Vice President Kamala Harris didn't have the best end to 2024, but her name was ubiquitous this year. The same can be said for breakout pop star Chappell Roan, who had an exceptional year, particularly with her hit song 'Good Luck, Babe!' and her six Grammy nominations. Meanwhile, the French Olympic mascot Phryge, which bears a resemblance to a clitoris, won over everyone by the end of the games. Show some respect.

These figures were among the most talked-about individuals (and anthropomorphized plush toys) of the year. However, their names were also among the most mispronounced. This is according to language-learning company Babbel and closed-captioning company The Captioning Group, who released a list of words that news anchors, politicians, and other public figures in the US struggled with the most in 2024.

“It’s a nice way to reflect on the year and see everything that has happened,” said Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel. So, let’s clarify their list. No more excuses now.

Several names and words on the US list, including Keoghan, Phryge, and Shein, also appeared on the UK list, which Babbel compiled with the help of the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, an organization for subtitling professionals. Other words on the UK list include Flygskam, a Swedish term popularized by climate activist Greta Thunberg (which translates as “flight shame”) pronounced “FLEEG-skam,” and the Chagos Islands, pronounced “CHAY-goss.” The latter made the list after the British government returned sovereignty of the long-contested Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius this year.

Touma, a native Spanish speaker, emphasized the importance of persistence when it comes to pronunciation. “One of the issues we face is that our mouths are not trained to produce these sounds from different languages,” he said. Touma admitted even he struggles with some words, including Harris' first name. Despite knowing the correct pronunciation, he finds it challenging to get it right in the moment during a conversation. This is relatable – even though many would have hoped to perfect Harris’ first name with a ‘President’ in front of it...

Source link:   https://www.euronews.com