Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
to open; to free from restraints; to release
reimburse
list
unlock
concrete
TOEIC practice test: Interactive word games: Free Online Verb Quiz Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

How do you pronounce "psycho"?



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
difference between 'to get used to' and 'to be used to' | be or to be
Message Author
How do you pronounce "psycho"? Fri Jul 13, 2007 22:51 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

There is this movie "Insomnia" with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. At the beginning when the two L.A. cops arrive in Alaska there are talking to the local policeman who is in charge of the investigation. At some point he says: "This isn't a random psycho? Crime of passion?"

Now, it seems that this man pronounces the "P" in "psycho". Do you too?

Thanks
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary
Torsten
Site Admin
Torsten Daerr

Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 7860
Location: EU

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Fri Jul 13, 2007 23:39 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Hi Torsten,

I would certainly want the 'p' to be silent. Maybe this sounding of the 'p' is some kind of jokey practice.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Communicating with you?
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 7568
Location: UK

English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!Read these English anecdotes and maybe smile today? Subscribe to free email English courseHow do you use the English Prepositions correctly?
How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sat Jul 14, 2007 0:13 am  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Hi Alan,

Many thanks for your quick response, you are probably right about pronouncing the "p" to make it sound funny. By the way, later in the same movie Al Pacino pronounces "inquiry" quite strangely stressing the first syllable and treating the second one like a schwa. Are there are two accepted ways of pronouncing that word similar to "advertisement"?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary
Torsten
Site Admin
Torsten Daerr

Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 7860
Location: EU

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:19 am  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Hi Torsten,

Stress on the first syllable and the 'swallowed' second part is the American way of saying it - they tell me there are differences, ho, ho.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story A day in the life of a policeman
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 7568
Location: UK

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sat Jul 14, 2007 19:35 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Alan wrote:
Stress on the first syllable and the 'swallowed' second part is the American way of saying it - they tell me there are differences, ho, ho.
Just curious to know how it is that you think you know what "the" American pronunciation of inquiry is. Does this expert comment reflect extensive, first-hand experience in the US?

hehe, hoho
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, and native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8263
Location: USA

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sat Jul 14, 2007 20:59 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Hi Torsten

I don't know anyone in the US who would seriously pronounce the 'p' in a word like 'psycho' except for non-native speakers of English.

At least I can agree with Alan's post about the fact that it might be intentionally pronounced that way as a joke.
.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, and native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8263
Location: USA

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sun Jul 15, 2007 19:00 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Hi,

Maybe he was saying it deliberately to make it sound like pissed-sycho, to be funny.

Nina
_________________
Try your best and damn the rest.
NinaZara
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 1055
Location: Japan

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Sun Jul 15, 2007 22:55 pm  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

It might just have been the result of pronouncing an 's' after an 'm'. Especially if the guy had a nasal voice or simply a cold!
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2821
Location: Madrid, Spain

How do you pronounce "psycho"? Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:09 am  How do you pronounce "psycho"?
 

Torsten wrote:
By the way, later in the same movie Al Pacino pronounces "inquiry" quite strangely stressing the first syllable and treating the second one like a schwa. Are there are two accepted ways of pronouncing that word similar to "advertisement"?

There are actually three pronunciations of the word 'inquiry' used in the US, Torsten. When I think about the way people tend to pronounce things in the deep South, the number of pronunciation variations for 'inquiry' may be even more than three. The pronunciation I've used since childhood is with stress on the schwa-less the second syllable. I know lots of people who pronounce it the same way, but I have also heard two other pronunciations in the US. One of those was apparently what you heard Al Pacino say.

If the order of the varying pronunciations of 'inquiry' (as listed in American dictionaries) is any indication, the pronunciation I use may well be the most common one here.
.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, and native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8263
Location: USA

Display posts from previous:   
difference between 'to get used to' and 'to be used to' | be or to be
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms How do you pronounce "psycho"? All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on English Forums
Expression "This behind their hands"What the phrase 'unhappy glance' mean?to use of expectHow old is she and what's the point of this phrase?Phrasal Verbs in formal writing?My dad works at the Capital?'Stick to' vs 'Stick by'the usage of the verb requireUse of can "arranging a meet"Expression: Box your earsShort form of "fire extinguisher"?Use of the phrase "Idea being"Letter writing in EnglishWhat's the difference between interested in seeing and interested to see?Dim lights?Exceptions when to use a / an + hair / hairsExclamation: "Gross""Did" - use present or past tense of verb?How do you pronounce "psycho"?

Discover English-test.net
Scoring pointsMeaning of 'put in a little apartment'GobbledygookQuery: The speaker is very well-acquainted with the subject.SAT prep test: Word Vocabulary Games: English Nouns AdjectivesSAT vocab test: Free word games: Online Noun Adjective GameDefine admonition, preferment, anathema, advertiser, humane, regiment, arborescentPimsleur Japanese Quick and Simple: Pimsleur Japanese Language CourseFree EFL Quiz Online: State SecretsHandouts with canned, door, act, clamp, up: English Slang Idioms (186)

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail