Comment on How do you pronounce "centaur" and why?
toynbee@lemmy.world 1 year agoHonestly, I’m afraid to say. No one will support me, it seems.
Sen-chwar.
I’ve never heard it that way but I get it. A combination of (the relevant bits of) suture and jaguar. Only problem is, it’s not spelled centuar, it’s spelled centaur.
However, until one shows up to personally correct your spelling and pronunciation, I think you’re free to call imaginary creatures whatever you call them.
I told my wife about this thread and about how you said you pronounced it differently and she jokingly said “sen-CHWAR” in a funny voice. When I read your comment off to her she laughed incredibly hard. Her joke turned out to be spot on lol.
Rude.
But I’m glad I could add some levity to your day! I can often make my wife chortle, but when I can make her laugh incredibly hard it’s a good day.
So on the one hand, I think you are going to find almost nobody agrees with your pronunciation. On the other hand, you should wear your mispronunciations with pride because what that tells me is that you were a reader growing up and likely came about this word the first time in text without any other context, maybe even many times before you heard it spoken. Your brain made an educated guess (I’m guess pulling from the pronunciation of “jaguar”?). It got it wrong, but understandably so, and it has cemented in your brain. Fix it if you care to, but no real need. Either way, kudos for being a young reader.
Heh, thanks, that’s a very supportive answer.
I said in another comment, but I was indeed an avid reader and have definitely had that experience with other words (my dad once teased me for my pronunciation of “unequivocally,” for example, and no I won’t provide my incorrect effort here). However, I’m pretty sure I got this particular pronunciation from my mom, though I can’t say why I think that. If I’m correct, I wonder why she thought it was pronounced this way; she also read a lot, so perhaps your theory is correct but generationally shifted.
I have not once in my entire life heard anyone say it like that. Where are you from? Maybe it’s a regional thing…
I’m guessing he first encountered the word in text without having heard it and his brain guessed it rhymes with “jaguar”, which is understandable.
Maryland. Maybe it’s regional, like you said. However, I was sheltered growing up, so maybe not.
That very well could be regional. Are you near Baltimore? I grew up around DC, but mostly in Annapolis, and I’ve always said it like cent-aur.
I am no longer in Maryland, but yes, I spent most of my life within an hour of Baltimore. I was indeed an avid reader, so it’s possible that I made my own decision about its pronunciation (that has certainly happened with other words), but I think I got this one from hearing my mom say it. I can’t prove that, though.
WuceBrillis@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Chwar? Like… Shwarma?
Now i’m hungry for a Centaur shawarma.
toynbee@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I am now questioning every word I’ve ever pronounced, but I think “shawarma” has a softer “sh” whereas my apparently incorrect pronunciation of centaur has a harder “ch,” like “change.”
Perhaps you should consult Tony Stark to satisfy your centaur shawarma cravings. If anyone could make it happen, it’s probably him.