Slurring


A list in progress
 

Draft date: January 13, 2015

Educated people used to construe the slurring of words (reducing, making a substitution for, or omitting sounds that would normally occur in an utterance) as a sign of an evasive and shifty person. But now even educated speakers are unwittingly imitating this indolent habit. Three examples: a newsreader on a Vermont television station calls the state “Vermuh”; a saleswoman in a large title company calls a title commitment a “tile cmihmih”; a professional actor in a Wal-Mart commercial calls the company “Wuh-Mah.” And to think we used to argue about the propriety of dropping the g from -ing.

This is a list in which I collect slurs as I hear them. I’m sure you have heard many of these, plus many others that I have missed. I update this list from time to time.


The speaker tried      But it sounded
to say this:           like this:

Ability                Abilly
Absolutely (1)         Absolooly
Absolutely (2)         Assolooly
Absolutely (3)         Assilly
Absolutely (4)         Absully
Absolutely (5)         Absul
Absolutely (6)         Absilly

Accident               Assent
Act                    Ack
Actually               Ak-shee
Actually               Ash
Administration         Amistration
Admission              Uh-mission
Already                Aw-ree
All set                Aw–theh
Alternative            Altern
American               Amer
Ancient                Aitch-it
Any                    Aee
Appointment            Appoimin
Appointment            Appoin
Appointment            Appoimit
Apartment              Aparn
Asked                  Assed
Authority              Authoree
Basement(1)            Basemitt
Basement(2)            Basemih
Basically              Baysuh
Basically (2)          Base-ly

Basically (3)          Base-ee
Because (1)            Bee-uzz
Because (2)            Beez
Believe                Blee
Best Man               Bess Mah
Better(1)              Beh-uhr
Better(2)              Beh
Bridesmaids            Brize-mays
Britain                Brin
Build                  Bill
But What Was Happening bu-wuh-huh

Buttons                Buns
Can you give some?     Key you gissa?
Canada                 Can, Cana
Canadian               Kadian
Certainly              Soy
Chat room              Chah-roo
Choosing               Chizzing

Ceiling                See
College                Codge 

Comfortable            Comfor
Comment                Com

Commitment             Cmihmih
Communicating          Cih-mee-ni-cating
Community (1)          Commu-ee
Community (2)          Commee
Community (3)          Ci-MEE-nitty
Community (4)          Ci-MU-nee  
Component              Kemponit
Coordinate             Coronate
Conservatives          Conser
Constitution
           Costoon,
Constitutional         costoonal
Considering            Cusearing
Constantly (1)         Consully
Constantly (2)         Cossully

Constantly (3)         Cossly
Coordinating           Coronating
Copywriting            Cah-wry
Courthouse             Corhou
Create                 Crate
Creating               Craning
Credit                 Credih
Crew                   Crib (a stewardess)

Currently              Kernly
Definitely (1)         Deffinly
Definitely (2)         Deffily
Destruction            Dizruh
Didn’t (1)             Din
Didn’t     (2)         Dinnit
Didn’t     (3)         Dinnin
Didn’t     (4)         Diddit

Different              Differnt
Disputed               Dispeeted
Two days               Tih days
Document               Doc-eh-mit
Document               Doc-yih-mint
Dominated              Dominay
Didn’t really          Din-ree
Don’t                  Doe
Don’t have             Doe heh
Edmonton
               Edmih Pu Leh
   Public Library       
Effortless             Effor-less
Environment            Envarn
Eventaully             Iviterly

Explanation            Exlation
Fact of the matter     Facknatter
Figure                 Fear
Fitness                Fih-nis
First Lady             Ferz Lay
Football               Fuhbaw
Fraudulently           Frauduly
Gentlemen              Gels
Getting                Geh

Gigantic               Giganeh
Government             Guh-ern
Government             Gover
Government             Gov
Government             Gum

Government             Gurr
Government             Guv-i-mit
Happening              Hap
Happening              Hang
Hard for me            Harfurmee
Have a good one        Hah-wuh goo-wuh
Hierarchy              Harky

Hundred                Hunner
I just want to see     Aye-us-wah-see
I want to              Ah-wah-oo
Important (1)          Importit
Important (2)          Impornit
Important (3)          Imporit
Important (4)          Impornun
Important (5)          Impornin
Important (6)          Imporn
Important (7)          Imporin

Important (8)          Apport
Important (9)          Imporun
In the distance        Iditit
Incentve               Insinit
Independent            Independit
Information            Infor MEE shin
Institution            Instution
Integrate              Inuhgreh
Integrated             Inuhgreheh
Interesting            Inner
It would               Ih-wuh
Janitor                Ja-er
Johnson                Johsuh - NOTE 1
Joining me now         Joy me now
Judiciary              Jish-er-ee
Just wanted to         Juh-wadda
Kind of like           Kye-lie
Ladies                 Lays
Ladies and gentlemen   Lays uh gels
Liquidity              Liquiddy
Maintaine              MEEN-teened
Manliness              Ma-liness
Many                   May
Marlboro               Marble
Marriott Courtyard     Marry-ah core-yar
Mentally               Mennily
Month                  Meth
Motivated              Motive
Move (1)               Miv
Move (2)               Mev
Movie, movies          Mivvy, mivvies
Mute                   Meet
Neoconservatism        Neoconser
Network (1)            Nehwork
Network (2)            Neh-wirr
Never                  Nehr
Not                    Nah
Not how                Nah hah
Not what               Nah wah

Number                 Nuhr
Object                 Uhjeck
Okay                   Oh-ay
Only                   Oh-ee
Opportunity (1)        Opportootee
Opportunity (2)        Opportooee
Opportunity (3)        Oppor
Opportunity (4)        Oppee
Opportunity (5)        Opportoodiddy
Opportunity (6)        Opportoo
Parental               Prell
Partner                Parner
Passionate (1)         Pah-shu
Passionate (2)         Pash-it
Patient                PEE-shin
Percent                Percet
Philosophical          Philosophico
Podcast                Pah-cass
President Bush         Preh Bush
Pretty                 Pree
Pretty much            Prih-muh
President of           Prezunited States           
   the United States
Probably (1)           Probly
Probably (2)           Prolly
Probably (3)           Pry
Probably be able to    Pry-bee-ay
probably should nothavePrah-sha-ba

Produce                Prih-diss
Product (1)            Proct
Product (2)            Prah
Product (3)            Proc
Public (1)             Puhlick
Public (2)             Puhlih
Publish                Puhlish
Putting (1)            Pooh-ing
Putting (2)            Pwing
Question               Quehsha

Really                 Ree
Recently               Reesully
Recognize              Reggunize
Relationship           Relay-ship
Remember               Re-mare
Remembering            Remming
Responding             Respong
Responded              Respond
Rove                   Riv
Running                Rug
Say about it           Say-bit
Scalability            Scuhbility
Sentencing             Sensin
Separate               Seppur
Services               Sirs
Shortcomings           Shorecomings
Shouldn’t              Shouldit
Sisters                Scissors

Society                Sigh-ety
Soon                   Sin

Sorry about that       Saw-buh-thuh
Sort of                Sore
Speaking               Speeng
Speech therapist       Spee-theh - NOTE 2
Stock market           Stuh-mar
Starting               sahring
Student                Stoonin
Students(1)            Stooz
Students(2)            Stoonits

Students(3)            Stoons
Surrounding            sur-an
Take a look at         Tee a loo uh
Taken care             Teen care
Tape recorder          Tay recor
Tell you about         Teh buh
Technical              Tennikul
Terrorism              Terrism
Terrorist              Terrace
That was               Thah wah
That                   Thah
That sort of thing     Thah sur thih
That way I have        Thah wah hah
Talk about             Taw-bah
Talking about          Tawn-bah
Testimonial            Testimo
Thinking               Thing
They didn't have       They Ih Ah

Third World            Thuh-wuh
Totally                Toly
Tragedy                Tra-gee

Transmittal            Transmull
Treatment              Treemih
Treatment              Treemin
Treatment              Treemit
Triangle               Trongle

True                   Trih
Trying to remember     Try erember
Twenty(1)              Twenny
Twenty(2)              Tway

20-20 (news show)      Tway-Tway
Two, to, too           Tee
Tylenol                Tie-enol
Upgrade                Uhgrade
United States          Unituh States
Vermont                Vermuh
Violent                Vie

Vodka                  Vah-kuh
Vulnerabilities (1)    Vullerbilities
Vulnerabilities (2)    Vullerbillies
Vulnerabilities (3)    Vullerbees
Vulnerabilities (4)    Vubberlies
Vulnerabilities (5)    Vullees
Wal-Mart               Wuh-Mah - NOTE 3

Washington             Washin
Well                   Woo
What I have to do      wah hah tdah
Who                    Hee

Will                   Woo
Without having         Witheh hah
Wouldn’t               Woodit
Written                Rih (“she has rih a book”)
Wrote                  Roe (“she roe a book”)
You have to have       Yuftyuf


NOTE 1.  An educated woman named Johnson pronounces her name Joh-suh.

NOTE 2.  A speech therapist said it. I am not making this up. Go here for the full story.

NOTE 3.  Yes, Wal-Mart actually approved and aired a commercial in which a professional actor repeatedly mispronounced the name of the company.



Created:       September 14, 2007
Last Updated:  October 27, 2013
Editor:        Joe Roy