Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[KE5FX]

I was watching YT last night and D*g*key adverts really got to me. How is it that Americans can pronounce Soldering and make it sound soddering? It is like they take pride in butchering the pronunciation of words.

Speak up, can't hear you from all the way up here on the Moon.   

[Kim Christensen]

Well then, why don't they at least say sodering, not sardering.

Well, then it's a good thing that sardine cans are not sardered.

[RJSV]

   That's a silent 'L',  from what I can surmise.

   Proper, I believe,  is;
   'SAW - DER ING'

   I'm thinking that a speech therapist could give more reliable answer.  It might be helpful to know what are all the cases,  of silent letters.
But English has so many terms only partially translated, that it might be hard to pin all that down.

[RJSV]

...A few seconds on Google got that clear:
   Solder pronounced with similar silent 'L'
as in:
       'WALK',
       'TALK',
       'SHOULD'.

[Xena E]

A lot of English is derived from other languages including French, (not surprising given the Norman invasion of 1066).

However, how the notion that "soldering" was derived directly from the French "soudure" gained Internet traction isn't clear.

The word was adopted, as was the french "soudure" long before that from Roman occupation of both territories, from the word "solidari" meaning to bond together, make solid, glue.

Of course, the language of English and French were not developed at that point so the prenunciations diverged.

An American colleague tells me that during his formative years and education he always heard "soul-der-ing" and "sow-der-ing" but never "sod-der-ing", he says the first time he heard that prenunciation was in a old United Stated Office of Education training film he was shown at college. It's actually a very good informative introduction to the process of soldering and well worth the beginner watching:-



Edited for clarity.

[PlainName]

Solder pronounced with similar silent 'L'
as in:
       'WALK',
       'TALK',

None of those have a silent 'L'. At least, not here. Do you say 'wark' and 'tark'? No, it is 'wall-k' and 'tall-k'.

[paulca]

Solder pronounced with similar silent 'L'
as in:
       'WALK',
       'TALK',

None of those have a silent 'L'. At least, not here. Do you say 'wark' and 'tark'? No, it is 'wall-k' and 'tall-k'.

Tak and wak.  No.

[RJSV]

   Probably time to obtain a speech  :wtf:professional.
   Recent post wants 'TALK' to be TWO
syllables ?   That might be 'Tall-Ka'  which would get people to start looking at you,  in sympathy for whatever birth defect you suffer.

   I mean;  even the Hollywood versions of 'gangster or mob boss talk,  doesn't include such 'funny' sounding quirks.

   TIME,  for someone with qualifications,  to weigh in.

[TimFox]

Everyone should own an authoritative dictionary for their native language.
For American English, I recommend https://shop.merriam-webster.com/products/merriam-websters-collegiate-dictionary-eleventh-edition?srsltid=AfmBOoorkpSJnzpjxZe8zs-tWGnvdoF3HsCXOlFaD-zAiGiBFmWuGTDe
(Note that "Webster" is in the public domain as a trademark, the standard version is "Merriam-Webster".)
There are also usage guides for punctuation, including proper use of semicolons and quotation marks.

[Xena E]

   Probably time to obtain a speech  :wtf:professional.
   Recent post wants 'TALK' to be TWO
syllables ?   That might be 'Tall-Ka'  ...

* Definitely not a professional *

However, I can claim to be an observer. The word 'Talk' taken as an example:

In the UK, persons of careful diction would pronounce the word with a soft L and K. And is definitely a single syllable.

It is also heard commonly as being pronounced the same as the word "Torque'.

Another word so confused is 'Yolk' which is commonly pronounced 'Yoke'.

Just as Brazilian is to Portuguese, American English is to British English, maybe differentiation in the names would be appropriate?

Now, how about finding something else to be peeved about before the discussion goes nukular sorry, nuclear.

X

[RJSV]

Actually,  and comically,  I could picture some BAR full of people drinking while they sometimes seek out confrontation.  (Maybe they are mad,  or have ANTS,  at home.)
One (big) fellow keeps trashing Margaret Thatcher,  hoping to goad some fool into an impromptu fist fight.    No one takes the bait.

Then, upping the ante,  the jerk starts trashing the Speech Therapist,  across the bar...THAT would be a real fight.

  Judge,  in the ensuing legal troubles,  just sits and shakes his head.

[Kim Christensen]

Pet Peeve: wonky numerical fonts. 

[calzap]

Incorrect use of “percent increase”.   Should be later value minus earlier value divided by earlier value times 100, i.e. change related to starting value.   So, if value was 100 and increased to 200, percent increase is (200-100)/100*100 = 100.  But can find it as (200-100)/200*100 = 50 percent increase.  Or as 200/100*100 = 200 percent increase (this one is commonly used for investment sales).  Or even (200-100)/[(100+200)/2]*100 = 67 percent increase.

Mike

[RJSV]

Technology device Interfaces:
   Sorry,  if I don't know that 'Tap tap squigle' will get you this or that,  on the screen.   Can't the 'creators' of whatever machine function edit they do,  actually introduce the change,  whatever it is doing as new?

   On my Android powered smartphone you can be doing a brief Google search and one little accidental swipe of the finger and,  voila;  something you didn't want happens.  This time it was a Google 'feedback' screen,...wanting to know what my problem issue is,  that I'm reporting.
   REPORTING ?   That's just over the top sloppy.

   It's almost like,  squiggle leftwards,  and cough,  and,  voila;  you've got Airline tickets.
WHO puts this unasked for crap functionality in ?
   The interface thing has evolved to the point where you just get the change(s) shoved down your throat...no notice.

   Oh,  you want to share your last photo with Grandma ?....How the hell did I get there,  typing in my email carrier ?   All this SHIT just thrown at your face,  as you operate the dang thing.

   I mean,  I know it's a complex piece of technology but the interface is often bewildering, and,  comically,  the biggest cause of cursing while typing stuff in.

   Can't you guys learn how to spell,  and basic Grammer before all of a sudden CHANGING existing text,  to nonsense.  (That's auto-correct).   The level of incompetence seems to be approx steady,  but you would think just basic Grammer would improve,  if slowly even.

   And the testing,  with people paid to test,  just the rudimentary output of their work...how can such a crappy level of competence remain the way things work,  interface-wise ?

I have to monitor what I type,  carefully,  and keep one eye on a few sentences back,  or some really garbled text stream results.

[RJSV]

   I probably should note,  that my term 'squiggle' is a reference to touch and drag motions on the screen.

   I almost said it,  but in my view any substantial change or added feature should be accompanied by some sort of description.
Heck,  I don't even know what's available.
Dialing a friend's phone number and my phone knows,  SOMETIMES,  to just dial up the guy,  before I've completely entered the number.
But that happens,  maybe every few weeks,  not consistently.

   And speaking of consistent features:
Sometimes my target ICON will light up or darken when I touch it,  but take no action,  (such as 'reply'.   What is the little beast doing,  then    Obviously the phone system knows that I've touched / poked the screen there.
   But,  no,  I have to go back,  and push on the icon AGAIN,  pretty much same way.
   

[vk6zgo]

   Probably time to obtain a speech  :wtf:professional.
   Recent post wants 'TALK' to be TWO
syllables ?   That might be 'Tall-Ka'  ...

* Definitely not a professional *

However, I can claim to be an observer. The word 'Talk' taken as an example:

In the UK, persons of careful diction would pronounce the word with a soft L and K. And is definitely a single syllable.

It is also heard commonly as being pronounced the same as the word "Torque'.

Another word so confused is 'Yolk' which is commonly pronounced 'Yoke'.

Just as Brazilian is to Portuguese, American English is to British English, maybe differentiation in the names would be appropriate?

Now, how about finding something else to be peeved about before the discussion goes nukular sorry, nuclear.

X

I have never heard anyone, British, Australian, or American pronounce the "L" in "Talk" or "Walk".

The only way I have heard it, is with the "AL" pronounced in the same way as "AR" in "War".

The same goes for "Yolk" with the "OLK" pronounced like "OKE" in "Joke".

There are definitely some strange pronunciations other than "Oxford English" in "The Old Country", such as "Horse-is" for "Horses", which seems to be an "upper crust" affectation.

Some of the conventions are bizarre such as "Wareham" in Dorset being pronounced as "Whare'm", yet Southampton in Hampshire is pronounced as it is written, as is the County.

Not a pronunciation, but in an even weirder convention, the short form for Hampshire is "Hants"!

[CatalinaWOW]

Where I grew up in the central US the L in walk was consistently pronounced.  Less so, but still there in talk.  In that area I never heard the L in yoke, but have heard it elsewhere in the US.  It is hard to imagine any variation that doesn't exist somewhere in English.  The one that I picked up from my birth area that took years to eliminate was the added R in wash.

[Analog Kid]

Central US? Grew up in Illinois*; can't get any more central than that. Never heard even a hint of the "L" in walk, talk, etc. Maybe the somewhat New Yawk/Jewish "tawk", "wauk", but no intrusive "L". Dunno where you might have heard that.

There are always those weirdos who insist on oddball pronunciation, like "of-ten" instead of the standard "offen".

* Only us who are from there are permitted to call it "IlliNOISE", which of course is wrong ...

[Bryn]

Central US? Grew up in Illinois*; can't get any more central than that. Never heard even a hint of the "L" in walk, talk, etc. Maybe the somewhat New Yawk/Jewish "tawk", "wauk", but no intrusive "L". Dunno where you might have heard that.

There are always those weirdos who insist on oddball pronunciation, like "of-ten" instead of the standard "offen".

* Only us who are from there are permitted to call it "IlliNOISE", which of course is wrong ...

I wonder if you're as equally ticked off when people say "Arkansas" as "Ar-kan-sus"... even I made that mistake one time

That said, do any Canadians here feel annoyed when anybody says "Etobi-Coke" instead of what it actually is?

[Xena E]

There's loads of examples of this in British English but one that always trips me up here is 'lieutenant' (left- tenant),

X

[Xena E]

* Only us who are from there are permitted to call it "IlliNOISE", which of course is wrong ...

Tell that to someone in New Jursee.
X

[paulca]

Incorrect use of “percent increase”.   Should be later value minus earlier value divided by earlier value times 100, i.e. change related to starting value.   So, if value was 100 and increased to 200, percent increase is (200-100)/100*100 = 100.  But can find it as (200-100)/200*100 = 50 percent increase.  Or as 200/100*100 = 200 percent increase (this one is commonly used for investment sales).  Or even (200-100)/[(100+200)/2]*100 = 67 percent increase.

Mike

So, what is your take on marketing claiming a % increase/decrease in temperature?

Gamer's Nexus went absolutely nuts at some manufacturers for saying things like a case had 15% better cooling and 5% lower temperatures.

He was like, YOU CANNOT APPLY PERCENTAGE TO A DEGREE!!!! and basically detonated.

[CatalinaWOW]

Central US? Grew up in Illinois*; can't get any more central than that. Never heard even a hint of the "L" in walk, talk, etc. Maybe the somewhat New Yawk/Jewish "tawk", "wauk", but no intrusive "L". Dunno where you might have heard that.

There are always those weirdos who insist on oddball pronunciation, like "of-ten" instead of the standard "offen".

* Only us who are from there are permitted to call it "IlliNOISE", which of course is wrong ...

I am sorry that a data sample different than yours disturbs you so greatly.  Central US is a vague term, just like Midwest.  In many people's minds Midwest  is the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi river.  For me, a resident of the western end of the country and looking at a map, this seems weird.  Might seem weird to you since Chicago is then mid west, not central.

My birth area was Colorado eastern plains, with the language influence coming from western Kansas.  Which is relatively near the geometric center and the population weighted center of the Continental US.  But so is Chicago, which has very different speech patterns.  Go an equal distance in another direction and you end up in the big thicket area of Texas.  And I challenge most people to even understand the speech of older residents of that area without training.  That area, as has most of the US is gradually moving to a national standard speech under the influence of radio, television and other media.

[TimFox]

The National Broadcasting Company issued a standard pronunciation guide for American English before the war.
http://dialectblog.com/2013/02/27/nbc-pronunciation-standards/
This was based on the dialect common in the northern part of the Central Time Zone, but also included radio-specific instructions to minimize sibilance (which is badly transmitted through microphones).
The BBC equivalent for the UK is often called "RP":  https://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/yourvoice/rpandbbc.shtml
Having lived over 70 years in Minnesota and Chicago, I assume that God invented Central Time, in His wisdom.

[Infraviolet]

"So, what is your take on marketing claiming a % increase/decrease in temperature?"
Entirely acceptable, if an only if you are using the Kelvin scale. Obviously that could mean some very uncomfortable conditions if a weather forecast says it will be twice as cold or twice as warm a few days hence.