It took almost ten years of being in an intercultural relationship, but I've finally found the funniest example of the V/W Distinction problem. My Pakistani-born husband speaks English wonderfully, but occasionally his native Urdu trained tongue slips and he pronounces certain english words the same way he did 9+ years ago when I met him. Usually this happens when he's been speaking a lot of Urdu, such as this weekend after skype-ing with his brother and mother in Saudi Arabia.
I've tried to describe the V/W distinction to people before, usually I use the west/vest illustration. When I met my husband, he couldn't pronounce the two words differently. He even once said he couldn't really hear the difference. Now he does pronounce and hear the difference, it just took practice. Just like the difference between my dental and retroflex t sounds when trying to speak Urdu. I couldn't say or really hear the difference and still often require correction from my family and my ever-patient Urdu teacher, LuckyFatima. (She even makes house calls!)
From now on, though, when discussing the v/w distinction, I'll probably reference the conversation my husband and I had this weekend. He was painting some cabinets in the garage and wanted help moving them around without messing up the paint job, so he came inside to ask for my help. But what he actually said is "I'll need your help to manure the cabinets."
See, folks? The difference between v and w is important. You might want to say maneuver, but you'll get a ton of crap from your wife instead!
I've tried to describe the V/W distinction to people before, usually I use the west/vest illustration. When I met my husband, he couldn't pronounce the two words differently. He even once said he couldn't really hear the difference. Now he does pronounce and hear the difference, it just took practice. Just like the difference between my dental and retroflex t sounds when trying to speak Urdu. I couldn't say or really hear the difference and still often require correction from my family and my ever-patient Urdu teacher, LuckyFatima. (She even makes house calls!)
From now on, though, when discussing the v/w distinction, I'll probably reference the conversation my husband and I had this weekend. He was painting some cabinets in the garage and wanted help moving them around without messing up the paint job, so he came inside to ask for my help. But what he actually said is "I'll need your help to manure the cabinets."
See, folks? The difference between v and w is important. You might want to say maneuver, but you'll get a ton of crap from your wife instead!
12 comments:
I know exactly what you mean. I couldn't do the "V/W" distinction either, but picked it up after several years in the States. But now I am in Germany, where the Germans pronounce the W like V. So welcome is pronounced "V"ilkommen although it is written "W"ilkommen.
Hilarious! That's a really important word distinction - manure is not something you want to help someone with...
I'm jealous! You get visits from LuckyFatima!
I feel like most Nepalis (at least those that don't live in the plains that border India) don't seem to have as much of a problem with V/W. But I do hear an issue with J/Z. Not with every word, but with certain ones... like "pijja" (pizza), or "J/Zack" (using one when meaning the other) or even "Jombies" (instead of Zombies!)
;)
LOVE. Hahahahahaha!
I always loved my favorite desi engineers saying VAX like wax.
Haha.. what a situation! I guess me and my husband have the same issues sometimes, but the problem is that English neither mine or his mother tongue and we speak it every day anyway! :))
For the past couple of days, I've been looking at my husband and saying "maneuwer" before I erupt with laughter. He's not as amused as I am. This is just hilarious. I have had similar "v/w" issues with my Pakistani hubbie.
well that is just stupid even if you mispronounce with a heavy indian/paki accent it would not sound like manure
problem is V vs W. Indians/Pakis have no problem pronouncing V it is W that is the problem so "maneuver" should not be a problem unless your husband just had a slip of tongue or he still has heavy accent which he tries to roll his tongue and sound like americans
And if you really want him to learn the difference use the word " Waqt" That indeed has W sound and every Urdu speaking person who is educated and eloquent can pronounce it. Hence there lies your difference in Urdu Waqt(W-a-kh-th) vs Vadi (V-a-thee)
I can see it happening. DH thinks he doesn't have that problem, but I catch him "wary," for "very," and so forth. I don't hear him do it in the middle of words so much as at the beginning. But, it is probably just him. Thanks for the funny!
lol.. I have many internal giggles over this.. Chilli has now been in the UK for nearly 5 years, after being in an English speaking school in Karachi... We have been married nearly 3 years (WOW!) yet still he has this issue.. look at the wan! I have numerous examples for him and ask him the make of our car (Volkswagon) which he pronounces correctly and when I ask him to say things correctly with V's and W's he does.. I think he just doesnt concentrate when hes usually saying these things.. It always makes me laugh when he texts me saying 'oh v should do this...' :D the delights of multiculturalism
I just stumbled upon your blog and love it, I am the brown K to my gori Wife :-) and would be following your blog
Hi.. Bin wondering where you are. I've been a regular reader for a while but only got to actually comment.. now that I've made my own account. Oh n Ramadan Kareem!
Poor guy I know exactly what he is going through. Even though I have a Texas accent now, every now and then I do end up mispronouncing the Vs and Ws.
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