Why do some people pronounce turmeric 'tewmeric'?
Is it one of those 'aluminum' things where it's just plain wrong?
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:30, 3 replies, latest was 12 years ago)

Because they are fucking stupid.

(Set your faces to Stunned Bigly, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:33, Reply)

It's one of those mispronunciations made by uneducated proles
When they are trying to present the appearance of not being an uneducated prole.
Cf. receptionists misusing reflexive pronouns.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:35, Reply)

Actually the Aluminum/Aluminium thing is a bit less straight forward
if you look at the periodic table you've got Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium, Rubidium etc. so the original name was actually Aluminum it's just we changed it for some reason.

But Sulphur should always be spelt with a ph not an f.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:37, Reply)

I didn't know that re aluminium.
Over and over again I discover that the 'wrong' US versions of words/terms are actually the original ones and thus are more 'right' than ours. Cf spelling things with a Z rather than an S.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:41, Reply)

I think our spellings are more aesthetically pleasing.

(Bazongaloid, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:45, Reply)

I find your mum's tits more aesthetically pleasing.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:48, Reply)

NERDRAGE
So. Z vs S. "S" was codified by the Victorians as being the correct spelling. Prior to that, people spelled everything however the hell they god damn felt like it because, prior to the Victorians, the world was a savage place full of barbarians that only occasionally stumbled across something useful viz Newton.

At some point int he early 20th century Teddy Roosevelt, president and contender for the title of Hardest Man That Ever Lived, codified US spelling as part of his personal quest to simplify and phonetise it. He chose Z as the default as that is closest to the sound the majority of the words use. Linguistically, neither are any more right or wrong than the other. Aside from the fact that they're Americans and are therefore wrong by default.

Aluminium was originally called Aluminum. I can't remember which nationality originally discovered it, but the Royal Society decided it was fucking stupid to have a periodic table full of "iums" with only the one "um", so they changed it. The Americans, being wrong by default, ignored their betters and remain wrong to this day.

Happy to help.
( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:53, Reply)

Merci beaucoup, you French cunt.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:56, Reply)

It's a fucking poor show when I have to educate an Englishman
on his own culture.
( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:57, Reply)

The thing is, you aren't quite right.
The OED favours Z over S repeatedly, to this day. Thus even in the UK there's no overall consensus even now.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:00, Reply)

WHAT?
I am going to have to write a *very* stern letter.
( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:02, Reply)

The current stance is that both are acceptable, apart from some specific exceptions:
oxforddictionaries.com/words/ize-ise-or-yse
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:07, Reply)

Now that I did not realise
Presumably, the ize ending is now archaic at least, I certainly was always taught to use ise when at school.
( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:09, Reply)

I feel like the ground has shifted under my feet

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:09, Reply)

Z is such a tacky letter

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:03, Reply)

There used to be an explanation of this on the OED website
Something to do with the Greek origins of particular words. It concluded that -ize was technically correct.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:04, Reply)

I believe the americans are technically correct in describing tortoises as turtles
but I can't be bothered to check
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:59, Reply)

there's no real distinction between the two
although its commonly accepted that 'turtles' tend to be sea bound, whereas tortoises don't have flippers and live in old peoples gardens
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:00, Reply)

cf frogs and toads.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:01, Reply)

you have to kiss alot of toads before you find a frog

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:01, Reply)

Bonjour!

( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:03, Reply)

i'd rather kiss janet aylia's moose knuckle

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:04, Reply)

I just sicked in my mouth a bit :(

( Kroney, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:06, Reply)

bit so much that it burst forth and covered the person sitting opposite me which in turn caused them to vomit on their neighbour as thus a vomiting game of dominos was started
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:08, Reply)

aka 'Vominos'

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:16, Reply)

Or a 'Mexican hurl'

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:17, Reply)

bet she has dreadlocks there too

( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:18, Reply)

Not on purpose

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:19, Reply)

cf indians and pakistanis

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:05, Reply)

There's a Sri Lankan man who works here.
He consistently goes on about 'Pakis'. I haven't the heart to break it to him that to all his colleagues in the warehouse that's precisely what he is.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:08, Reply)

hahahahaa

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:10, Reply)

Have you seen the Modern Toss periodic table of swearing?

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Tue 8 May 2012, 9:41, Reply)

Have you seen your mother, baby, standing in the shadows?

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 8 May 2012, 10:01, Reply)