Do you choose to pronounce words in the original accent or as they have come to be pronounced over time?

well we all have differant accents and I think that has alot to do with it.But in a professional way it is correct way that is in the dictionary.

In regards to pettifoggery, I don’t think it matters how you pronounce the words as much as how you expect others to pronounce them. Be proud to know the true origin and share it with others. But if people don’t understand what you are talking about, then you might reconsider the benefits of form over function.

We were discussing niche marketing at work the other day, and about half of the group laughed me when I said “nee-sh” marketing. They all pronounce it “n-itch”.

I prefer to use the correct and original pronunciation, but I am a huge word nerd.

I tend to take a pragmatic rather than a principled position where pronunciation and usage are concerned. That means using the form that my interlocutor is most likely to recognize. While I appreciate language artfully and accurately used, I feel that it is a tool in service to a higher end: a communion of minds. When the imposition of “proper” pronunciation or usage impedes rather than facilitates that communion, then I’d rather set them aside. If I were to say “Math is not my fort”, this “correct” pronunciation would seem so incongruous to most people that communication would be momentarily interrupted as they pondered how I said it rather than what I said.

In those rare circumstances where my role is to educate, say when talking with my children, than I feel that a higher standard of propriety is justified. But in the vast majority of venues, I’m more concerned with nurturing a free flow of communication than with defending linguistic ideals.

I’m with jsc but, how the fuck else do you pronounce schism? I always pronounce all words correctly when I can, and correct others often. Very rarely, you get someone personally offended by it but more often you get someone very appreciative who’s just glad they can stop looking like a moron. If someone argues with me I let it slide, unless it’s something glaring, like my friend who says “forchitude” for “fortitude”. Wtf?

I pronounce it “skizz-um”

Living in Los Angeles (ahem!) we do it all the time. Santa Ana, Los Feliz, San Pedro, etc., these words, and so many others, have become an Americanized version of Spanish words. If I try to say Los Feliz, the proper way, people look at me like I’m being pretensious. Words that obviously come from other languages, like foyer or sommalier, I pronounce correctly. Other times, I just don’t bother. I even have fun mispronouncing words that have a stupid spelling, like unique.
Can you say u-nik-yoo?

I have never in my life pronounced the word sommelier

@TinyFaery – how to others (who don’t know the correct Spanish version) pronounce Los Feliz? I am interested to see =)

When I’m having a conversation, I don’t have time to make a decision on which pronunciation to use. Hell, I can’t even decide to use a word my listener will know. Conversations just naturally flow, and (most of the time) the correct form (or word) pops out before I even consider if it’s the most effective form (or word). I think it’s a nice effort to make, it just never even occurs to me to do so. I also have the bad habit of correcting people, though I am trying to reform!

I have to admit, up until 4 years ago I was pronouncing ‘forte’ incorrectly. I was stunned when I figured it out, because I’d never heard it pronounced correctly! Also, now I’m wondering what the correct pronunciation of ‘Van Gogh’ is, since I’ve only ever heard it ‘Van Go’...

Pretty much everyone, even Spanish speakers pronounce it Los Fee-liz. So sad…

@asmonet: Schism is or was pronounced sizzum.
@Augustinian: In Holland, Van Gogh is prounounced Van Hokh with that hairball h at the end. http://inogolo.com/query.php?desc=1318&key=1

I hesitate before using what I know are original pronunciations. Words from French and German, I pronounce in French and German, because I have taken those languages and the pronunciation seems natural, so I would say neesh for niche and foy-yay for foyer and Auschvitz for Auschwitz. But for some other words that I know the “proper” or non-Anglicized versions, I hesitate, because my natural pedant is at war with my conformist and anti-wave making persona. I don’t want to seem pretentious, but I kind of like doing things properly.

So the tension for me is partly a wish to be polite among non word-nerds, partly confusion (if the dictionary acknowledges an Anglicized pronunciation, why not just go with it?), and partly my smartypants nature that likes to show off.

Thanks for your responses, everyone!

I like to find out the correct meaning and pronunciations for words. Even commonly used words can be grossly misused, If I come to know that is not how a certain word should be used I refer it at once.Once i have learnt, I like to share it with others.

When it comes right down to it, almost our entire lexicon consists of words appropriated from other languages and pronounced badly. If our forebears had been real sticklers for pronunciation, our language would sound nothing like what we speak today. At some point, we just end up letting go of the idea that this or that word belongs to another language and accept that we’ve twisted into something we can call our own.

I read a great book about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. It goes into detail about how the early pioneers built a network of volunteers that would send in scraps of paper with words they had seen and definitions.

I think Tolkien’s experience with the OED led him to the creation of the languages used in Lord of the Rings.

Well, what do you know! I had ‘schism’ incorrect. That one I’ll keep the old incorrect pronunciation of, I’ve never heard it pronounced as anything but ‘skizz-um’ as stated above and it just sounds better in my head. As for Van Gogh, I’ve heard it pronounced properly in my art classes but even then the teacher was just as inclined to use the other pronunciation. I look at it this way, my name changes in every language and I don’t force the old pronunciation on anyone. English is a sneaky thief of a language, it doesn’t make much difference. :)

It all depends, for instance I like to say vegetables, the way it is spelled, (veegetables) but if I don’t like the word or the way it is spelled I don’t even say it, I juss skipp the whole conversation, like pirates of the caribbean, is it (carah-be-in) or (carih-be-in)? I pronounce it the second way, however, if I hear some-one say thr second way, I take my sword out of my pocket and threat to cut their valuables off unless the take it back and say it my way (=D)