English homework

[Mashika]

Hi nice people of Avalon, this is probably not the place or site for it, but sorry i can't find any other people to ask and i know there are several US members here who have very good english, so please allow me to impose for a bit

Short story, i have some homework to do with pronunciation and i just can't figure it out, here's the problem

"Aluminum"
Is it really pronounced like this?
https://www.google.com/search?q=aluminum+pronunciation&oq=aluminum+pronun&aqs=chrome.0.0i433j69i57j0l8.6513j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

i can hear 'ah-loo-mee-num', but that's not how they write it, it says 'uh-loo-muh-nuhm' and it's breaking my head, are there English language rules that determine this?

Why is 'muh' sounding like 'mee', or i'm not hearing it well?

I did not get much advice other than figuring it out and the other word is

"Condominium" which i'm very sure was specifically selected for this practice
I pronounce it as "kon-doo-mee-nee-um'

But here it says it's not like that at all!
https://www.google.com/search?q=condominium+pronunciation&oq=condominium+pronunciation&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j0i22i30l2j0i390l4.1256j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I can see that the British english is closer to how i say these words, but it's still not the right way as far as i can pronounce them, so now i don't even know if i'm just breaking it bad or what, or is it the same?

I can understand that the word Aluminium may have changed over time to be Aluminum, without the last 'i' and that changes pronunciation, but i can't find how the word as written and pronounced do not match well

When i looked on the web, i did not find very useful explanations, see here for example, this doesn't really help, and the video basically says all i already knew :/
https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-words-pronounced-differently-in-britain--16928


2. Aluminum = The British pronunciation is a tongue twister. It comes easier after a few tries. But, then you’re in danger of forgetting how to say it in American-English. Sounding it out may help, al-loo-MIN-ee-um … There's a second "i" in the British form of the word, aluminium, hence the extra syllable. Here’s a video to help out.


Oh and also i can see other words on that site but i'm not working on them, but it's fun because same issue

Vitamin:
British: Bit-A-Min
US: Bite-A-Min

Me: Wait-A-Min...

I love the English language, it's so fun and cool, but sometimes.... :D

I was just wondering if there are some rules i can reference for this, since i'm not able to find anything but people basically repeating the same stuff everywhere, i'm not sure if i'm looking for the wrong words, but i've been here for a while and nothing good came up so far, so i thought maybe someone here would know?

Sorry to impose my homework, but i'm really... :frusty:

:HELP!:

[Hym]

Hi nice people of Avalon, this is probably not the place or site for it, but sorry i can't find any other people to ask and i know there are several US members here who have very good english, so please allow me to impose for a bit

Short story, i have some homework to do with pronunciation and i just can't figure it out, here's the problem

"Aluminum"
Is it really pronounced like this?
https://www.google.com/search?q=aluminum+pronunciation&oq=aluminum+pronun&aqs=chrome.0.0i433j69i57j0l8.6513j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

i can hear 'ah-loo-mee-num', but that's not how they write it, it says 'uh-loo-muh-nuhm' and it's breaking my head, are there English language rules that determine this?

Why is 'muh' sounding like 'mee', or i'm not hearing it well?

I did not get much advice other than figuring it out and the other word is

"Condominium" which i'm very sure was specifically selected for this practice
I pronounce it as "kon-doo-mee-nee-um'

But here it says it's not like that at all!
https://www.google.com/search?q=condominium+pronunciation&oq=condominium+pronunciation&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j0i22i30l2j0i390l4.1256j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I can see that the British english is closer to how i say these words, but it's still not the right way as far as i can pronounce them, so now i don't even know if i'm just breaking it bad or what, or is it the same?

I can understand that the word Aluminium may have changed over time to be Aluminum, without the last 'i' and that changes pronunciation, but i can't find how the word as written and pronounced do not match well

When i looked on the web, i did not find very useful explanations, see here for example, this doesn't really help, and the video basically says all i already knew :/
https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-words-pronounced-differently-in-britain--16928


2. Aluminum = The British pronunciation is a tongue twister. It comes easier after a few tries. But, then you’re in danger of forgetting how to say it in American-English. Sounding it out may help, al-loo-MIN-ee-um … There's a second "i" in the British form of the word, aluminium, hence the extra syllable. Here’s a video to help out.


Oh and also i can see other words on that site but i'm not working on them, but it's fun because same issue

Vitamin:
British: Bit-A-Min
US: Bite-A-Min

Me: Wait-A-Min...

I love the English language, it's so fun and cool, but sometimes.... :D

I was just wondering if there are some rules i can reference for this, since i'm not able to find anything but people basically repeating the same stuff everywhere, i'm not sure if i'm looking for the wrong words, but i've been here for a while and nothing good came up so far, so i thought maybe someone here would know?

Sorry to impose my homework, but i'm really... :frusty:

:HELP!:


Just my cup of tea, Mashika....

Yes. Quite a bit of difference between the Brits and us Yanks.

Here it is Uh loom-ihnum, or Uh loo-muh-nuhm. In teaching American English I have always written the A as either
Uh as in up or Ay as in play and the ih as in sit. The reason I do this is that Europeans enunciate the A and the I different than Americans.

"Why is 'muh' sounding like 'mee', or i'm not hearing it well?"

It's either 'muh' or 'mih'. It's never 'mee' here.

"Vitamin:
British: Bit-A-Min
US: Bite-A-Min

Me: Wait-A-Min..."

Eye 'ear (I hear) Viht Uh Min' from the Brits. And if you see them saying the word you can see the upper teeth touchin' the lower lip to say the 'V', quite the same as in the states. The B is when both lips touch to form the letter B.

"Condominium" which i'm very sure was specifically selected for this practice
I pronounce it as "kon-doo-mee-nee-um' "

It is Kawn-duh-mihn-ee-um here. You use Kon as in Kon Tiki. Same sound, different writing. We could also use Kahn or Kaan, both which sound the same.
I also put the 'ih' there instead of just an 'i' as many Europeans see the 'i' as 'eye', or the 'i' as 'ee'.


There are no steadfast rules in transliteration, except to see, hear, and learn what the base language a student learns from and how it is transliterated into English.

However, 'Ow-Evuh', nuttin' compares to seeing and hearing a language being spoken and used.

I too see language as fun to learn, but nothing comes close to learning it in person and then repeating it back to native speakers. I have been asked to do voice overs, but the money was never enough and the industry not appealing to me, as the content often has no character, or moral base.

I prefer to listen and share what I know without charging, sit back and enjoy people advancing fast, as language has so many signs of what is happening to the speaker if you listen...So many insights to share and to gain.

[Mashika]

Thank you so much

I think I'm starting to see this better now

Shamefully for me, I skipped learning how to speak English for years, so ended up only writing and reading it, and having to watch movies with subtitles all the time, now it bites me back lol

I wish the explanations on Google were as good as yours :)

Your pronunciation guide was way ways better

I was trying the v vs B issue, I found your advice extremely helpful!

I have problems with that as well, thank you so much!

Thank you again, this will be very helpful

Also, I think I need to hire a better English teacher, for sure will do once at home



Hi nice people of Avalon, this is probably not the place or site for it, but sorry i can't find any other people to ask and i know there are several US members here who have very good english, so please allow me to impose for a bit

Short story, i have some homework to do with pronunciation and i just can't figure it out, here's the problem

"Aluminum"
Is it really pronounced like this?
https://www.google.com/search?q=aluminum+pronunciation&oq=aluminum+pronun&aqs=chrome.0.0i433j69i57j0l8.6513j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

i can hear 'ah-loo-mee-num', but that's not how they write it, it says 'uh-loo-muh-nuhm' and it's breaking my head, are there English language rules that determine this?

Why is 'muh' sounding like 'mee', or i'm not hearing it well?

I did not get much advice other than figuring it out and the other word is

"Condominium" which i'm very sure was specifically selected for this practice
I pronounce it as "kon-doo-mee-nee-um'

But here it says it's not like that at all!
https://www.google.com/search?q=condominium+pronunciation&oq=condominium+pronunciation&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j0i22i30l2j0i390l4.1256j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I can see that the British english is closer to how i say these words, but it's still not the right way as far as i can pronounce them, so now i don't even know if i'm just breaking it bad or what, or is it the same?

I can understand that the word Aluminium may have changed over time to be Aluminum, without the last 'i' and that changes pronunciation, but i can't find how the word as written and pronounced do not match well

When i looked on the web, i did not find very useful explanations, see here for example, this doesn't really help, and the video basically says all i already knew :/
https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-words-pronounced-differently-in-britain--16928


2. Aluminum = The British pronunciation is a tongue twister. It comes easier after a few tries. But, then you’re in danger of forgetting how to say it in American-English. Sounding it out may help, al-loo-MIN-ee-um … There's a second "i" in the British form of the word, aluminium, hence the extra syllable. Here’s a video to help out.


Oh and also i can see other words on that site but i'm not working on them, but it's fun because same issue

Vitamin:
British: Bit-A-Min
US: Bite-A-Min

Me: Wait-A-Min...

I love the English language, it's so fun and cool, but sometimes.... :D

I was just wondering if there are some rules i can reference for this, since i'm not able to find anything but people basically repeating the same stuff everywhere, i'm not sure if i'm looking for the wrong words, but i've been here for a while and nothing good came up so far, so i thought maybe someone here would know?

Sorry to impose my homework, but i'm really... :frusty:

:HELP!:


Just my cup of tea, Mashika....

Yes. Quite a bit of difference between the Brits and us Yanks.

Here it is Uh loom-ihnum, or Uh loo-muh-nuhm. In teaching American English I have always written the A as either
Uh as in up or Ay as in play and the ih as in sit. The reason I do this is that Europeans enunciate the A and the I different than Americans.

"Why is 'muh' sounding like 'mee', or i'm not hearing it well?"

It's either 'muh' or 'mih'. It's never 'mee' here.

"Vitamin:
British: Bit-A-Min
US: Bite-A-Min

Me: Wait-A-Min..."

Eye 'ear (I hear) Viht Uh Min' from the Brits. And if you see them saying the word you can see the upper teeth touchin' the lower lip to say the 'V', quite the same as in the states. The B is when both lips touch to form the letter B.

"Condominium" which i'm very sure was specifically selected for this practice
I pronounce it as "kon-doo-mee-nee-um' "

It is Kawn-duh-mihn-ee-um here. You use Kon as in Kon Tiki. Same sound, different writing. We could also use Kahn or Kaan, both which sound the same.
I also put the 'ih' there instead of just an 'i' as many Europeans see the 'i' as 'eye', or the 'i' as 'ee'.


There are no steadfast rules in transliteration, except to see, hear, and learn what the base language a student learns from and how it is transliterated into English.

However, 'Ow-Evuh', nuttin' compares to seeing and hearing a language being spoken and used.

I too see language as fun to learn, but nothing comes close to learning it in person and then repeating it back to native speakers. I have been asked to do voice overs, but the money was never enough and the industry not appealing to me, as the content often has no character, or moral base.

I prefer to listen and share what I know without charging, sit back and enjoy people advancing fast, as language has so many signs of what is happening to the speaker if you listen...So many insights to share and to gain.

[Hym]

I would also say, in a major way, that I have never purposely corrected anyone writing here on Avalon....because of a profound respect for their learning and the way their native languages exists. Besides all of that technical application, I have found some languages more accurate than English in describing and expressing the human experience.

Though we want to accurately imitate the present use of a language, one other than our own native tongue, there is a lot to be said about listening to a non-native speaker doing their best to get THEIR OWN expressions over to us in our native form, with all of it's tenses, nuances and applications.

I marvel at some of the writing here and am happy to read the expressions of those like Anka, EFO, Mashika and others whose writings are amazing in any language!

Transcendent.....
And often the very best of the Heart and Soul of Living,
Taking us all far...
Beyond the Words Themselves...

[Mashika]

Some languages like my own, have very specific things that are different. For English I special love how flexible it can be, when joking and even when insulting, like chaining insults in a joking way, and even the 'yo mama jokes which in Russia would get the person the beat up of their life most times :)

Spanish is also a very cool language, where a word can mean like 20 different things, depending on the context, or the person who you are speaking to, and i find that beautiful, because they always know, somehow, the correct place and time to say it without getting misunderstood

Of course we have similar things, but not at that level, when i first started understanding street lang in Mexico i was so amazed, i could not stop laughing every 5 minutes.. Friends and people started thinking i had some 'special needs' to say the least lmao

I think English is one of the greatest languages in history, but in the way it's now sometimes seems a bit odd, i first learned from a teacher who was around 70 years old i think, then i went to learn from school, but i kind of learned his old ways first, so it got confusing later on, specially because i avoided truly learning just to 'rebel', so i got a lot of stuff very wrong, as you can see :)

I think EFO and Anka have way better English than me, and so many other people from other countries as well, sometimes it makes me wonder if i'm truly bad at this lol, because it's very inconsistent the way i write, but they have like a well formed style, at least from what i can see, how did they learn to have a style where you can read and say "this is written by that person"?

Anyway i'm trying to correct my past mistakes, and i can feel i have done a bit of improvement here in the time i have been here, and i'm very thankful for that <3




I would also say, in a major way, that I have never purposely corrected anyone writing here on Avalon....because of a profound respect for their learning and the way their native languages exists. Besides all of that technical application, I have found some languages more accurate than English in describing and expressing the human experience.

Though we want to accurately imitate the present use of a language, one other than our own native tongue, there is a lot to be said about listening to a non-native speaker doing their best to get THEIR OWN expressions over to us in our native form, with all of it's tenses, nuances and applications.

I marvel at some of the writing here and am happy to read the mostly successful expressions of those like Anka, EFO, Mashika and others whose writings are amazing in any language!

Transcendent.....
And often the very best of the Heart and Soul of Living,
Taking us all far...
Beyond the Words Themselves...

[Hym]

Some languages like my own, have very specific things that are different. For English I special love how flexible it can be, when joking and even when insulting, like chaining insults in a joking way, and even the 'yo mama jokes which in Russia would get the person the beat up of their life most times :)

Spanish is also a very cool language, where a word can mean like 20 different things, depending on the context, or the person who you are speaking to, and i find that beautiful, because they always know, somehow, the correct place and time to say it without getting misunderstood

Of course we have similar things, but not at that level, when i first started understanding street lang in Mexico i was so amazed, i could not stop laughing every 5 minutes.. Friends and people started thinking i had some 'special needs' to say the least lmao

I think English is one of the greatest languages in history, but in the way it's now sometimes seems a bit odd, i first learned from a teacher who was around 70 years old i think, then i went to learn from school, but i kind of learned his old ways first, so it got confusing later on, specially because i avoided truly learning just to 'rebel', so i got a lot of stuff very wrong, as you can see :)

I think EFO and Anka have way better English than me, and so many other people from other countries as well, sometimes it makes me wonder if i'm truly bad at this lol, because it's very inconsistent the way i write, but they have like a well formed style, at least from what i can see, how did they learn to have a style where you can read and say "this is written by that person"?

Anyway i'm trying to correct my past mistakes, and i can feel i have done a bit of improvement here in the time i have been here, and i'm very thankful for that


The cool thing is that the expressions we share here likely tell us that we'd get along well if we all knew each other in person.

And to be very accurate with you Mashika, you are very good writing in English. In fact I have often said to myself that this young lady from another country expresses herself much better than many Americans. Your writing and the writing of others lives at the core of why human expression is so valuable between what appears to be very distant cultures and histories.

I too see Anca's writing on a different level than anyone here. Not a higher or lower form but, without a doubt, deeper into the reality that is our experiences and our purposes in living with each other, in nature and in the world ...that is Anca.....even as it is not correct for me to define anyone, especially here....

At times we do go to the consciousness that is a blend of the most soulful insights like Anca does......at times...
and here....in my writing....I cannot put it into words....everyone here knows what I mean when we read her expressions...

[Agape]

But many people seem to have nickname it as luminum.

Similarly for condominium you may just say condomium but ups, someone could get the joke.

Happy to be of help

🐨

[Merkaba360]

I suppose English has to be flexible or is becoming more-so due to becoming a global language. For example, in asia its slightly annoying how they spell some of their names and such. Yes, we can spell many ways - Jasmine, Jasmyn, Jasmin, Jazmin, Jazmine, etc... But you can't just spell however you want. Sometimes its just wrong/illegal. lol I can't think of a good example, but I've seen some that just are not English words at all.

Sometimes the British choice of words or pronunciation makes more sense, sometimes the american one. The brits talk trash about how we hacked the language bla bla. The reality is that the British accent seems to be more appreciated for style/beauty, but the american/canadian accents are for sure better for an international accent. Im from the midwest, i guess its called the non-regional dialect. Fairly slow and very articulate. There is a reason it is how the news essentially speaks. I cant tell you how many asians are surprised and happy to talk to me cuz they can understand way more of what I say than other more difficult accents. Its easier to learn. Although there are a couple british accents that are pretty clear. Also, I observe that there are quite a lot of people who just dont know how to speak very clearly. Whether its lazy or some slurring or other strange anomalies in their voice or something with their tongue or nasal distorting the sound. its hard for me to understand how so many people speak everyday but cant speak clearly. haha

[Mashika]

I suppose English has to be flexible or is becoming more-so due to becoming a global language. For example, in asia its slightly annoying how they spell some of their names and such. Yes, we can spell many ways - Jasmine, Jasmyn, Jasmin, Jazmin, Jazmine, etc... But you can't just spell however you want. Sometimes its just wrong/illegal. lol I can't think of a good example, but I've seen some that just are not English words at all.

Sometimes the British choice of words or pronunciation makes more sense, sometimes the american one. The brits talk trash about how we hacked the language bla bla. The reality is that the British accent seems to be more appreciated for style/beauty, but the american/canadian accents are for sure better for an international accent. Im from the midwest, i guess its called the non-regional dialect. Fairly slow and very articulate. There is a reason it is how the news essentially speaks. I cant tell you how many asians are surprised and happy to talk to me cuz they can understand way more of what I say than other more difficult accents. Its easier to learn. Although there are a couple british accents that are pretty clear. Also, I observe that there are quite a lot of people who just dont know how to speak very clearly. Whether its lazy or some slurring or other strange anomalies in their voice or something with their tongue or nasal distorting the sound. its hard for me to understand how so many people speak everyday but cant speak clearly. haha

I found in Mexico, something very odd a few years ago, people calling their kids "brayan", and when i said wait isn't it "brian"? They got offended and said "No! IT.IS.BRAHYAHNN!".. Ok crazy lady, brayan it is.... :P

I also found that it was easier for me to understand people in Tennessee, for some reason, than in other parts of the US, i don't even know why, but i could more or less get it and even if i could not reply, i could have a translation from my sister which was adequate enough from my own words. I felt happy about that, because i could understand real English, not 'movies' one :)

[Hym]

I was just 'a waa-chin' a movie about the reluctant soldier from world war 1, Sgt. Alvin York, who along with a small number of his fellow soldiers, captured 132 enemy soldiers, all because his religious upbringing so adamantly forbade killing, even as he had to kill 25 in self defense.

The real man himself was from Tennessee and the accents from all of the actors were easy to hear. We call it a drawl, which is a slower, more drawn out way of 'Uh taawk'nn'. The movie forcefully emphasized that we might be correct if we assumed that the language must have had something to do with his moral character, if not for actually being an integral expression of his own soul.

That would not be correct, just as parts of the movie itself were not accurate.....like sayin' that the state of Tennessee granted him the land they gave him free and clear...which they did not, as his wife's own family had to pitch in their own money and save the land from foreclosure.

We know that much of the language itself is a progression from the ancestry being Scottish, Welsh and Irish bloodlines 'a (uh) runnin' through them. It is easy to see why the Irish actor, Liam Neesen, played a back country native with a thick accent, supposedly from the nearby state of Kentucky, which is just north of Tennessee, in the movie "Next of Kin".

What is also interesting and worth a study when learning another language, is how very good actors and travelers lose their own accent when speaking a foreign language. In contrast, I'd like to see and hear an American actor act in a British play, film or series without anyone noticing that they aren't English, or if they seamlessly portrayed an Aussie, or South African native, whose accents are heavily influenced by either Dutch or Scottish/Irish dialects adapted to English.

I'm learning a bit of Brazilian Portuguese these days and I've had to make a template showing how each word is different than my american dialect. Though they take the 'R' and turn it into an 'H', like Rio de Janeiro being enunciated as 'Hee-O Day Zjuh Nay Ro'...they have no problem saying an 'R' at the end of their words, a fact which makes no sense....unless you understand the origins of the language. I can even see how the Japanese language has influenced Brazilian Portuguese, when one elderly native Brazilian woman from north of Sao Paolo said that 'Thanks', 'Obrigado', comes from the Japanese 'Thanks', 'Arigato'.

In watching programs teaching some common native, north american dialects, I am completely lost watching their written interpretations of what I hear, as if those indigenous people were not coming from a base of speaking common English, which is well known. However, once the english is learned in written form first and spoken along with, before a native tongue is used, it is more difficult to learn another language.

There are many miscues that have arisen from the forms chosen by interpreters in deriving a commonly understood transliteration method. I see it all the time, and my answer is that they need to adapt to the reader, the listener, the new speaker learning another language.

If I were to have had the pleasure of being with the inventor of the previously unwritten, newly invented and written form of Cherokee, Sequoia, we would have had a long talk...and I don't know if my interpretation would have helped anyone other than myself. I do know I'd have learned a lot, even if I still had some objections to the forms he chose. It comes down to the truth that the best learning is done in person, watching how the mouth forms the words and listening to yourself then speak them.

I have a great admiration for those deaf actors and actresses who have portrayed hearing and deaf characters alike with barely a noticeable difference. Deanne Bray and Marlee Matlin are two of the best. I would love to work with teaching the deaf and partially deaf, not just actors, how to enunciate in their own language as I see some solutions....even to the point of showing where the tongue is placed in the mouth, where the force of speech is at for each word, etc., etc., and to the heart of the matter...

However.....it is still important to note that it does not matter what the written form looks like, as long as the ones learning it interpret whatever is written as sounding correctly. If they learn it as anything other than what many interpreters consider a common form, they have not learned it incorrectly. It is the interpreters lack of adjustment in accepting the form and not teaching what so many others may understand more easily.

I often laugh at westerners who hold so steadfastly to a written transliteration method that was developed by non-native speakers themselves, as if any method is so written in stone.

Hey, just because it is written in stone doesn't make it accurate or even true. Speech evolves and devolves, depending on the character of the people speaking, and whether or not they are listening with their heads or their hearts....

[Ewan]

Mash, if it is any consolation I would never have known you struggle with English as your written posts really give no indication of it.

Sure there is the odd mistake but, believe me, plenty native English speakers can make just the same mistakes - and I include myself in that as generally my internal dialogue is way ahead of my typing skill and I have a super-bad habit of not checking my work.

[Mashika]

Mash, if it is any consolation I would never have known you struggle with English as your written posts really give no indication of it.

Sure there is the odd mistake but, believe me, plenty native English speakers can make just the same mistakes - and I include myself in that as generally my internal dialogue is way ahead of my typing skill and I have a super-bad habit of not checking my work.

From my point of view, i can't sometimes understand anything being said, when i listen to real native English speakers, from UK or USA, or other places in general :) But reading/writing is so much easier than other languages, there's context that can be interpreted in written form. Other languages, for example Spanish, sometimes you don't know if someone is being sarcastic or not, just based on the written words, you have to listen the spoken sentence to understand if the person was being serious or not

My head hurts if i am not in "English mode", and someone suddenly starts speaking English, i don't get anything that was said, i need to ask them to repeat themselves and then i may get it, but i need to know in advance that someone will speak English, otherwise it's like this:
tLoRNOEcwik



I have a super-bad habit of not checking my work.


I have been told multiple times to not immediately post or reply something without waiting at least an hour or so, and reviewing what i wrote or what i want to say, but i keep making that mistake of posting immediately and never double check, then i have to keep editing the post to fix mistakes all over :) I think it's part of how the internet works, the need to post before someone else mentions the same idea or adds something that may change the conversation into something else and now your point doesn't matter :D

[Orph]

Mashika, as others have said, you are doing a wonderful job with the English language in it's written form. As far as listening to the difference between the way the British say things and the way USA people say things, well, ..... you are not alone. There are a ton of us USA people who have a very hard time understanding what British people are saying. So, don't hurt your head trying too hard trying to understand. :ROFL:

I used to know a deaf lady who was quite good at lip-reading and could also speak quite well. I would help her to pronounce words by spelling out how the words sounded. (as you did in your posts above). But the fact is, there are a lot of words that just don't sound much at all like how they are spelled.

But consider this, if so many English speaking people (even among people here in the USA), can pronounce the same words so differently, ........ well, you aren't really wrong either. :sarcastic:


You are doing great.

[JackMcThorn]

I think it's part of how the internet works, the need to post before someone else mentions the same idea or adds something that may change the conversation into something else and now your point doesn't matter :D

I find when I was younger and less assertive, people would speak over me and I would have a hard time making my point on time so I would just not say anything. It doesn't just happen in writing. Some people are super bold and overly assertive. Frankly, I think it is disrespectful and they are more inclined to hear themselves instead of hearing others. In writing, we have a more even field of discourse, typically if the writer earns the respect of the readers. If not, they get glossed over. But we all know the ones who need to hear themselves even in writing.

[Mike]

Your English is excellent Masha:thumbsup:. You write it considerably better than many native English speakers we've had here over the years, matter of fact.

[RunningDeer]

http://paula.avalonlibrary.net/smilies/read-paper.gif
Hi Mashika,

Based on the posts I've read the suggestions below may not answer all of your concerns.

1. A helpful resource is dictionary.com (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aluminum). It includes an auditory pronunciation.

2. If you type in Goggle search (or your preferred search engine) ‘pronounce aluminum (https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=vid&q=pronounce+Aluminum&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivvvOzjJ3yAhW0F1kFHac5CukQ8ccDegQIDxAL&biw=1190&bih=745),’ what comes up are vids that demonstrate how to say it in American and British English

3. If you scroll down from that search there are a number of video suggestions such as from Australia, USA and Canada.


https://i.imgur.com/oiRltLU.jpg

4. This is what comes up in the Youtube search bar when you begin to type ”common words in English”:


https://i.imgur.com/U2Ubx2h.jpg

♡

[I am B]

Just book a trip to either scotland or ireland!
"Learning by exposition" was it called?

But for real! Your english is so on point, -9999 reasons to be concerned.

Now seriously, subtitled films could help you. English speaking plus english subtitles.

[Mashika]

http://paula.avalonlibrary.net/smilies/read-paper.gif
Hi Mashika,

Based on the posts I've read the suggestions below may not answer all of your concerns.

1. A helpful resource is dictionary.com (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aluminum). It includes an auditory pronunciation.

2. If you type in Goggle search (or your preferred search engine) ‘pronounce aluminum (https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=vid&q=pronounce+Aluminum&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivvvOzjJ3yAhW0F1kFHac5CukQ8ccDegQIDxAL&biw=1190&bih=745),’ what comes up are vids that demonstrate how to say it in American and British English

3. If you scroll down from that search there are a number of video suggestions such as from Australia, USA and Canada.


https://i.imgur.com/oiRltLU.jpg

4. This is what comes up in the Youtube search bar when you begin to type ”common words in English”:


https://i.imgur.com/U2Ubx2h.jpg

♡

I think one of the biggest issues for me is, i learned just to read words, without little/any audio context, or very much visual context only

So for example, if i see the word "reading", i don't understand why it sounds something else than "reh ah deen" which is completely wrong, because i read the single characters as if they were in cyrillic or spanish, which kind of always sounds exactly as the characters are written, but in English, if you see an "a", or an "i", it doesn't always sound as "ah" or "eeh". I have trouble because i formed a lot of misconceptions of sounds based on just what i was reading, so i don't know when and how to use the actual sounds as a native English speaker would

It's a complete mess :) And it probably will take lots of years to correct

[Mashika]

Just book a trip to either scotland or ireland!
"Learning by exposition" was it called?

But for real! Your english is so on point, -9999 reasons to be concerned.

Now seriously, subtitled films could help you. English speaking plus english subtitles.

Been doing that for a while now, watching movies without subtitles trying to get what they are saying, it's a 50/50 thing so far, but something very funny that happens is that once i watch with subtitles, then i come back and watch without subtitles, i get what they are saying! lmao. If i don't have subtitles on, it sounds like gibberish to me, but once i have at least once read the subtitles, then i can understand :) :P

Exact same thing happens with music too, i don't get most of what songs in English say, but if i read the lyrics, then go back to listen to the song again, i understand it, but no chance i can get it at first without reading the lyrics. So funny lol, but i think i'm making progress on that in recent weeks

[Hym]

As you say, Mashika, nothing compares to seeing and hearing a person speak.
We can imitate the sounds so much easier when we absorb the presence of language in person.

Speech naturally carries so much of the color and resonance of our personalities that focusing on the person themselves, without distinction about the technical properties that defines each language and it's differences, usually teaches us more than the mere study of linguistics. I say this to you because you are that much more aware of the heartbeat of a culture, than many.

Also, every person carries a song list in their speech patterns, a rhythm full of personality that we understand when they are speaking in our presence. That awareness can be taught, but I have seen it awaken in many people without much instruction, when they are simply listening and sharing who they are and what their life is all about.

Singing here....
About the pluses and minuses of language and linguistics, meaning and insight, value and abuse.
And speaking about English....Good Golly, Miss Molly !!!
What a cluster fluster of this and that.....

I don't envy anyone learning English from most any other language base, because it is so nuanced and unnecessarily complicated.
It has been manipulated, sometimes by plan, yet more often by some guy named Stan who was really confused and only codified his confusion by putting it down on paper, and maybe accidentally getting an English degree, 'cuz there wazn't anything else he wanted to do with his life.

When I hear college educated people mispronounce a word, like Kerry saying 'ecsetera' instead of 'etcetera' I wonder what happened there.....and even then I am aware that language can change in the most peculiar ways, often in defiance of any recognizable pattern, and then again I often say F the rules.....

You can see my defiance of anyone restricting my creativity when I deliberately play with the words and the sentence structure as I write, and I am amongst many on this site who do so.

It is the humanity that defines language and gives it life, and not the language that restricts our humanity.....but only if you allow yourself to write freely, which we here recognize that you have always done.

If you can ever get in a way of talking with anyone here who speaks English I think it would do wonders for your understanding of the language, and wonders for anyone who gets to learn Russian or Spanish from you..

[Mashika]

Inappropriate and off topic. I'll ask for this to be deleted.

But why? It was funny :) i wanted to reply with a personal experience based on a moment i was on the US some years ago

[Mashika]

As you say, Mashika, nothing compares to seeing and hearing a person speak.
We can imitate the sounds so much easier when we absorb the presence of language in person.

Speech naturally carries so much of the color and resonance of our personalities that focusing on the person themselves, without distinction about the technical properties that defines each language and it's differences, usually teaches us more than the mere study of linguistics. I say this to you because you are that much more aware of the heartbeat of a culture, than many.

Also, every person carries a song list in their speech patterns, a rhythm full of personality that we understand when they are speaking in our presence. That awareness can be taught, but I have seen it awaken in many people without much instruction, when they are simply listening and sharing who they are and what their life is all about.

Singing here....
About the pluses and minuses of language and linguistics, meaning and insight, value and abuse.
And speaking about English....Good Golly, Miss Molly !!!
What a cluster fluster of this and that.....

I don't envy anyone learning English from most any other language base, because it is so nuanced and unnecessarily complicated.
It has been manipulated, sometimes by plan, yet more often by some guy named Stan who was really confused and only codified his confusion by putting it down on paper, and maybe accidentally getting an English degree, 'cuz there wazn't anything else he wanted to do with his life.

When I hear college educated people mispronounce a word, like Kerry saying 'ecsetera' instead of 'etcetera' I wonder what happened there.....and even then I am aware that language can change in the most peculiar ways, often in defiance of any recognizable pattern, and then again I often say F the rules.....

You can see my defiance of anyone restricting my creativity when I deliberately play with the words and the sentence structure as I write, and I am amongst many on this site who do so.

It is the humanity that defines language and gives it life, and not the language that restricts our humanity.....but only if you allow yourself to write freely, which we here recognize that you have always done.

If you can ever get in a way of talking with anyone here who speaks English I think it would do wonders for your understanding of the language, and wonders for anyone who gets to learn Russian or Spanish from you..

I'm not sure if/when that will happen, right now, i am very insecure about speaking, i talk very very slow when trying to speak English, it basically goes like this: "think in Russian, attempt to translate to English, fail miserably, translate to spanish and figure out how it could go from Spanish to English, then speak Spanglish"

I'm just not good at it yet, so as to start a very basic conversation. But i'm trying hard to get into it now, maybe a year from now, hopefully

I have great regret about not putting the effort as i did to other things, 10 years or so ago, i did not understand how important it really was back then. If i ever get to have children, i'll make sure they don't make the same mistake :)

[Hym]

I understand and sympathize with your difficulty converting words from one language to the next.
However, allow yourself whatever time there is to be made for speaking to someone who speaks English. From now on, do an exchange with them where they learn from you how to speak Russian or Spanish while you learn English.

When you teach and learn at the same time it all progresses at a faster pace. Like I mentioned earlier, listening and asking that is done while teaching and learning with anyone speaking another language makes a big difference.

I do get the need to learn another language when we are younger. When learning language is absorbed before puberty, as both hemispheres of the brain are integrated with language processing until then, it makes not just a second language, but music and other skilled, mind-body activities learned later on in life more successful.

[Vicus]

English class is over, have a little fun : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcG3hkJ_DIkYES!

[Mashika]

English class is over, have a little fun : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcG3hkJ_DIkYES!

That profile picture... :ROFL:

[Merkaba360]

I suppose English has to be flexible or is becoming more-so due to becoming a global language. For example, in asia its slightly annoying how they spell some of their names and such. Yes, we can spell many ways - Jasmine, Jasmyn, Jasmin, Jazmin, Jazmine, etc... But you can't just spell however you want. Sometimes its just wrong/illegal. lol I can't think of a good example, but I've seen some that just are not English words at all.

Sometimes the British choice of words or pronunciation makes more sense, sometimes the american one. The brits talk trash about how we hacked the language bla bla. The reality is that the British accent seems to be more appreciated for style/beauty, but the american/canadian accents are for sure better for an international accent. Im from the midwest, i guess its called the non-regional dialect. Fairly slow and very articulate. There is a reason it is how the news essentially speaks. I cant tell you how many asians are surprised and happy to talk to me cuz they can understand way more of what I say than other more difficult accents. Its easier to learn. Although there are a couple british accents that are pretty clear. Also, I observe that there are quite a lot of people who just dont know how to speak very clearly. Whether its lazy or some slurring or other strange anomalies in their voice or something with their tongue or nasal distorting the sound. its hard for me to understand how so many people speak everyday but cant speak clearly. haha

I found in Mexico, something very odd a few years ago, people calling their kids "brayan", and when i said wait isn't it "brian"? They got offended and said "No! IT.IS.BRAHYAHNN!".. Ok crazy lady, brayan it is.... :P

I also found that it was easier for me to understand people in Tennessee, for some reason, than in other parts of the US, i don't even know why, but i could more or less get it and even if i could not reply, i could have a translation from my sister which was adequate enough from my own words. I felt happy about that, because i could understand real English, not 'movies' one :)

Lol. Yea its similar to this identity issues going on these days. Sorry, we need to collectively agree on many things and we can't just all have our own personalized/customized pronouns. They can spell it Brayan, but nobody is going to initially call them Bryan/Brian throughout their life. Its Bray. 'Ay' has only one sound possibility.

Some of the Asians want to transliterate their names to spell it in "lucky" ways. I laugh and ask them how they know which English letters are lucky. Cuz if the luck is connected to the sound, then you need to spell it to sound most accurate. So, if an asian L is lucky, they want to use the English L. But that L is the last letter of their name. Lets say they spell their asian name as MOOL. In their native language, its actually spoken MOON. Sorry, you can spell your name Mool but you arent going to be hearing people call you Moon. lol

It gets even a lot worse than that. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Like the officials cant even use the most logical spelling. Guess how that name actually sounds....


Soo wanna poom. lol V's don't even exist in the Thai language. seriously? The R is totally imagined, no idea what crazy linguist started that bad habit. And its clearly a P sound. And th I at the end....hello? :)

I mean whatever i dont really care, but being a math and science guy, It just baffles me. If I was all powerful, Id be firing people left and right and removing all their credentials for being fake experts. haha When its impossible to translate, then it can be subjective, but often times , there is a correct and simple way to do it. Maybe I like math because we don't tolerate such sloppiness. :)

[Mashika]

Hold off! = Stop?
Hold on = Wait?

The alarm went off = The alarm is turned on and it started ringing
Water is off = There's no running water
Tv is off = Tv was shutdown
Game is on = Let's play!
Game off = Game is over

"Lights are off? or Lights are out"?
"The alarm went off and then the game was on"

:wizard::frusty:

I think i'm starting to understand that one, but it's even equal to the "i'm on" vs "i'm in" thing :blushing:

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

There is no doubt, English can be strange:

************

There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither pine
nor apple are in the pineapple. English muffins were not invented in
England, French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we
find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square, and a
guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. If writers write, how
come fingers don't fing? If you put the letter "s" at the beginning of
laughter, you get slaughter.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be
phone beeth? If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play, yet play at a recital? We park on driveways
and drive on parkways. And no one rushes anywhere during rush hour.
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can
burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the
creativity of the human race (which of course isn't a race at all). That is why when
the stars are out they are visible, but when a light bulb is out you can't
see it. And why it is that when I wind up my watch it starts but when I wind
up this story it ends?

And some more food for thought:
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who
drives a race car not called a racist?
Why are wise men the opposite of wise guys?
Why do the words overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that
electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged,
models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

[AriG]

There is doubt, English can be strange:

************

There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither pine
nor apple are in the pineapple. English muffins were not invented in
England, French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we
find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square, and a
guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. If writers write, how
come fingers don't fing? If you put the letter "s" at the beginning of
laughter, you get slaughter.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be
phone beeth? If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play, yet play at a recital? We park on driveways
and drive on parkways. And no one rushes anywhere during rush hour.
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can
burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the
creativity of the human race (which of course isn't a race at all). That is why when
the stars are out they are visible, but when a light bulb is out you can't
see it. And why it is that when I wind up my watch it starts but when I wind
up this story it ends?

And some more food for thought:
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who
drives a race car not called a racist?
Why are wise men the opposite of wise guys?
Why do the words overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that
electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged,
models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?


Thank you for this! Clever and hilarious!!

[Vicus]

intermezzo.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru3gH27Fn6E

[Mashika]

Today, one of the funniest things happened, while i went to watch a bit of the C.W. Chanter show

He mentioned some guys name, and i could not get it, so i asked about it :)

He said that it was written Gorko, and i kind of not got it all all because of the way he was pronouncing it, for me it sounded like "Gorkow"

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M7o__RsD3r2rhEBTD85mi5egY-Mn9uV_P0pjdC2cV-Td_axbrTdtI8JmgakVnQ7F_ykJfGjtyXtC2Ze6e91ucBLggAA0qhqIDf6-TbaMvhVuSMYp3v47svvJNGYBs7pK83zAgUke6H6E44C546fjPNIyo7y5vlwOWKK82OO4qfi7Y4K2cN0sKAzLeog9eGqILw1SSnvj qzYqM_OsyqKEJaTvQJ-8E_PUcPTvsVfH4eMbKHTIjDUNoGLgGaoT-4eZSwFfYCU-aCLgGqgBh4xxo9mqtX02yKw66s9r5ruus6-8n9mZCgZ7TOOt5O8rVLKgJP6LwY4YhNDImAobfj08cPBQ59QGlrvQ3skYN8q8iH7CfZpRc-JHTKPWVeewS8DjPW7dZhA2MmxpDuMzPqND3UGXTt_jnhYunsbwtT59DjlTVC2ExnClTqoxDDSf-dR5gOIQReWmgl9pARee2B8TP8sgw_oOuV9_KhVaEbcNM0JjLD5453AqwxHV8lRNHeJrmSbOI0RgVUskvK8JPlh0uiwHVrtUUrG6z dEDtX89ZEUPiSaTAbDcSGPWLvCowsBN6flqkvhOG9dECvPYpTTYQ_xxUwbSxjOgsALz8HHCMNJ24-YOpqhXNq3skPWsaE8s8FNNrjik6ZO-eTzjUsLZycRaLrpnYkVlvm71Zmo7223UfA9yLKKDte4vKgSZLNkUbIw39hs2jsaG7hVlEgzqx1E=w1130-h883-no?authuser=0

Then after he said the stuff about the wedding, at around minute 21:55 here, where he says "people yelling out "Gor'ko' or "Bitter'! Then i suddenly got it :)
BTzHhFa1ewM

However, once spoken, it doesn't truly sound like that :blushing: It sounds like something like Gor'Kah

In this video, you can hear how it sounds, at 0:26
92dDTE7Hiq0

LMAO, that was fun but a bit odd, it completely threw me off at first. I did not find a way to explain myself quickly to C.W. :) but he almost got it right when he used the "Gorkow" version i posted when asking him :)

Sometimes it's so hard to explain fast and efficiently that what is written or spoken across languages may not match at all with the spoken version. And that's how i got into this situation as well!

I should have known he would use English pronunciation, why would I, as hearing that word, assume different? It just kind of threw me out of "English Mode" out of no where lol :facepalm:

Languages are hard sometimes, but so fun to learn :):flower::bearhug::sun:

:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::beer:

[Delight]

In this video, you can hear how it sounds, at 0:26
92dDTE7Hiq0


Languages are hard sometimes, but so fun to learn :):flower::bearhug::sun:

:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::beer:

That wedding was CRAZY funny. There was one shot of the brides face as she was watching something and she looked like she could not believe what she was seeing?

I admire you and others who are multi-lingual. Thanks for your presence on PA. Your posts are varied and insightful. Still laughing at that wedding party.

[Mashika]

In this video, you can hear how it sounds, at 0:26
92dDTE7Hiq0


Languages are hard sometimes, but so fun to learn :):flower::bearhug::sun:

:ROFL::ROFL::ROFL::beer:

That wedding was CRAZY funny. There was one shot of the brides face as she was watching something and she looked like she could not believe what she was seeing?

I admire you and others who are multi-lingual. Thanks for your presence on PA. Your posts are varied and insightful. Still laughing at that wedding party.

Lots and lots of weddings are like that now. I blame fermented Russian water of the wheat or potato kind ;)



I admire you and others who are multi-lingual. Thanks for your presence on PA. Your posts are varied and insightful

Very honestly yours are way better all the time :flower: :heart:

[Strat]

Red Bull or cranberry juice goes great with Russian water. At least IMO.

Proper pronunciation is funny. I recently made lots of pen pals from all over the world and nobody can say my name right lol. I have an Egyptian (Arab) friend and she got it right the first time. Strange because Spanish speakers have trouble with it but that Arab girl nailed it on the head.

I had a miscommunication going on for months with an Indonesian friend. She didn't understand that 'nah' is a kind of slang for 'no' in the US and I didn't know 'nah' is an Indonesian word lol :facepalm:

[Mashika]

Red Bull or cranberry juice goes great with Russian water. At least IMO.

Proper pronunciation is funny. I recently made lots of pen pals from all over the world and nobody can say my name right lol. I have an Egyptian (Arab) friend and she got it right the first time. Strange because Spanish speakers have trouble with it but that Arab girl nailed it on the head.

I had a miscommunication going on for months with an Indonesian friend. She didn't understand that 'nah' is a kind of slang for 'no' in the US and I didn't know 'nah' is an Indonesian word lol :facepalm:

I don't know what you talking about джеймс

Everyone knows that your name is джеймс, i can pronounce it perfectly, watch me "dzheĭms"! see?

Cranberry is best, for all things! :highfive: Also with Whiskey :P

As a side note, in Mexico, and possibly other countries, there is a very fine distinction between both 'mom' and "Mamá" (as used in hispanic countries) and the usual version used in eastern Europe and Russia in general, which is "Mama" without that á at the end, and it turns out that some people take the second one (the eastern European version) as some kind of insult depending on the context it was spoken.

|When you mention it as "Mama" in latino countries, It's an insult when in the wrong context, and you can get beaten up :P

[Strat]

i can pronounce it perfectly, watch me "dzheĭms"! see?

I would legit enjoy hearing that lol. I've only made 1 Russian pen pal and haven't physically spoken with him yet, just exchanged messages.


As a side note, in Mexico, and possibly other countries, there is a very fine distinction between both 'mom' and "Mamá" (as used in hispanic countries) and the usual version used in eastern Europe and Russia in general, which is "Mama" without that á at the end, and it turns out that some people take the second one (the eastern European version) as some kind of insult depending on the context it was spoken.

|When you mention it as "Mama" in latino countries, It's an insult when in the wrong context, and you can get beaten up :P

That's very interesting, I'll have to ask my Hispanic friends about this. I know mamasita can get you in trouble lol but that hasn't been a problem for me yet. Latinas call me papi which is interesting, I was never taught that in my Spanish studies but being around Spanish speakers I hear that often.

I believe in Pashtun mama means uncle or something similar, but don't quote me on that one.

Unrelated to all this a gal from Iran named Masha contacted me a couple days ago and I thought of you lol.

[Mashika]

i can pronounce it perfectly, watch me "dzheĭms"! see?

I would legit enjoy hearing that lol. I've only made 1 Russian pen pal and haven't physically spoken with him yet, just exchanged messages.




That's very interesting, I'll have to ask my Hispanic friends about this. I know mamasita can get you in trouble lol but that hasn't been a problem for me yet. Latinas call me papi which is interesting, I was never taught that in my Spanish studies but being around Spanish speakers I hear that often.

Watch also for the variations, all related "Mamaste", "Mamas", "No mamar", "No mames", "Mamon","No estes mamando" and who knows how many more, all of those can get you in trouble if told at the wrong time, to the wrong person :)



Unrelated to all this a gal from Iran named Masha contacted me a couple days ago and I thought of you lol.

Mine is actually Mariya, or Marija. Well you know, "Mary" or "Marie" and so on :)

I'm not sure about the Iranian version, but i guess it could probably be related too? But Masha is not the actual name for people named Maria or Mariya, it's like a nick name, like someone named Robert being called Bob or Robby, it's just the same thing

I think Masha for her it's her actual name, it may mean something completely different :)

[Mashika]

Unrelated to all this a gal from Iran named Masha contacted me a couple days ago and I thought of you lol.

I just got reminded of something lol

My sister is named Sayra Alisa, that's a translation or transliteration to English by the way

In reality she is called Сайра Алиса

So when i brought her to live with me some years ago, i made a "best effort" to translate her name, but failed badly with not understanding how English people would read it

Her name sounds like "Sah eeh rah", but we call her "Say" as in "Sah-ee", like in 'bee'

Yet all English speaking friends started calling her "say" as when you speak about something and "say, what does this cost?" or "say more about it!" or "Don't you say so"

So instead of "Sah-ee" it became "Say", and no one could stop using that lol :P

Let's just say that she ending up being called say instead of Say, made my life hell because she didn't truly like it, ever :P

And that's all i have to say about Say :P :ROFL::silent: