Monday, November 12, 2007

Pet Peeve #1,765,982

It's not pronounced "kumf'-terb-lee", you dolt.

13 comments:

Matt G said...

I think I've found the problem. After his incident in the swamp, Carter started keeping his quail guns loaded with buckshot instead of #8 shot.

Oops.

Anonymous said...

I.....have become, com-for-tab-ly numb.

Rabbit said...

Yeah, just wait. Bring that little pirogue back around here again, peanut breath. I got yer paddle riiiitght heeeere....

Regards,
Rabbit.

Anonymous said...

It is in fact pronounced "kumf'-terb-lee" everywhere I've ever lived. How do they pronounce it in Knoxville?

Anonymous said...

I suppose someone saying "ecks-cape" instead of "ess-cape" would send you right through the overhead.

BobG said...

Where I live, people go fishin' in the crick.

Jeffro said...

It's dern comf-terb-lee iffin ya warsh it enuff.

Andrew said...

Sorry. It is indeed a recognized alternative pronunciation.

comfortably. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/comfortably (accessed: November 12, 2007).

This evolution of pronunciation is called sound change, and specifically, metathesis.

Language change tends to come about as generations of speakers shorten or simplify long or awkward pronunciations.

Consider this: do you pronounce "iron" as I-run? :)

Anonymous said...

"Language change tends to come about as generations of speakers shorten or simplify long or awkward pronunciations."

Bullshit. Most language changes now come about because people are piss ignorant (sound changed to "ignernt", I reckon). I can't even tell you how many times every week I hear talking heads mispronounce words I know damn well they just found in a thesaurus. Same with people looking to impress others with their supposed vast vocabulary.

Tam said...

[Homer Simpson]"Nook-yoo-lur. It's pronounced 'Nook-yoo-lur'."[/Homer Simpson]

Anonymous said...

Damndest thing, the press/talking heads made fun of Whore-hey the Shrub for that pronunciation...and now almost all of them say it the same way.

Anonymous said...

At least GWB pronounces all three syllables, as opposed to Jimmah's "nuklar".

Anonymous said...

OA! I was in a 'rock group' in the 60's ("band" had a Sousa connotation; now I like Sousa) with a deliberately obscure name. The drummer came up with it. I asked how. He said "I looked it up in a Therosius." I gave him credit for his honesty.