Live data from Hacker News

Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

youglish.com

141–150 of 341 posts

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#141

Just for fun, I looked at how 20 different people pronounced MySQL. The results: "My Sequel": 12 "My Ess Kyoo El": 8 "My Squirrel": 0 I thought "My Sequel" would have something closer to 2/3rds of results rather than 1/2

I'm surprised it's the majority at all. It's so weird that people insert imaginary vowels to try to pronounce it as if it were a word.

But you will insert even more vowels if you pronounce it as "My Ess Kyoo El". Same with HHMMV/Humvee.

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#142
While I strive to hide my German accent, and regularly attempt making my various english accents more specific, I simultaneously hold that there is glory to European English, or, probably more importantly, for example Indian English. The site would feel more progressive if it included those.

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#143

As a native speaker, YouGlish is invaluable if you have to do any audio recording or public speaking and want to make sure you pronounce less common names/places correctly. You can't find those in dictionaries, and Wikipedia is only sometimes helpful. It's also super-useful when you want to use words you've only ever seen in print, without an obvious pronunciation, and the dictionary gives multiple versions without a…

Yes, this is a great tip. I use it constantly for prepping for interviewing candidates or first meetings with potential business partners. Getting somebody’s name right really starts conversations out well.

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#145

As a non-native English speaker, the "randomness" of English pronunciation has been a source of frustration for me for many years. I realized there are two types of issues: 1. Some sounds in English don't exist in other languages and you have to learn them "from scratch". For example the "flap T" in butter. Or the particular American "r" (constrast it to the Spanish rolled r for instance). 2. Certain sounds I DID kno…

I can't find any pricing information on your website. Even FAQ tab labeled "Pricing" has zero info. Do I have to signup to find out?

[1] https://www.boldvoice.com/frequently-asked-questions

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#146
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that the same? I mean for a native English speaker. Both seem good aproximations (from a native Spanish speaker pov).

Loop vs Lu-peh. One has two syllables on the ending and the other has one. Surely that sounds noticeable different. Not saying it's right or wrong, but the two are different.

[deleted]

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#147

Mmm... I think there's a danger here. The example "coup de grâce", for example, should be pronounced with the final "s" sound. Otherwise it sounds like "coup de gras", ("strike of fat" instead of "strike of mercy"). But the YouTube videos accidentally leave out the final S. Maybe it's a Britishism? I dunno. Wiktionary calls this a "hyperforeignism", and if you just copy the YouTube videos, you'd never know the differ…

Possibly a Britishism, like you say. Personally I've never heard the 'S' pronounced here. "Coo du grar" Edit : Just remembered this scene from Kill Bill where Michael Madsen says it : https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/50fcbf85-e7ca-4d07-8242-adb15db...

Hmm, maybe it's a common mistake on both sides of the pond? Here's an article discussing the same pronunciation in American English: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/22/most-commonly-mispronounced-...

I think I just happened to learn that phrase in grade school, from a Dungeons and Dragons rulebook lol[1], while I was learning French and witnessing the horror that was "foie gras". So the "de gras" part just never made sense to me, coincidentally.

[1] It's an automatic crit against a helpless opponent (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/3e_SRD:Helpless_Defenders). Was really useful in Neverwinter Nights when you could paralyze or sleep an enemy then have the melee guy finish 'em off :) Who said games weren't educational?!

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#148
post #145

As a non-native English speaker, the "randomness" of English pronunciation has been a source of frustration for me for many years. I realized there are two types of issues: 1. Some sounds in English don't exist in other languages and you have to learn them "from scratch". For example the "flap T" in butter. Or the particular American "r" (constrast it to the Spanish rolled r for instance). 2. Certain sounds I DID kno…

I can't find any pricing information on your website. Even FAQ tab labeled "Pricing" has zero info. Do I have to signup to find out? [1] https://www.boldvoice.com/frequently-asked-questions

Hey, thanks for your interest in checking out the app :) Weird that you don't see the Pricing info on that page - did you tap "Pricing" at the top bar, and then tap the first question "How much does BoldVoice cost?" Either way, the app costs $150/year or $25/month (or your local equivalent). We have a free 7-day trial so you can try it before you commit.

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#149
post #3

This is really interesting! Instead of "here's how you are SUPPOSED to pronounce" any given word or phrase, you show how a bunch of native English speakers actually pronounce it. Maybe everyone is wrong, but if your goal is to be understood then you'd be better mimicking what they do than just being technically correct. :) For example, there's a street in the city I live in spelled "Guadalupe". Natives pretty much un…

Same for Hermosa Beach, Los Gatos, and many other CA towns. Even though I speak Spanish, I'm always caught off-guard when someone pronounces these places the Spanish way.

The one that weirds me out is San Pedro, CA vs San Pedro Square in San Jose, CA.

The first one is pronounced peedrow, nearly always. The second one is pronounced paydrow (as it would be in Spanish, or for a person), most of the time. San is optional for San Pedro, but not for San Pedro Square.

Re: Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

#150
One I've noticed growing a gap in recent years is "attribute" which when I used to know as having different pronunciations for the verb and the noun. The links given for different English dialects demonstrate a conflicted range, in line with growth of differing use I've seen generally propagating through, primarily Youtube. Language always changes, so perhaps it doesn't matter, but it seems like things like this might contribute as much as they solve.
Post reply on HN