to leave an impression. But lets say it wasn't with a potential employer, but was more casual, such as a friend or even a stranger.

Does correcting someone who is obviously foreign come across wrong? Or do you think they would want someone to tell them?

 

[swerve]

Unless I know someone WELL -- I generally just try and use the SAME word pronouncing it CORRECTLY in conversation...

If I know them WELL -- I say -- Oh, we pronounce that this way over here...

YOU did the EXACT CORRECT thing (obviously) in a JOB INTERVIEW!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[looseliam]

I tend to repeat it correctly in the next sentence instead of just correcting the person.

 

[Fire]

Obsessively.

 

[borg69unimatrix]

Depending on how it's done, when I'm corrected I usually feel like they're just being a pompous ass, like they think they're better then me because I'm not at THEIR level of academic's.

If she had a huge mole on her face, would you point that out?

I think making note of someone's 'flaws' is rude, regardless of what they are.

 

[bankside]

There are two issues; accent, and unconventional pronunciation.

Accent is not something that people assume they will have to correct for, though sometimes they try.

For example, I think it sounds ludicrous and pompous and silly when non-Australians (North Americans in particular) try to say "Kens" instead of "Cairns."

The place is called Cairns. Say it the way you would in your ordinary speaking voice, and don't go all "Australian" in the middle of the sentence just for one word just because that's how they say it. It sounds ridiculous.

CaiRns.

Brits, you can say it how ever you like; most of you wouldn't bother with an "R" like that anyway. New Zealanders would probably call it Keens, which is totally a lost cause. N'est-ce pas?

Anyway, perfecting an accent is one thing, but unconventional pronunciation is completely different. My accent is very very similar to someone from eastern Washington State. But I grew up thinking the place was called Spokane. I saw Spokane on the map, and I said to myself, well, there's a place called "Spokane." Apparently that's wrong though, and they actually call it Spokann, even though they spell it Spokane. Who knew?

I can say it either way, and my accent won't change, but my knowledge of the unconventional pronunciation makes all the difference.

It is the same thing with this woman. She might not be aware of the unconventional pronunciation of Arkansaw. Or she might hear the difference, but assume it is just an accent thing that she can't be bothered to fight any more given that it is not her first language and she's probably already spent enough time in her life learning new sounds.

 

[kevin23]

'Are-Kansas' , this is the way Wild Bill Hickcock pronounced it during an encounter with a young John Wesley Hardin. Bill had a rule of no guns in his town and Wes did not wish to obey. Bill stopped him and asked for his guns, Wes offered them grips first and when Bill reached for them he quickly reversed them and left Bill staring at the business ends of two Colt revolvers. Bill said, hold up little "Are Kansas" and I will be your friend and give you some advice. They retreated to the nearest saloon and drank two bottles of wine. At the end of the meeting Bill allowed that if would be OK for Wes to keep his Colt's.

Wes Harding claimed to have killed 40 something people , in his words "not counting Mexicans or Indians" Historians say it was only slightly inflated.
And you thought this forum was about porn.............

Yes, you did the right thing in an interview.

 

[Ninja108]

Unless it's my last name.. no.

 

[pat grimshaw]

Isn't it better to correct them once —discreetly and politely— rather than having people laugh at them over and over behind their back until someone else uses some gumption?

 

[gsdx]

I don't usually correct mispronunciations, but I get a kick out of them. There was a guy on People's Court talking about 'sudners' (scuppers) and 'down sprouts' (down spouts).

 

[FanofFiction]

I usually only do it if it's a one on one conversation. I would never do it in front of people.

 

[Geoffboyardee]

Ugh, I remember I had a total Grammar-Nazi-English-Teacher in 8th Grade.

 

[blackbeltninja]

I find it amusing when people comment on someone else's mispronOUnciation of a word.

-d-

 

[The_Reaper]

It depends to whom I am speaking.

Friends I'll correct if it's really bad. But I don't make a point of correcting people I don't know.

 

[HorndogPaul]

It all depends on how well I know them and what they miss pronounced. Sometimes I just saw it in a sentence later the correct way hoping they will start using the correct pronunciation.

 

[Esquire0399]

I usually notice when people pronounce things incorrectly or use poor grammar, but it's not something that bothers me enough to point it out. I just acknowledge it in my head and keep it moving, unless it's someone I actually care about. Then I kindly let them know.

 

[ManLicker]

I have been in a non-English job interview situation, and prayed that if I was mispronouncing something someone would let me know, as gently as possible, rather than let me continue to f* up.

 

[Esquire0399]

I have been in a non-English job interview situation, and prayed that if I was mispronouncing something someone would let me know, as gently as possible, rather than let me continue to f* up.

Hm... that's another way of looking at it. I'll take that into consideration in the future.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

good boy neva corrects it bettas

suck this!

-

ha

 

[Anders123]

When people pronounce things incorrectly or use the wrong word, it annoys me, but usually if I get the gist of what they're trying to say, I wont be the one to correct them. Mostly because I feel rude doing it, but also because nobody likes to be corrected. I know it's not going to help them in the sense that they'll continue to mispronounce the word / use a word in the wrong context, but I'll usually leave the correcting for a more abrupt, confrontational or pretentious person.