Why do people have to say "artic" instead of "arctic"?

Question

This bugs me almost as much as "could care less' and "nucular".

Is there something in people's soft palate that makes it difficult for them to pronounce the 3 consonants in a row or something?

People will also say "chiropratic' instead of 'chiropractic'. But they do it repeatedly. It doesn't seem like laziness, it seems that they really have trouble doing it.

Answer 1

They can't hear.  It's just like when people say prostrate, and then correct you with the wrong word when you say it correctly.    Prostrate is a position, and prostate is a gland.  Open your ears, people.  Hilarious.

Answer 2

Actually, "could care less" is correct, although I never did understand why.  I mean, if you CAN care less, that means you DO care a little bit, right?  If you say "couldn't care less," it means you care the least amount possible.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, I remember when I was a teenager (about 30 years ago), it was a big deal in the Ann Landers columns in the papers.  It IS "could care less" (even though that makes no sense at all to me - and I've been an English teacher for 22 years!)

Answer 3

People are lazy and proud of being uneducated?

Answer 4

I think people are just stupid and don't know the difference...honestly.  And it kills me when people say Febuary instead of February.

Answer 5

What about jewlery instead or jewelry, or liberry in stead of library?  I hate that! Or people who pronounce the w in sword.  OOH, or people who put an f where a th is supposed to go!  OMG, I'm so heated now!

Answer 6

I think it's just laziness.

Just like people using the word "then" when they are comparing two items... (than). That's one of my pet peeves!!

Answer 7

Here's another one...

Sentiment and Sediment... SO many times I hear "sediment" when they are meaning "sentiment."

Another one is "cavalry" and "Calvary."  I usually have to chuckle to myself and say, "Geez, I didn't know Jesus died along with Custer!"

How about "February" and "febuary"... I keep wondering why the "R" is in there if no one wants to pronounce it!

Then there's "coopon" and "coupon" (cyu-pon)... the preferred pronunciation is "cyu-pon"... it is from a French source.

I so LOVE the Brits when they add an entirely new syllable into "aluminum" and it becomes "al-lu-min-i-um." Just where did that extra one come from?

I also cannot STAND the "standard" mispronounciation of "CULINARY"... again it is from FRENCH etymology, and is properly prounouced, "CYU-linary," NOT "CUL-inary."

Oh well... English has always undergone changes, it is NOT a dead language at all!  But sometimes, the wounds it suffers from these pronounciation faux pas, can cause us to wonder at it's survivability.

Have a polite day.

Answer 8

Wow, I think we're talking about Geaorge Bush. He's the king of pronouncing things like an idiot.

Answer 9

It's the same reason that cupboard isn't pronounced "cup board" but "cubburd".  I think it's colloquialisms that have just evolved over the years.  It also depends on environment and how your folks and people you are around the most pronounce words that you will adopt similar pronunciations.  Do you pronounce the "t" in often?  That's one that will drive me crazy, but the "t" is suppose to be silent.  My last name has a "ph" like in stratosphere.  Even high school teachers used to try and pronounce it with a "p" instead of "ph".  Oh, well, live and let live I guess.

:-)