The words we mispronounced in 2018
Christmas is a time for reflection, family and dinner table debates.
But do you ever find yourself stuck mid-conversation on how to pronounce names such as Eugenie (you-JAY-nee) or Geraint (ger-AINT)? You're not alone. A survey by the British Institute for Verbatim Reporters (BIVR) has identified the most mispronounced names and words of the year. Entries include electronics firm Huawei (WA-way), specific (spe-SI-fik) and papoose (pa-POOSE). Some of 2018's most commonly mispronounced words: *Pronunciations provided by Babbel. Last year's batch included the surname of EU Council President Donald Tusk (toosk), and the title of the Irish prime minister, the taoiseach (tea-shock). The survey was commissioned by language learning app Babbel. Their director of didactics, Miriam Plieninger, says the reason for the mispronunciations is pretty straightforward - many of the words on the list aren't English. "We pronounce words in a way we expect them to be pronounced in our own language," she said. Mrs Plieninger also had some advice for those of us who itch to correct peers committing a linguistic faux pas. "If you understand what the other person meant, it's usually fine. As long as you get your message across, it's all good."