Pronunciation quiz

• Pages: 25-25

1. acumen: (a) /uh-KYOO-muh n/ or

(b) /AK-yuh-muhn/

2. applicable: (a) /uh-PLIK-uh-buhl/ or

(b) /AP-li-kuh-buhl/

3. certiora ri: (a) /suhr-shee-uh-R AIR-eye/ or

(b) /suhr-shee-AHR-ee/ or (c) /suhr-shee-u h-RAHR-ee/

4. comparable: (a) /KAH M-puh-ruh-buhl/ or

(b) /kuhm-PAIR-uh-buhl/

5. comptroller: (a) /KA HM-troh-luhr/ or

(b) /kuhn-TROH-luhr/

6. controversia l: (a) /kahn-truh-VU HR-shuhl/ or

(b) /kahn-truh-VU HR-see-uhl/

7. debacle: (a) /DEB-i-kuhl/ or (b) /di-BAH-kuhl/

8. defendant: (a) /di-FEN-duh nt/ or (b) /di-FEN-dant/

or (c) /di-fen-DANT/

9. disparate: (a) /DIS-puh-ruht/ or (b) /dis-PAIR-uht/

10. electoral: (a) /i-LEK-tuh-ruhl/ or (b) /i-lek-TOHR-

uhl/ or (c) /ee-lek-TOHR-uhl/

11. err: (a) /uhr/ or (b) /air/

12. formidable: (a) /FOR-mi-duh-bu hl/ or

(b) /for-MID-i-buh l/

13. gravamen: (a) /GRAV-uh-muhn/ or (b) /GRAH-

vuh-muhn/ or (c) /gruh-VAY-muhn/

14. heinou s: (a) /HAY-nuhs/ or (b) /HEE-nuhs/ or

(c) / HEE -ne e-u hs/

15. integra l: (a) /in-TEG-ruhl/ or (b) /IN-tuh-gru hl/

16. interesting: (a) /IN-tuh-res-ti ng/ or

(b) /IN-truh-sting/

17. irrevocable: (a) /i-REV-uh-kuh-buhl/ or

(b) /i-ruh-VOH-kuh-buhl/

18. mayoral: (a) /may-OR-uhl/ or (b) /MAY-uh-ruhl/

19. often: (a) /OFF-uhn/ or (b) /OFF-tuhn/

20. ophthalmolog y: (a) /o -thuh-MAHL-uh-jee/ or

(b) /op-thuh-MAHL-uh-jee/ or (c) /op-thul-MAHL -uh-

jee/ or (d) /o -thuhl-MA HL-uh-jee/

21. preferable: (a) /pri-FUHR-u h-buhl/ or

(b) /PREF-uhr-uh-buhl/

22. realt or: (a) /REEL-tuhr/ or (b) /REEL-uh-tuh r/

23. revocable: (a) /ri-VOH-kuh-buh l/ or

(b) /REV-uh-kuh-buhl/

24. vagar ies: (a) /vuh-GAIR-eez/ or

(b) /VAY-guh-reez/

25. vehement: (a) /vuh-HEE-muhnt/ or (b) /VEE-

uh-muhnt/

Bryan A. Garne r, editor-in- chief of Black’s Law Dictio-

nary and author of ma ny books on advocacy and le gal

drafting, is th e distinguished resea rch professor of law

at Southern Met hodist University. His most rece nt book

is Nino and Me: My Unusual Friendship with Justice

Antonin Scalia.

OCTOBER 2018 ABA JOURNAL || 25

Practice

PRONUNCIATION ANSWERS

1. (a). The pronunciation stres s-

ing the fi rst s yllable is a relative

newcomer.

2. (b). Here, the second-syllable

stress is relatively new.

3. (a). Believe it or not, this is t he

tradition al Anglo-Americ an pronun-

ciation, used mostly by very t radi-

tional old-timers. The usual and f ully

acceptable pronunciation is (c). If

you’re unsure, just say cert.

4. (a). This one, like No. 21, is a lin-

guistic marker for educate d speech.

5. (b). This one surprises many

people. The “spell ing pronunciation”

is tradit ionally considered inc orrect.

The history is a stra nge one: medi-

eval Latinis ts tried respelling the

word controller based on false e ty-

mology (thinking the root count-

[Latin compt-] came into play, when

in fact it was just t he prefi x con-).

They didn’t intend to have the word’s

pronunciation ch ange, but the spell-

ing pronunciation b ecame wide-

spread in the second half of t he 20th

century.

6. (a). The second choice is just an

overpronunciat ion.

7. (b). This mispronunciation here

is similar to say ing /fuh-KAYD/ for

façade.

8. (a). It’s a schwa in the fi na l sylla-

ble. For some reason, law professors

often accent the la st syllable with a

short -a-, perhaps to help their st u-

dents spell the word correct ly on

exams.

9. (a). There’s no parrot in this

word.

10. (a). Think of election, with the

accent on the second syllable. The

word is often misspelle d and mispro-

nounced as if it were electorial.

11. (a). The old pronunciation may

be a lost cause, given the a nalogy to

the noun error (which is pronounced

only one way).

12. (a). First syllable, not second, is

stressed.

13. (c). This word is seen more

often than hear d, and people seem to

guess at it s pronunciation.

14. (a). It rhymes with pain us.

15. (b). Think of the initial stress i n

integrate.

16. (b). There’s a strange tendency

to making this t hree-syllable word

into four. Think of principa l and

interest. Nobody would say

/I N - tu h - re s t /.

17. (a). Some lawyers seem to want

to call to mind t he related word

revoke.

18. (b). As with pastoral

/PAS-tuh-ruhl/.

19. (a). The -t- is traditiona lly

silent, as in fasten and liste n.

Sounding the -t- makes for another

so-ca lled spelling pronuncia tion.

20. (d). Ye t most doctors, I’m

assured, say /op-/, not /o -/. In fact,

opto is a slang shortening oft en used

in hospita ls.

21. (b). See No. 4.

22. (a). Two syllables, not three.

23. (b). See No. 17.

24. (a). The word has little to

do with the modern sense of the

word vague, even though they

both derive from the Lati n vagus

“wa nde ri ng.”

25. (b). The fi rst syllable is

accented, and the -h- is si lent.