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-sheeActually 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 BushPretty 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
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