{"id":4735,"date":"2021-04-30T07:10:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T07:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/?p=4735"},"modified":"2021-04-30T07:10:40","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T07:10:40","slug":"25-commonly-mispronounced-words-malaysia-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/2021\/04\/30\/25-commonly-mispronounced-words-malaysia-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Commonly Mispronounced Words – Malaysia Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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With English being the lingua franca that connects the world both politically and economically, it is no wonder that people of all nationalities are striving to improve their English proficiency. When it comes to speech eloquence, it is of utmost importance that one masters the art of pronunciation, so as to be understood by others. But with the plethora of words that exist out there, it can be hard to pronounce every word with precision, especially words that are rarely used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For speakers of English as a Second Language like you and I (and our fellow Malaysians), the mispronunciation of a word can stem from the fact that some phonemes in the English language do not exist in our mother tongues. A prime example is the phonic ‘th’ in th<\/strong>ink, th<\/strong>is<\/em>, and th<\/strong>at<\/em> in the English Language, which does not exist in the Chinese Language. Hence, Mandarin-speaking individuals tend to pronounce these words as t<\/strong><\/em>ink, d<\/em><\/strong>is, and d<\/em><\/strong>at. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that said, here are 25 other words that we Malaysians commonly mispronounce, and the right way to pronounce them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. Their<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/thi-ar\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/tha-er\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bet you, most Malaysians don’t even know that they have been pronouncing this third-person possessive pronoun wrongly all their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Develop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/dae-ve-lep\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/di-ve-lep\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the di <\/em>in lidi. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Abalone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/eh-buh-lohn\/, \/ah-buh-lone\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/ab-uh-lo-nee\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the words home <\/em>and alone<\/em>, the e in abalone is not silent. Similar to mee<\/em>, the ne<\/em> should be pronounced out loud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Wednesday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/we-nes-dei\/, \/wed-nes-dei\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/wenz-dei\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that the first d <\/em>and the second e <\/em>in Wednesday are always silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Vegetable<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/ve-ji-te-bel\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/vej-te-bel\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This word is commonly mispronounced as a four-syllable word by Malaysians, but it is actually a three-syllable word!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. GIF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/gif\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/jif\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are different formats of video and image files such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, MP4, WMA, and so on, but the GIF remains one of the most frequently mispronounced formats out there. Pronouncing GIF as gif<\/em> can cause your listener(s) to mistakenly hear it as give. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. Serum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/sae-ram\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/see-ram\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calling all skincare and beauty enthusiasts out there! The se <\/em>in serum <\/em>is pronounced as the sea <\/em>in ‘She sells seashells by the seashore’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. Lettuce <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/let-tus\/, \/let-tius’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/let-tis\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The green leafy piece of freshness you find n a McDonald’s burger, when pronounced correctly, sounds like let-is <\/em>or its more grammatically correct variation, let-us. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. Flour <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/flar\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/fla-wer\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s right, the English word for tepung <\/em>is pronounced fla-wer, similar to the English word for bunga<\/em>, flower. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. A\u00e7ai<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/ah-chai\/, \/ah-kai\/, \/ah-sai\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/ah-sah-ee\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The A\u00e7ai berries, known as nature’s “Purple Gold” is a three-syllable word, not two! Add this to your superfood smoothie for Instagram-worthy shots of smooth purple goodness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#11. Almond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/al-mund\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/ah-munhd\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter l <\/em>in this nutritious nut is silent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#12. Steak<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/stik\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/steyk\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is true that the Malay word for steak is stik<\/em>, and it is completely fine to use the Bahasa Rojak when ordering at a local restaurant, it can be confusing when speaking to foreigners as they might mistake what is being said as the word stick. <\/em>You definitely don’t want to be served a stick on your table, do you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#13. Waffle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/way-fle\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/wuhf-fuhl\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I vividly remember this encounter while ordering my favorite peanut butter waffle at a local roadside stall:

“Aunty, can I have one waffle please?”
“Huh? Wayfle is it?”
“Ah yes, one wayfle please.”

I was hungry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#14. Cache<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/ka-cheh\/, \/ka-shay\/, \/catch\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/kash\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ch <\/em>in cache <\/em>is pronounced as sh. <\/em>Similar to the word moustache, the e <\/em>is observed as a silent one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#15. Divorce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/dai-vors\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/dih-vors\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that going through a divorce can be an unpleasent experience, but there is no need to die <\/em>for it (pun intended). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#16. Entrepreneur<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/en-tree-pre-ner\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/ahn-truh-pruh-nur\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word entrepreneur originated from the French word entreprendre<\/em> meaning undertake. It can be hard to undertake the pronunciation of words that are derived from other languages such as this one, but with practice, you will sound “fancier” in no time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#17. Sew<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/siu\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/soh\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact, siu <\/em>is the Mandarin pronunciation for smell<\/em>, and the Cantonese pronunciation for roast<\/em>. When it comes to the act of stitching, the English pronunciation for the word sew <\/em>rhymes with the word so. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#18. Salmon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/sal-mund\/, \/sal-mon\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/sam-uhn, \/sam-on\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fish is known to be good for the heart due to its high content of Omega 3. Unfortunately, people tend to forget to silent the letter l. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#19. Tuition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/tiu-tion\/, \/too-shen\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/too-ish-shun\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The English pronunciation of this word is commonly influenced by the Malay word tuisyen. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#20. Film<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/fee-lem\/, \/flim\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/fihlm\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, it is no surprise that this word can be mispronounced, especially since the Malay translation is filem<\/em>. Just remember to keep it to 1 syllable and the i<\/em> before l<\/em> and you’re all good!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#21. Jewellery<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/jool-uh-ree\/, \/joo-wehl-ler-ree\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/jool-ree\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This word that spells beautiful decorative items in gold and silver originated from the French word jouel<\/em>, which explains why the English translation of the word is just as beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#22. Lingerie<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/lin-jer-ree\/, \/ling-ge-ree\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/ahn-zhuh-ray\/, \/lahn-zhuh-ree\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably saw this one coming. Yup, another word originating from the beautiful French. You may think that the word lingerie <\/em>looks similar in spelling to the word linger<\/em>, but the pronunciation is no where near similar folks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#23. Probably <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/pro-lee\/, \/prob-lee\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/prob-eb-lee\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it can be convenient to take the shortcut and pronounce the word probably as prolly, <\/em>you’ve probably mispronounced this word all your life, and you probably didn’t know until you were today years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#24. Subtle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/sub-tuhl\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/suh-tuhl\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The b <\/em>here is silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#25. Bolognese<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How most<\/strong><\/strong> Malaysians pronounce it: <\/strong>\/bo-lock-niss\/, \/bo-loc-guh-niss\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be pronounced: <\/strong>\/baw-law-neze\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dish originating from Bologna, Italy has a silent g <\/em>in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how many words from the list have you been mispronouncing? Fear not, as with any other skill, pronunciation improves with practice. A tip for you is to Google a word that you would like to learn to pronounce and click the speaker icon next to it for the correct pronunciation. Good luck practicing! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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