Confession time :-)

damselfly

I can not say the word "potato". It's true, I have sinned against the English language. I didn't realize I was sinning until the day I asked if my boyfriend would like mashed potatoes for supper and he started laughing. I'm confused potatoes are funny?

Then he tells me, you say "badado" "I do not!" I exclaim, very indignat. Try it again he says. So I do and dammit he's right! "Badado" What in heck is a badado?! How have I gone 30 years saying "mashed badados", "badado chips" "sweet badados"? Why has no one else ever corrected me?!

Now that I'm aware of my mispronounciation it's worse because it's very obvious I am trying to say it correctly. It comes out long and drawn out "poe--tay--toe"

I'm never eating "badados" again

Dams

upside/down

You say poh-tay-toe...

I say poh-tah-toe...

hehehe...

u/d

unique1

Thanks for the laugh. Saying it the long way just makes you sound southern. It isn't that bad.

Balsam

LOL

I grew up in California, and at 21 moved to North Carolina. Well needless to say everyone thought I sounded funny and everything I said brought puzzled expressions. My NC husband helped me correct my speech and words that I finally was able to carry on a converstation with NC people. In Calif everyone spoke the same way but boy it is tough when we pick up pronounciations for words that totally change how it sounds. LOL If an area your from tends to say a word a certain way that is how you learn it.

I can completely understand what your going through. Today I have a perfect NC accent and speaking much more slowly than I did when I got here 34 years ago. LOL

Keep working on it you'll get it changed then your mind will pick it up and you'll be good to go. LOL

Balsam

greendawn

It is ssurprising that some American dialects are incomprehensible to other Americans.

So Damselfly if you said badados for potatoes did you also say damados (dam-ados) for tomatoes?

gumby

After 30 years on planet earth, your boyfriend is the only one who noticed? He's gonna notice MORE stuff along the way ya know.

I say dump him...and come and be one of my concubines in my new church I'm starting up. You don't need someone who makes fun of ya anyways. I'll never correct your speech....I promise.

Your boyfriend can feed and clean up after my concubines for $100 per week (cash under the table) and free room and board. ( he ain't allowed to touch my ladies either)

Gumby

damselfly

So Damselfly if you said badados for potatoes did you also say damados (dam-ados) for tomatoes?

No, I can say tomatoes.

I mispronounce library too, but a lot of other people do too so I'm not as embarrassed by that one. It comes out "Lieberry"

Dams

Dr Jekyll

It is ssurprising that some American dialects are incomprehensible to other Americans.

Whys that then? If you take a country the size of the UK and compare it to the size of the US its tiny and yet I have Glaswegian friends that have a terrible time being understood in London.

upside/down

some American dialects are incomprehensible to other Americans

not quite "incomprehensible"... but sometimes a slight challenge.

I've lived in several parts of the country...and been told I have a "Midwest accent" (raised a SoCal boy)...which means you have NO real discernable accent...go figure.

It's the preferred sound for radio and TV.

u/d

anewme

How funny Dams! Dont worry, we all have some words that we learn later we have been mispronouncing!
I caught my husband saying Viet-ma-nese instead of Viet-NA-mese.

I had a hearing problem when I was very young and learned the alphabet like this:

ABCDEFGHIJK etta menna PQRSTUVWXYZ!!! I remember being shocked the day I realized my error!

I find it fascinating to listen to people with different dialects. English is spoken so differently all around the world. Which is right and which is wrong?

My Dad was an English major and so is my brother. It is my forte as well. In our house we were corrected all the time ad nauseum. But these days I think it is never polite to insist that everyone speak the language exactly the same and perfectly. I find after one or two reminders if a person insists on speaking a word incorrectly, well then I will just have to get used to it.
There is nothing more pesty than an English snob.

Confession time :-)

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