During the president's visit to Japan I've heard several commentators use various pronunciations for one city he saw. So what is it -- He-RO-shim-ah or he-ro-SHE-ma?

I think both pronunciations are used.

The first pronunciation more closely approximates the Japanese pronunciation to me, but Japanese stress is very different from English stress. Both pronunciations might sound foreign to a Japanese speaker.

Good question, Proof. I was thinking the same thing. I had always pronounced it the second way, but now I am hearing it the first way more often.

Yesterday om the news, I saw part of a Memorial Day presentation at a local cematery. One speaker unfortunately had a thick New England accent. Thus his "They fought for you..." came out as "They fart for you..."

Those New Englanders are confusing about their "r's". They don't like them here: "Park the car in Harvard yard" Yet, they add it here: "idea" becomes "idear."

Here is a newscaster (listen to the man first, then the woman who follows) giving a pronunciation for a state name I've never heard before.

One local TV station persists in calling the village of Pascoag "Pasco'" Yet they call another site Apponaug (with a hard"g") and not Apponah.

Do you mean the pronunciation of Hawaii?

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:
Here is a newscaster (listen to the man first, then the woman who follows) giving a pronunciation for a state name I've never heard before.

That's the normal pronunciation in Hawaiʻi.

Yes. The man says Ha WAH ee, the woman ha VAY ee.

In Hawaiian there is free variation between /w/ and /v/. Both pronunciations are used in Hawaiʻi.

Another questiomable word surfaced today.

Doughnut for me. I see "donut" as "do-nut." I do nut like that lazy spelling.

Don't tell Dunkin...

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Don't tell Dunkin...

According to the article, it seems likely that they invented that spelling. At least, it started to be used at about the same time they were founded.

Until fairly recently branches of Dunkin Donuts were about the only places that spelling was seen over here; now it is quite common, but the "doughnut" spelling is still seen the most.

If I want a really good doughnut (my dad used ot have a place near him with warm, homemade doughnuts - mmmm!), I think of it spelled that way. If I want a cheap, commercialized donut, I think of it spelled that way.