xkcd #2942: Fluid Speech

https://xkcd.com/2942

explainxkcd.com for #2942

Alt text:

Thank you to linguist Gretchen McCulloch for teaching me about phonetic assimilation, and for teaching me that if you stand around in public reading texts from a linguist and murmuring example phrases to yourself, people will eventually ask if you’re okay.

  • Kernal64@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    12·
    5 months ago

    When I hear someone from that city say their city’s name, it sounds like it should be spelled “Trono.”

    • CDenno@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      5 months ago

      Shibboleths are amazing! Calgary is almost universally pronounced “Cal-Gary” by non-locals, locals say “Calgree”

      • Kernal64@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        5 months ago

        I’m gonna have to disagree with you. Have you ever seen a Shoggoth? They’re horrific and just because they’re protoplasmic beings doesn’t mean their mispronunciation of English should be celebrated.