Audiobooks have begun to outsell print

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Catlady

A book I listened to recently had a funny instance where the voice actor egregiously mispronounced a common word in a character's dialog. I was mentally tut-tutting at such shocking ineptitude, but a few sentences later the second character remarked on the mispronunciation, which I then realized had been deliberate.



Well, in the narrator's defense, it is an alternate pronunciation, per Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary:

One of the words I mispronounced did have an alternate pronunciation and I had invented a third... It's tough, I tell you, tough!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Shane R

Indeed, I seldom use the other two.

"Kway"? Are you being serious?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Kway"? Are you being serious?

As Catlady pointed out, it is an acceptable pronunciation. If I wasn't sure how to pronounce something, I would go to the dictionary to find out. What would you use as a resource?

Shari

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Kway"? Are you being serious?

I checked two dictionaries. It's an acceptable pronunciation in both and isn't even listed as "rarely." This is part of the problem with pronunciations. There are often several acceptable forms, but if someone has only heard one version, they may not even recognize the others. One of the words I "mispronounced" during a recording did have my pronunciation listed -- but it was under the "rarely" or colloquial listing so I re-read it with a more "common" pronunciation.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Don't even get me started on the number of pronunciations for things in Newfoundland.

It took me three meetings to finally understand anything of what my electrician was saying there and even then it was a struggle.

I think it's interesting that some books are selling better as audiobooks. My wife was asking me about Audible the other day.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

As Catlady pointed out, it is an acceptable pronunciation. If I wasn't sure how to pronounce something, I would go to the dictionary to find out. What would you use as a resource?

Shari

I'm not doubting the validity of it; I'm just wondering how such a peculiar pronunciation could have arisen.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not doubting the validity of it; I'm just wondering how such a peculiar pronunciation could have arisen.

Quiet (qwa)

Quay (qua)

Quick (qwi)

I don't find it any odder than the other two qw pronunciations.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Quiet (qwa)

Quay (qua)

Quick (qwi)

I don't find it any odder than the other two qw pronunciations.

Words like "queen", "quick", etc, were originally spelt with a "cw" or "kw" at the beginning. The word "quay", on the other hand, is a French spelling of the Middle English word "key" or "cay". It's never had a "w" sound in it.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not doubting the validity of it; I'm just wondering how such a peculiar pronunciation could have arisen.

What's peculiar about it? "Qu" is usually pronounced "kw."

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Words like "queen", "quick", etc, were originally spelt with a "cw" or "kw" at the beginning. The word "quay", on the other hand, is a French spelling of the Middle English word "key" or "cay". It's never had a "w" sound in it.

Granted the word origins aren't the same, but other words often use the qw so that's probably where it came from.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

What's peculiar about it? "Qu" is usually pronounced "kw."

It's peculiar because it's assigning a false etymology to the word. As I said in my previous post, words that are pronounced "kw" in English were once spelt that way in Middle English. "Quay", however, does not originate from Middle English but from Mediaeval French and, as you know, "qu" is just a "k" sound in French; no "w".

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Granted the word origins aren't the same, but other words often use the qw so that's probably where it came from.

I'm sure you're right. It's just plain wrong in British English, though. One of the many differences between our languages.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm sure you're right. It's just plain wrong in British English, though. One of the many differences between our languages.

It sounds just plain wrong to me in American English! I have never heard anyone actually say "kway." To me, it's a backward justification for how people who don't know better think it's pronounced, because they've only ever seen it.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by issybird

It sounds just plain wrong to me in American English! I have never heard anyone actually say "kway." To me, it's a backward justification for how people who don't know better think it's pronounced, because they've only ever seen it.

Well, then I suppose most American pronunciations could be considered backwards although the dictionaries I looked it up in didn't say it was British versus American (sometimes they do distinguish the two).

But then, I've not only never heard anyone say "kway" I've never heard the word at all.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

It sounds just plain wrong to me in American English! I have never heard anyone actually say "kway." To me, it's a backward justification for how people who don't know better think it's pronounced, because they've only ever seen it.

Well, regardless of how it came about, the folks at Merriam-Webster apparently have decided to accept the pronunciation as legit.