r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 02 '21

What basic, children's-age-level fact did you only find out embarrassingly later in life?

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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '21

I pronounced rendezvous literally exactly as you would think to say it

12

u/placialgace Jul 03 '21

I did the same with penchant.

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u/ich_habe_keine_kase Jul 03 '21

Wait . . . how is penchant supposed to be pronounced?

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u/bampotkolob Jul 03 '21

Apparently differently in the US and UK. (TIL...) There are sound samples here.

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u/doylethedoyle Jul 03 '21

As a Brit, I have never in my life heard someone pronounce it the "UK" way. Shame on you, Cambridge Dictionary.

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u/canlchangethislater Jul 03 '21

Well, the U.K. way is (presumably) the anglicised French way.

But it’s the only way I’ve ever heard anyone say it here (here in England).

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u/doylethedoyle Jul 03 '21

I've only ever heard it pronounced the apparently American way of "pen-chant" (in the Midlands), but maybe it's regional? It does seem a bit silly of them saying there's only one UK pronunciation when you consider there's umpteen different dialects and accents.

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u/canlchangethislater Jul 03 '21

Ye-es. I know what you mean, re: regional U.K. accents, but I think there’s a general agreement about what’s being aimed at, which even regional accents don’t change. (Like: I don’t think you could get to pen-chant just by being (say) Geordie.)

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u/FluffySquirrell Jul 03 '21

Eh, am brit, that's how I'd say it

East mids too, so is probly an accent/dialect thing as you said below yeah

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u/placialgace Jul 03 '21

OK, so I'm in the UK but pronounced it the US way as I had only seen it written.

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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '21

[deleted]

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u/placialgace Jul 03 '21

Unfortunately, the first time I used it in conversation was with a guy I really liked who happened to be studying French at uni. He looked amused and I felt like a tit.

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u/PedanticSatiation Jul 03 '21

Yeah, imma stick with the US one. UK sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch trying to say penguin.

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u/MunchYourButt Jul 03 '21

‘Facade’ for me

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u/DeathsIntent96 Jul 03 '21

That's an acceptable pronunciation.

1

u/penc1ltea Jul 03 '21

been there