PRECIOUS DIAMOND

You say, "tuh-MAY-toh," and your husband says, "tuh-MAH-toh." Don’t
call the whole thing off! Even respected authorities disagree over the
pronunciation of many words.

Can you select the pronunciations preferred by most (but not all)
pronunciation experts?:

1. demur (to object, take exception to) — a. di-MYOOR; b. di-MUR

2. forte (a person’s strength) — a. FOR-tay; b. FORT

3. grievous (causing grief, dire) — a. GREE-vus; b. GREE-vee-us

4. Realtor (a member of the National Association of Realtors) — a.
REEL-tur; b. REE-luh-tur

5. niche (a cranny; a suitable area of talent or comfort, or a segment
of a market) — a. NITCH; b. NEESH

6. conch (a marine gastropod mollusk or its shell) — a. KAHNCH; b.
CONK

7. pastoral (of or relating to rural life, or being a church pastor)
– a. pa-STOR-ul; b. PAS-tur-ul

8. sorbet (frozen dessert) — a. SOR-bit; b. sor-BAY

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Answers and explanations:

1. b. di-MUR. Here "mur" is pronounced as in "murky," not as in
"mural." The adjective "demure" (shy, reserved) is pronounced
"di-MYOOR."

2. b. FORT. The musical direction "forte," an Italian word meaning
"loudly," is pronounced "FOR-tay," but "forte," meaning "strength," is
derived from the French word "fort," meaning "strong."

3. a. GREE-vus. "Grievous" has two syllables, not three.

4. a. REEL-tur. I mispronounced this word for many years.

5. a. NITCH. While both pronunciations are common and acceptable, most
authorities prefer "NITCH." Because "niche" entered English from
French during the 1600s, they say, its pronunciation has been fully
Anglicized.

6. b. CONK. Purists want to conk people over the head for saying
"KAHNCH."

7. b. PAS-tur-ul. "Do pastures have stores in them?" the purists
angrily ask. "Then don’t put a ’store’ in ‘pastoral’"?

8. a. SOR-bit. The fact that "sorbet" shares the same Turkish root as
"sherbet" provides a clue to its historically accurate pronunciation.
But because "sorbet" entered English through French, it acquired the
fancified "ay" pronunciation that has been adopted by just about
everyone. Just as sorbet cleanses the palate, pronunciation experts
have tried for decades to cleanse "sor-BAY" from English-speaking
palates. Nice try.