Hallson Gardens

Posted: **Jun 27, 2008 12:56 am**

Mary Ann wrote:Two hosta names I was really pronouncing wrong until I heard them roll off the tongue of Mark Zilis are fortunei (for-tune-e-i) and longipes (lon-ji-pees).

I never would have known!

Posted: **Jun 27, 2008 12:58 am**

John wrote:Clematis was exactly the example of which I was thinking.

I bet your way of saying Hydrangea is not incorrect, after all. Check Webster's second way.

And I am never going to say "For SYTH e a"...

Does the "Y" mean it's a long "I"? I pronounce the "Y" like "I" in the word "it."

Posted: **Jun 27, 2008 1:09 am**

Chris_W wrote:I had a customer today ask if I had any "dieKANtruhs". I thought Dianthus? I told them I wasn't sure what they were asking for. They repeated "dieKANtruhs"! like I was an idiot or something. Then after a blank stare while I was trying to figure it out, think about the possibilities, they put me out of my misery... Bleeding hearts you idiot!

I told them I always called them Die-SEN-truh, but after Kellie now tells us that Picea should have a K sound, maybe I've been saying Dicentra wrong all these years too?

Then they asked if I had any lee-ree-OPE. At least now I understood they were asking for what I've always called lih-RYE-oh-pee. (Liriope) (By the way, this customer "corrected" me on both of my pronunciations. )

I thought it was Die-SEN-truh, but I would have asked for bleeding hearts.

I heard that in some parts of the south, people refer to daffodils as buttercups! Around here the Mennonites talk about spider plants. I would call them cleomes or spider flowers. To me, spider plants are houseplants (Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum').

Posted: **Jun 27, 2008 1:20 am**

Chris_W wrote:
I suppose if the customer had asked for Die-KEN-truh I might have guessed easier, but I was thrown by Die-KAN-truhs.

Isn't that the truth? My father was from Texas and drank melk, but my milk rhymes with silk.

When I first came back to Indiana, someone told me that I don't say "lawn" properly. Everytime I listened to her, it sounded like she was saying it my way. Yet she kept telling me we weren't pronouncing it the same. I know that I don't pronounce Don and Dawn the same. My husband does. I was not saying "lon;" I was saying "lawn." I pronounce it like law with an "N" after it. I think that lady thought I was saying "long."

I know of three ways to pronounce "pecan." Oh, wait! There are more than three ways!

http://www4.uwm.edu/FLL/linguistics/dia ... /q_21.html

Posted: **Jun 27, 2008 12:29 pm**

I'm always being corrected, probably correctly.

I'm still not sure whether it's semper-vee-vum or semper-vye-vum, so I just call them semps to be on the safe side.

Clem-ay-tis was always that until some smartypants TV presenter decided they should be called clem-er-tis, now I'm sometimes corrected on that, incorrectly in my opinion.

As for Hosta, some of the above examples are more to do with accents. I would say hos-ter, but would expect an American to say Hah-str, (I know there are a lot of accents in America, but base my expectactions on a typical Hollywood accent).

I think the main problem stems from the fact that the English language does not have it's roots based in Latin unlike other languages.

Posted: **Jun 28, 2008 8:25 pm**

Sorry, for latin...we do not know how...so the general rule is... no pressure, no pull , no slow feet...
just easy...as the tags say..and do not give it a lift at all

campagnula is just cam-pa(g)- nu-la
NOT .... cam-PAG-nu-la
Vocal split the words.. your and my language have latin included and we may follow the ancient rules, but we do not know, so in respect , ...same pressure all over

Smart asses do not know more than the worlds best experts..Sorry, just a bit tired of too many of them

Do you have latin in primary or high shool ?

Pia

Posted: **Jun 28, 2008 11:25 pm**

They taught Latin in high school in the 1960's. I don't think any high schools teach Latin now.

Posted: **Jul 02, 2008 3:06 am**

Gruntfuttock wrote:I'm always being corrected, probably correctly.

I'm still not sure whether it's semper-vee-vum or semper-vye-vum, so I just call them semps to be on the safe side.

Clem-ay-tis was always that until some smartypants TV presenter decided they should be called clem-er-tis, now I'm sometimes corrected on that, incorrectly in my opinion.

As for Hosta, some of the above examples are more to do with accents. I would say hos-ter, but would expect an American to say Hah-str, (I know there are a lot of accents in America, but base my expectactions on a typical Hollywood accent).

I think the main problem stems from the fact that the English language does not have it's roots based in Latin unlike other languages.

In the northeast(Maine & Massachusetts) it would be hah-str; in Indiana, it's hah-stuh.

On my English Cottage and Country Gardens video, they say semper-vee-vum. That's the first time I heard of sempervivum. I always called them succulents. I understand that some people call them houseleeks.

Posted: **Jul 02, 2008 10:06 am**

I don't get the adding an "R" to words that do not have them; surely the "expert" is wrong about CLEMATIS.

And English is largely Latin based.

Posted: **Jul 03, 2008 10:03 am**

John wrote:I don't get the adding an "R" to words that do not have them; surely the "expert" is wrong about CLEMATIS.

Are you saying that English is supposed to make sense?

I love the variety of accents we have! Have you ever had a hot toy-key sandwich?

Posted: **Jul 16, 2008 4:07 pm**

This thread is interesting! I know I can't pronounce the names correctly, heck I can't even spell them half the time

and since I speak Okie I say them like they are spelled with an Okie accent

Sagae, I say =Sag eye=

like the fish

Ginger

Posted: **Jul 16, 2008 6:33 pm**

I would propably say "say gay" for Sagae. And being New England born, I've NEVER been accused of ADDING an "R".

Oh, and Spider was pronounced Spidah. Spidah always wanted her suppah.

Posted: **Jul 17, 2008 4:20 am**

Spider wrote:I would propably say "say gay" for Sagae. And being New England born, I've NEVER been accused of ADDING an "R".

Oh, and Spider was pronounced Spidah. Spidah always wanted her suppah.

What's faw suppah? I may have to invite myself ova!

Posted: **Jul 17, 2008 4:30 pm**

'Ill give ya a qhwata for a glass of whata

And folks think southerners talk funny! I cannot understand a word most East Coast folks say, and forget even trying to understand a Cajun

Ginger

Posted: **Jul 17, 2008 7:01 pm**

Is a car what you drive in, or what a crow says?

(I made sloppy joes foah suppah.

)

Hallson Gardens

Pronunciation