▲ 84 ▼ English as a second language learners: what words were really hard for you to pronounce? (discuss.tchncs.de) submitted 11 months ago by RockySalad@discuss.tchncs.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml 155 comments fedilink hide all child comments 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?
[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (7 children) Facade as Fack-aid, is one. permalink fedilink source hideshow 7 child comments replies: [–] davel@lemmy.ml 5 points 11 months ago (1 child) *façade permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 point 11 months ago In France certainly. permalink fedilink source parent [–] communism@lemmy.ml 4 points 10 months ago (3 children) I've never heard anyone of any native language pronounce it fack-aid? The English speakers I hear always say fuh-saad. Or are you saying that fack-aid is how you pronounce it and you struggle with fuh-saad? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 point 10 months ago (1 child) Most loan-words are hard for ESL learners, they retain the original language pronunciation and break many phonetic rules of English pronunciation. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] communism@lemmy.ml 1 point 10 months ago Oh so you're saying the latter. Fuh-saad is pretty in line with English pronunciation "rules" (though English doesn't really have pronunciation rules the same way other languages do—see though, through, cough, bough, etc). Maybe a more "English" way of saying it would be fuh-sayd, but I think the c would be interpreted as a soft c even if it weren't a loanword. Again, hard to say with English which is notoriously inconsistent though. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 1 point 10 months ago Same here. permalink fedilink source parent [–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 11 months ago Some English speakers pronounce that the french way Niche is another weird one bc in some contexts it is pronouched the french way in others, "nitch". The squirrel's ecological "nitch". Finding your niche in the job market.... permalink fedilink source parent
[–] davel@lemmy.ml 5 points 11 months ago (1 child) *façade permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 point 11 months ago In France certainly. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] communism@lemmy.ml 4 points 10 months ago (3 children) I've never heard anyone of any native language pronounce it fack-aid? The English speakers I hear always say fuh-saad. Or are you saying that fack-aid is how you pronounce it and you struggle with fuh-saad? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 point 10 months ago (1 child) Most loan-words are hard for ESL learners, they retain the original language pronunciation and break many phonetic rules of English pronunciation. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] communism@lemmy.ml 1 point 10 months ago Oh so you're saying the latter. Fuh-saad is pretty in line with English pronunciation "rules" (though English doesn't really have pronunciation rules the same way other languages do—see though, through, cough, bough, etc). Maybe a more "English" way of saying it would be fuh-sayd, but I think the c would be interpreted as a soft c even if it weren't a loanword. Again, hard to say with English which is notoriously inconsistent though. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Cricket@lemmy.zip 1 point 10 months ago Same here. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 point 10 months ago (1 child) Most loan-words are hard for ESL learners, they retain the original language pronunciation and break many phonetic rules of English pronunciation. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] communism@lemmy.ml 1 point 10 months ago Oh so you're saying the latter. Fuh-saad is pretty in line with English pronunciation "rules" (though English doesn't really have pronunciation rules the same way other languages do—see though, through, cough, bough, etc). Maybe a more "English" way of saying it would be fuh-sayd, but I think the c would be interpreted as a soft c even if it weren't a loanword. Again, hard to say with English which is notoriously inconsistent though. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] communism@lemmy.ml 1 point 10 months ago Oh so you're saying the latter. Fuh-saad is pretty in line with English pronunciation "rules" (though English doesn't really have pronunciation rules the same way other languages do—see though, through, cough, bough, etc). Maybe a more "English" way of saying it would be fuh-sayd, but I think the c would be interpreted as a soft c even if it weren't a loanword. Again, hard to say with English which is notoriously inconsistent though. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 11 months ago Some English speakers pronounce that the french way Niche is another weird one bc in some contexts it is pronouched the french way in others, "nitch". The squirrel's ecological "nitch". Finding your niche in the job market.... permalink fedilink source parent