After reading the comments in our previous article and realising that more could be added to the list, here are a few more English words that are frequently given a, let’s say, colourful Maltese twist.
/balans/ (balance) – People who check their ‘ekkawnt balans’, should be charged that little extra interest just for massacring these words.
/bawl/ (bowl) – This one still gets me each and every time I hear people say it. Sure, perhaps it might not sound all that bad, you’d think. But just wait until someone mentions the fact that they like bawling instead of going to the cinema.
/ekspresso/ (espresso) – Fair enough. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt for this one. Perhaps they’re in such a rush they decide to say the word as such, in order to amalgamate the synonym for rapid (i.e. express) with the liquid caffeine booster? …Well, that’s what I’m hoping.
/ekstejnxins/ (extensions) – I really don’t get the extra phonetic ‘ej’ for this one… Admittedly, I always like saying it for kicks.
/indikejter/ (indicator) – Hand to heart, I’m honestly more at peace with the mispronunciation than I am with the fact that virtually no drivers actually use their indikejter!
/plaaastijk/ (plastic) – True, we Maltese do tend to elongate certain vowels, so it’s only natural that our Maltese accent affects the way we may speak English, but honestly, is it really that difficult to say plastic? There are so many more difficult words in English. I shudder to think of the way other words are uttered!
/scaf-FOWLD-ink/ (scaffolding) – No. Just, no. Please refer to the Oxford Dictionary for the proper pronunciation.
/sjuwt/ (suit) – I never understood this one, mainly because the position of the vowels ‘i’ and ‘u’, so we can’t exactly blame phonemic orthography for this one, since there’s a slight disconnect.
/stuwdjient/ (student) – Is it too melodramatic if I want to chop my ears off whenever I hear this one?
/velclor/ (velcro) – I can accept (to a certain extent) the overemphasising of letters in a word, but adding inexistent ones? That I simply cannot get. Sorry.
/vejs/ (vase) – Sure, some people might prefer the American variation, but even then, the last letter should not emphasise the ‘s’ as much as some people do. And this also applies to the amateurish American accent aficionados.
/winskrin/ (windscreen) – Clearly the improper pronunciation of this word isn’t so easily visible (yes, pun intended!) to some…
/tixu/ (tissue) – Perhaps I might need a couple of them to wipe the tears I weep when I hear people bastardise the word…
/xumingan/ (chewing gum) – Yep, you read correctly. All I can do is give an exasperated sigh…
I’m pretty sure there are even more words to add to this list, so if any of our readers have heard any other similar (or dare I say, worse!) gems, please let us know in the comment section below.
