We spend our first 3-4 years learning to speak our first language almost entirely phonetically. I think that’s something to make a bigger fuss about.
That’s seriously impressive.
Today, I’m reminded of a handful of words my young child — the girl one — mispronounced. Words I was sure she would correct once she begin reading. Sure enough, I was right.
Some of the more famous mispronunciations were as follows:
- Crayons = crowns
- Maple syrup = moe pup syrup
- Lupe Fiasco = lew flays fiasco
I know we take it for granted and accept that speaking is just a thing that eventually happens. I just want to pause for a moment and appreciate how awesome it is to catch on to a language by only listening to it spoken.