What Did Your Talk Sound Like?
I. GOLDMAN · Chemical & Engineering News · 1952
"Memmers a the Innernational Tetnicul Susiety . I wanna talk to yuh about a bran new duhveloment in which binness men and manafakchurers have juss become innerested . They have recuhnized that to pradoose a tetnicul produck fuh innusry, probly the mose impornant thing is stanurds such as lenth, strenth and tempachur . The customer muss git well innegrated infuhmation on these varables . . . ." No, this is no harangue by a street corner tough. Read it aloud. Do any of the words sound familiar? You can hear all of the italicized words pronounced as indicated at meetings of recognized scientific societies! And some of these pearls from the lips of prominent scientists. You would be surprised too at how many educators (not to be confused with ehjuhcators ) commit this type of mayhem on our language. Now of course, the above quotation is just a fabrication but it is constructed around some of the most frequently mispronounced ...