Advertisement...a confusing musing over how to say it

Advertisement. Admit it - in your head you have a certain way to pronounce it, and saying it a different way feels weird. The way I say it, ædvərtɪsmɪnt, is the British way to say it. The standard American pronunciation, ædvərtaɪzmɪnt, sounds so bizarre to me that I have to look up the pronunciation for it in the dictionary. Despite the fact that I was born and raised in Ohio, I still say it in the British way. Perhaps this is due to the fact that my father’s British, and even after living in the US for over forty years, still pronounces certain words differently. Even though I pronounce it in the British way, I still usually shorten it to “ad”, not “advert”, which is inconsistent with how I pronounce it, but that’s what I do…

What words do you pronounce differently than the standard for the dialect in which you speak? Comment below!

(words 154, British English)

Scurrilous - the act of being a squirrel?

Scurrilous is curious,

I muse as I read.

What can this be,

This word that’s foreign to me?

At a glance, scurrilous looks remarkable like the word ‘squirrel’. I picture things turning into squirrels, or at least squirrel-like beings. I can see the bushy tails starting to pop out of everything. Suddenly, my backpack has a tail, and it’s making noises. Okay, not really, but it’s funny to imagine what it would be like if that happened. Does it even have anything to do with squirrels, I wonder as I look up the definition. No, I find, it doesn’t. Far from it, in fact. It has nothing to with squirrels at all! (See definition below.)

Therefore, knowing the proper definition of scurrilous, I can imagine almost a medieval image, one knight saying to another, “How now! Thou art a scurrilous cad!”

scurrilous

adjective scur·ri·lous \ˈskər-ə-ləs, ˈskə-rə-\

Full Definition of SCURRILOUS

1a :  using or given to coarse language

1b :  vulgar and evil <scurrilous imposters who used a religious exterior to rob poor people — Edwin Benson>

2 :  containing obscenities, abuse, or slander <scurrilous accusations>

from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scurrilous

scurrilous, adj.

Pronunciation:  /ˈskʌrɪləs/

Forms:  Also 15 skurulous, 16 scurulous, scurrillous.

Etymology:  < scurrile adj. + -ous suffix.

  ‘Using such language as only the licence of a buffoon can warrant’ (Johnson); characterized by coarseness or indecency of language, esp. in jesting and invective; coarsely opprobrious or jocular.

1576   G. Gascoigne Needles Eye in Wks. (1910) II. 419   What shall we thinke of skurulous, deceyptfull, byting, slanderous..wordes?

1597   R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. Ded. sig. A5,   The scurrilous and more then Satyricall immodestie of Martinisme.

a1616   Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 214   Forewarne him, that he vse [use] no scurrilous words in's tunes.

1651   T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxi. 110   Sometimes a scurrilous Jester, as Hyperbolus.

1716   J. Addison Freeholder No. 23. ⁋1   They are grown scurrilous upon the Royal family.

1828   T. B. Macaulay Hallam's Constit. Hist. in Edinb. Rev. Sept. 105   They might be violent in innovation, and scurrilous in controversy.

1874   J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §2. 359   The old scurrilous ballads were heard again in the streets.

From: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/173941?redirectedFrom=scurrilous#eid

(words 141 - not including definitions)

How Do I Conversate?

For the longest time, whenever I heard someone say the dreaded word, I would shudder involuntarily. Conversate. Now, I thought to myself, that’s not a word, it isn’t in the dictionary, so why should it be used? It was the bane of my existence, yet I searched for its use, hoping to never hear it spoken. When looking in my new dictionary that was the first word I looked for. Imagine the look of disappointment on my face when I saw it in print. “No!” I lamented, “not that word”. Then after looking at the definition, I saw that it said nonstandard English; to converse, and I felt much better about my view on the word. 

Still, it invokes shivers, tears in the fetal position, and a wail reminiscent of a banshee. I refuse to accept that one can conversate, no matter if it is in the dictionary or not. Even now, with apparent acceptance, my Microsoft Word program underlines it as if to say “Hey, this isn’t a real word!” Yes, my dear word processor, I know, but the other people just don’t understand us. They enjoy the little game they play with their non-standard English. They want us to feel like this. Don’t let it get into your head, little one, they will have their day when they see the light and realize that conversate isn’t really the word they want to use, that it lacks the finesse of standard English. Remember, they can’t hurt you if you don’t let them.

*disclaimer: I don't actually talk to my computer out-loud like that.

(253 words)

Height or heigth? The invisible 'th'

Height (hīt) n. - the distance from the base of something to the top, how tall something is

Nothing irks me (and I suspect a lot of other people) more than when someone says heigth. Just the thought of that has me suppressing a shudder. It could be understandable if it was an alternate pronunciation, but no, alas, it is not. The closest that it comes is looking at the Middle and Old English versions of the word, hēhthu or hēahthu. In support of those who dislike the rare pronunciation issue, you’re not alone.This word is very commonly used, so one would think that people know how to say it. But do they? No, of course not! – that would be too easy. Instead, we must fight against this mispronunciation with all that we have. Some suggestions are: pocket dictionary with pronunciation guide, flyers with the correct way to say it emblazoned in a bold font and color, and if all else fails, a brand to make sure people say it right…forever.

(154 words)