Ever had a beerburn? I get them occasionly. Ouch.

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As for Canadians, I know many and I have never heard a one actually say "aboot." In point of fact they say "aboat"

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Coolup's absolutely right on this one. In my entire 33 years, I've never heard a Canadian say 'a-boot'. I don't even know how that rumour (yes, 'our') got started. I do try to say a-bouuuut. I love American accents, Aussie accents too, though I can't imitate either. I think the most distinct thing about Canadian-speak is how clearly we EEEE-NUNNNN-CEEE-ATE every syllable of our words.

However, I can't understand why no one anywhere seems capable of prounouncing the word 'iron'. To me, it's always been EYE-RUN. Most people make it into one syllable, like EYRN. Don't even get me started on NUK-YUH-LER, FEB-YOO-AR-Y, WENS-DAY, FUR-MIL-YER, ASH-PHALT, INT-RO-VEEN-EE-OUS, SHER-BERT or LIK-O-RISH. Those drive me crazy.

I can't understand why people "can't stand it" if someone pronounces a word different from them. Why not just appreciate the rich diversity in our linguistic world!?

When I lived in California, I found that people generally just loved my Australian accent and would encourage me to talk my head off just so they could listen to it - not that I need much encouragement to talk!

As part of my job, I used to have to phone the local hospital for pathology results. When I would phone and ask for the "La-BOR-a-tree", I would hear the girls on the other end of the phone giggling and saying "Listen to the way she says "LAB-ra-tor-y".

The funniest thing, however, was when one of the Australian doctors told a patient that he was transferring her out of the intensive care unit TODAY. The patient thought he said "I am transferring you out of the intensive care unit TO DIE" and promptly had hysterics. The look on his face was priceless as he had no idea what he'd done.

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I can't understand why people "can't stand it" if someone pronounces a word different from them. Why not just appreciate the rich diversity in our linguistic world!?

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I'm not sure if that was directed at me, but in any event, I'd like to clarify what I said. I love a variety of accents, and would never quibble with an alternate pronunciation of a word, reflecting someone else's culture or background. I merely dislike what I see as a growing trend of neglectful use of the English language. For example, 'Asphalt' only has the one 'h', but I hardly ever see it spelled or hear it pronounced that way.

Once, when I was anchoring a news show, I received a story with the word 'ashvolt'. I genuinely had no idea what the writer intended, and went to ask her. She said, 'you know, the stuff on roads'. 'Ahhhh, you mean asphalt', I responded. She vehemently denied the word was 'asphalt', and marched over to the dictionary to prove her point. Needless to say, she couldn't find the word 'ashvolt'.

I guess I've unintentionally 'hijacked' this thread, and for that I am sorry. I guess I love words a little too much, and it makes me cringe when I see and hear them butchered with increasing frequency. This isn't what this thread was about though, so I'll go quietly....

Except to say this: Mother Goose, I'd hazard a guess that as a recent editor, you don't simply let quiz makers' spelling errors slide, choosing instead to 'appreciate the rich diversity in our linguistic world'. I guess my irritation is provoked not only by spelling, but pronunciation errors. The two usually go hand in hand, anyway.

By the way, that 'to die' story was to die for! Hilarious!

I'll be shutting up now.

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Australian doctors told a patient that he was transferring her out of the intensive care unit TODAY. The patient thought he said "I am transferring you out of the intensive care unit TO DIE"

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That is hilarious! haha.. Wish I could have seen the patients face!

Magpie, you'd hate it here. Our weekly calender reads like this

Mondee
Tewsdee
Wensdee
Thursdee
Poets
Satdy
Sundy

(Poets = *iss off early tomorrows satdee)

I think the only pronounciation of a word that has ever had me in stitches is the American way of saying "buoy".I was watching a program about coastguards and the word was used often and pronounced "boyeee"instead of "boy".The way this sounded was truly something to be appreciated by an Aussie.

It's not "boyeee." It's "boo-ee."

However, I can't understand why no one anywhere seems capable of prounouncing the word 'iron'. To me, it's always been EYE-RUN. Most people make it into one syllable, like EYRN.

Guilty. But! according to the dictionary, that's the correct pronunciation (one syllable).

Don't even get me started on NUK-YUH-LER,

Oooh! Not guilty! I say NEW-clee-ar.

FEB-YOO-AR-Y

Guilty, but according to the dictionary this is an acceptable pronunciation. I've never heard anybody actually say FEB-roo-air-y, pronouncing the silent "r".

WENS-DAY,

Ummm.... that's the only correct pronunciation, according to the dictionary that I have. How do you say it?

FUR-MIL-YER,

Not guilty! I say fah-MILL-yar.

ASH-PHALT,

Guilty as charged.

INT-RO-VEEN-EE-OUS,

I don't say this one, but I don't think my pronunciation is correct, either. I say in-TRA-ven-ous. I think it's something I picked up from my high school English teacher (I had her for 3 years out of 5)... she would always say things weird... like ock-ZIM-er-on for oxymoron.

SHER-BERT

My brother says this one, but I don't.

or LIK-O-RISH.

Again, according to my dictionary, this is one of two correct pronunciations (the other being LIK-or-is).

I mujst confess to being a little bit starchy about mispronunciations myself. A friend of mine, a perfectly bright college graduate, often tells me of the marvels of her local "Li-berry." I try to conceal the cringe. Another friend, even brighter and a law school graduate, pronounces "spirochete" as "spyro-shetty" (do not ask WHY we'd be discussing spirochetes) and continues to insist that the "ch" in "dichotomy" should also be pronounced as "sh". People from Boston, Massachusetts are congenitally incapable of pronouncing any word that has an "r" in it. Chicagoans and Buffalovians do terrible things with "a" sounds. New Yorkers drink "worta" (if they have the presence of mind to "axe" for it), and generally do so until they are "kumf-ter-bull."

However, Aussie speech is terminally endearing. To Yanks, Spectacular Bid was a racehorse who almost won the Triple Crown, to Ozzies, it's a bonzer place to sleep While Yanks say "Eng-lish-mun", Trevs and Noelenes say (more precisely)
"Pom-mie beeeaaa-stid." As for the pronunciation of the word "beer", my understanding is that the Oz version of the phrase begins with a "p" and ends with a sibilant sound.

But haven't we been going a bit easy on the bladdy South Efricans oveh yah?

Sometimes people "correct" my pronunciations with the weirdest words. Does it happen to you guys?

I tend to pronounce "library" as "li-beree" and I've been repeatedly "corrected" to the equally incorrect "liberry" more times than I can remember.

Then there was a time someone made fun of my accent because I don't say "war-ship" for worship.

Then there was a time when I had to do a project in school with a girl from Upstate New York (I'm not sure if it's a regional thing) who kept writing "youse" and changing it back every time I corrected it.

I'm still not even sure of what "youse" means.

Coolup, I don't think we say "warta." We say "warda."

Sometimes it seems we've thrown "t" out of the alphabet.

Ah thanks Lanni boo-ee that was it.Right bonza of ya ta mate.

No one has given the Kiwis a sledge yet.

"Oi bro, puss me some puss from the chilli bun. Cheers cuz. Enyone in for some greasy fush and chups? Jus a wee but?"

translated - Hey, pass me some beer from the esky. Thanks. Anyone want some fish and chips? Just a small bit?

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translated - Hey, pass me some beer from the esky.

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I'm sorry, but I didn't understand the translation. What's an 'esky'?
Two friends visited the USA and found that no one could pronounce there surnames. Everywhere 'Moss' came out as 'Morse' and 'Radcliffe' always lost its 'c' to become 'Radliff".

Esky ... An insulated box to keep the beer cold in.
Jsut trying to think if they have a generic name becasue 'Esky' is the brand name of the best ones. Anyone?

Thanks, Copago. In England there isn't a dominant brand, so I would just call it a cool box. Mind you, we spend most of our time trying to keep things warm!

Coolupway, I think you've mixed Aussies up with Kiwis with your Spectacular Bid example. Copago, another example of this is the Windsurfer, which is a brand of Sailboard. Proofreader, I don't think the apostrophe problem has gone unnoticed. For many years the Sydney Morning Herald's (see that!) Column 8 has had a contributor called Apostrophe Man who is deadly when it comes to public missuses of the beloved '. I must say it is also one of my pet irks, but I have been found to be guilty through typo errors. Copago, can you translate this Kiwism (or is that Kiwiism?) -
Come Ewes - former adversary of the Black Caps.

The Australian Word Map is fascinating.

I'd heard somewhere that the Aussies have a bewildering variety of regional names for different sizes of beer glasses, and the map confirms it. Interestingly, the same word (e.g. schooner or middy) is used for different sizes of glass in different states. Does this ever cause confusion for Sydneysiders visiting South Australia? (In the UK, a schooner is one of those waisted glasses holding about two ounces that pubs and hotels serve sherry in).

I also noticed, as an example of Australian usage, "A middy of New, thanks, barman." Thanks doesn't appear as a regionalism, so is it universal Aussie usage? I think a Brit would say please when he ordered the drink and thanks when he got it.

For me (NSW) a schooner is bigger than a middy ... not sure exactly how big a schooner is (I know it's more than 2 ounces!!) but it is a little bit smaller than the English pint. And confusion abounds all the time, Tabby!

And I never thought about saying thanks for something before you get it ... mmm, use that one all the time. Seems funny now I've thought about it.

Come ewes ... umm, got me there, Kevin. Am I going to kick myself when I find out?

My sister in law's name is Megan .. we'd pronounce it Mee-ghan but she was saying that everyone in the U.S. would pronounce it Meg-ann.

I must say I have a communication problem at times .The next door teacher (from NZ) came in and asked if I had a "type dick". I must have looked blank. She said she had a "type" she wanted to "ply" on the "type dick" and did I have one. Aha!! It dawned. The class "fell in" at about the same time and helped out with the translation(they are mostly Chinese). A Tape player , or Tape deck!!!
Oh dear! Lol!
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Tabby, most Aussies know what to order, where. A middy in Sydney is called a pot in most other places. The glass you call a schooner (i'm presuming it's a 7 oz. glass) is called a pony in NSW. A word of caution, if you're ever here, never order a Darwin Stubbie! As far as "thanks" goes, I think it's fairly common everywhere in Oz (although I guess it's a little presumptious)

Ren, that reminds meof a story told by Richard Gere when he visited Sydney. He told of having a lovely cruise on the harbour. He spotted a girl working on the boat and asked what she did. She replied "I'm a d..khead". Gere looked perplexed,not knowing how to answer that, when another crew member stepped in and said "It's alright mate, she's a New Zealander. She's trying to tell you she's a DECKHAND".

Re the schooner - It is a 15oz glass in NSW, Qld etc, but an 8oz glass in South Australia. I discovered that when I went to a South Australian pub and ordered one.
Never made THAT mistake again!