NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 181
Chapter 4 Pronunciations
171
Realtor, social security, mayoral, Tijuana, Chilean,
short-lived, pianist, athlete
"Realtor" tumbles out of some mouths as REE-luh-ter.
Say it: REAL-ter.
(And because Mrs. B's mother is one, she wants to remind you that
people who use the designation "Realtor"... that's with a capital
"R"... must belong to the Board of Realtors, local or national.)
"Social Security" is easy to get sloppy with.
How many times have you heard SO-sull Security?
What Mrs. B likes to hear is SO-shull Security.
"Mayoral" comes out may-OR-ul when it should be MAY-or-ul.
The Mexican river's name is shown on some maps as two words: Tia
Juana.
The city is Tijuana.
There is no "a" in the first syllable.
Repeat after Mrs. B, now: Tee-WAH-na.
This is one Mrs. B butchered in Orlando, and viewers from Chile let
her know they are CHIL-ee-un, not Chi-LAY-un.
"Short-lived" has a long "i" and rhymes with thrived.
A piano player is a pee-ANN-ist, not a PEE-un-ist.
"Athlete" is just two syllables: ATH-leet, not ATH-uh-leet.
Now off to the trenches, all you lovely literates.