this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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Showerthoughts

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There's probably a word I've been pronouncing wrong my whole life that I don't know about (discuss.tchncs.de)
submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Just based on how often I notice someone mispronounce a word without realizing it (or have done so myself and realized it later). Statistically I'm probably still doing it with some word.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Though I want to know why Wednesday is pronounced "wendsday" or "wensday". The n is after the d!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

It’s wed-nes-day.

Or so my wife insists, while giggling.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

The d before n is inherited from the original name Wodans dag (like Tiu's dag, Thor's dag and Frey's dag inherited through the Saxons and Danes from pagan germanic gods)

The rest is just linguistic shift through the centuries of changing language. Like Dag -> Day while for example in German Dag -> Tag.

But the root of the word is still Wodan then old english Weoden then Wedn.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Same guy as Marvel's Odin.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Exactly, just more (and different) linguistic shift. Woðanaz -> Woden -> Oden -> Odin

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Go ahead and say it literally. The middle syllable is still barely noticeable when said quickly.

That's probably why it got dropped.