Page 6 - Miss Persnickety

We should know our audience. We may sometimes
choose to align with our listeners’ speaking styles, and
this is called code-switching.
As a “faw-muh New Yawkuh” (former New Yorker), I have
always been fascinated with regional dialects and the
attention they often bring to a conversation. There are
regional variations and dialects for the pronunciation of
many words. These are part of the uniqueness and
diversity of our language and culture.

English is constantly changing and over time, new
pronunciations and words emerge. However, in certain
situations, we may choose to speak in a more neutral
manner that doesn’t distract our listener. Please note that
the words refer to the North American pronunciation.
This book is intended to be a quick resource of commonly
misused and mispronounced words. Read it through and
see what misspeaks you recognize.

Everyday Misspeaks iii