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English as a second language learners: what words were really hard for you to pronounce? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 4 days ago by RockySalad@discuss.tchncs.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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If English wasn't your first language, maybe if you learned English later in life, were there any words that you had a really hard time learning how to pronounce? Do you think that had to do with the sounds made in your first language?

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[–] toothpaste_sandwich@thebrainbin.org 9 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I wouldn't say struggle, but I did wonder for a while how to pronounce "anemone".

[–] stray@pawb.social 5 points 4 days ago

Everyone has trouble with that one. There's even a joke about it in Finding Nemo. I don't imagine most English-speakers can spell it offhand.

[–] Mobiuthuselah@mander.xyz 2 points 3 days ago

I'm having a whole cognitive dissonance moment because I could've sworn it was "anenome". I even studied this in college and have an ecology degree. Likely over the last twenty years I convinced myself that the common incorrect pronunciation is correct, but I immediately looked it up and then tried to rationalize that it was some sort of mandala effect. The simplest answer is that it's confabulation on my part, and I'm wrong.

[–] MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I was listening to a best-selling author's recent audiobook, and the professional voice actress messed this one up. So you're in good company. Really, who can we blame but the Greeks?

[–] toothpaste_sandwich@thebrainbin.org 3 points 4 days ago

That sounds like a universal truth if I ever heard one.