This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2005.
Kernel or kernel?
Avoid these pronunciation mistakes in English.
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In today's episode, you learn how to pronounce three confusing, unintuitive words.
Get insight on words that even native speakers get confused by.
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B-L-A-C-K-F-R-I-D-A-Y.
Hey there, Aubrey.
What's shaking?
I'm great.
How are you?
Awesome, Aubrey.
You have a question for me.
Nothing, right?
That's like saying, what's going on?
So it's weird if you say what's going on and I'm like, I'm great, it's not weird.
It's not weird, these are all just hell.
It's all just a way of saying hello.
It's all hello for sure, for sure.
So I think you have a question to start off the day today for me.
I want to ask you, this is related to a great listener question we got.
So Lindsay, were there any words that confused you as a kid learning English?
Oh my gosh, for sure.
There's this word island.
And I used to love this movie when I was a kid, the Island of the Blue Dolphins.
And I, for the longest time, I thought it was the Island of the Blue Dolphins or the Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Because there's an S in there, but it's Silent Island.
It looks like it should be Island.
I read that book.
I loved that book, The Island.
I didn't know it was a movie, though.
I'll have to check that out.
Oh, maybe it was just a book.
I don't know, but I was really confused.
Another one that confused me, Aubrey, was Colonel, because it's actually spelled C-O-L-O-N-E-L.
Do you see any R's in that spelling?
There's no R. It's crazy that it's pronounced Colonel.
It looks like it should be Colonel.
Colonel.
So strange.
I think that messes up a lot of kids in English as well as English language learners.
For sure.
For sure.
So what are we getting into today?
Today, we want to shout out to some of our listeners who have made a request.
Yes, we have done more pronunciation episodes lately and we asked you to let us know if you like them, if you want more.
So shout out to Yuri from Japan Odilia, Jeff and all the other students who have let us know.
Yes, we love these episodes.
We want more pronunciation episodes.
And today we're going to answer a question from Jeff Wu.
He's a management consultant in Japan about this word kernel.
And we're going to share a few words that do have tricky pronunciation in English.
Yes.
And so Jeff is a management consultant.
So going into companies and helping them, I imagine, with their business challenges.
You need that pronunciation right.
So I'm going to go ahead and read Jeff's question.
Okay, Aubrey, are you ready?
All right.
So Jeff says, another word I struggle with is kernel.
There's no R in the spelling of kernel, but it's pronounced with an R sound.
Why is that?
I searched it on Merriam-Webster, in which I found the origin of the word is an alteration of coronal from middle French.
Oh, it does come from French.
That makes sense.
But that doesn't explain why people still pronounce the R even after the English spelling is adapted without the R.
Any ideas why?
And from a native perspective, do you feel weird about it?
I feel weird about it.
Do you feel weird about it?
Yes, I do.
It's very strange.
Okay.
It's interesting.
And even when you read the history, we'll share that today.
It still seems strange.
Like, why?
Why wouldn't we change it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We want to point you guys to another episode, right?
That's also about pronunciation.
So as Aubrey said, we want to give you guys the pronunciation episodes that you want.
So episode 1864. when can you choose your pronunciation in English?
Love that idea.
Yeah, we talked about words like realtor and pecan that are pronounced differently depending on where you are in the United States or if you're in another English speaking country.
We went into a lot of the most popular ones.
So definitely check out 1864 for that.
Yes.
And Aubrey, by the way, where else can we find you in the podcasting world?
You're in a few other places.
Yes, right.
You can find me on our Business English podcast as well as on IELTS Energy.
If you're preparing to take the IELTS exam, you definitely need to follow that one.
Jessica and I are co-hosts.
We keep it fun.
Test prep can be difficult.
You want it to be interesting and engaging.
Two episodes every week with great lessons vocabulary strategies, so you can get the scores you need on the IELTS exam.
Yeah.
And science says that we learn when our brain is engaged, meaning it's elevated, right?
We're excited.
And so that is how we actually remember how to write a task to essay is by being entertained, by actually enjoying with us over on IELTS Energy.
So guys, go find that show.
Hit follow if IELTS is anywhere in your two-year plan, I would say.
Right, Aubrey?
Yes, exactly.
Right.
Come check us out on IELTS Energy.
All right, Lindsay, let's dive into this.
So first, we're going to talk about that word colonel, and then we'll share a few others.
But so yeah the history.
It is strange that there's such a lack of agreement, we could say, between the spelling and pronunciation of this word.
The definition is it's a military officer who ranks just above a major.
Okay.
It's funny because my husband's name is Cole, but he spells it just C-O-L without the E. Oh, yeah.
And that's how we shorten this word often.
If you see like Colonel Clark or Colonel Mustard, it'll just be C-O-L period.
So a couple of times on work calls someone has seen his name and been like we have a Colonel Carter on the call.
And he's like, no, it's Cole.
It's very funny.
Yeah.
So you might see it short.
And if you ever see C-O-L period, that's short for colonel.
You would pronounce that colonel.
But yeah, so the French took this word colonel from Italian.
It comes from the word for column.
And it referred originally to a leader of a column of soldiers.
And the French spelling to coronel and added that R. They often will substitute L's for R's.
Lots of languages do this.
And so then the word came to English from French.
And we didn't change it.
We kept the pronunciation of the French colonel, but we kept the spelling with the L, So we really can't blame anyone but ourselves.
Whoever decided like oh, let's take this spelling and this pronunciation, and neither will make sense.
And neither makes sense.
Let's just make it hard.
Let's make it really hard.
Exactly right.
But luckily for French speakers, the French changed the pronunciation.
But we didn't.
And the other tricky thing about the word kernel is it means other things in English right, Lindsay?
It does.
It does.
For example, it means... So a kernel of popcorn is that little inner seed, right?
Before you put it into the microwave to make it piece of popcorn.
It's a kernel, it's a little seed, and that's pronounced the same way, isn't it exactly?
Yes kernel, but it's spelled differently k-e-r-n-e-l.
It's the inner seed of anything, so lots of plants have a kernel in the middle, but i always think of popcorn as well.
We always talk about the kernel of popcorn.
When i was little, they called them old maids, which i think we don't use as much anymore, because it's really not very politically correct to call anyone an old maid.
So let's not call popcorn an old maid either right well why why, how is?
I don't even see the connection.
So i think it's because, if you think about the popcorn that doesn't pop in the, in the bowl, they're like the ones left alone, unclaimed.
Like an old maid is like a, an older lady who was never married or never had a partner.
So interesting okay, it's terrible.
I don't want to be associated with kernels of popcorn that were not useful.
But I also love when we use kernel of truth and we use the spelling from popcorn, right?
K E R N E L. But we use this more to mean what?
Yeah, this is very idiomatic to me.
At least a little bit of truth, we might say.
I definitely think there's a kernel of truth in what you're saying, which would mean there's at least a little bit of truth there.
Maybe I don't agree with you entirely.
This is a great phrase for that.
If you're having a discussion and you're sort of giving a concession like I can kind of see where you're coming from say Okay, I think there's a kernel of truth there.
But what about consider this.
Right.
It makes me think of the concept of stereotypes sometimes, like cultural stereotypes.
Sometimes there are trends that point to a small truth, but then the problem is when we're stereotyping, we're then going ahead and assuming everyone follows that trend when they don't, but some might.
So that's kind of the whole thing where I would think that might come up.
You might find a kernel of truth in certain stereotypes, but it's not always fair.
Yeah.
Right.
It might apply to one person, but not the entire group.
Right.
And so the opposite or just the negative of it.
You could say there's not a kernel of truth to that, which is just an interesting idiomatic way of saying.
I don't agree with that at all.
I don't think what you're saying is true even a little bit.
Yeah.
So the intonation there, right.
There's not a kernel of truth in what you're saying.
Right.
I love it.
Okay.
Another one Aubrey, that we want to point out to our listeners.
If we're on this trend of very confusing things that kids might have messed up, as children and our listeners might also be struggling with right.
Learning this crazy language.
What is it?
Yes, exactly right.
We're going to share a few other words where the pronunciation does not match the spelling and can be a little confusing.
So the next one is cupboard, which sounds like it would be spelled with BB.
There's a silent P in the middle.
Literally, it's cupboard, which comes from, at least back in the were um called cup cupboards right cupboard and the spelling just hasn't changed to match the pronunciation as the pronunciation pronunciation moved from cup board to cupboard where we blend them together yeah and this is another one where you just can't you know sound out the spelling and pronounce it you have to know it you have to have heard it in the culture Right.
You have to know that that silent P is there.
This is one benefit to reading.
If you're reading a lot in English, you'll see this word written.
Maybe if you're listening with an audio book and then you see oh, that sounded differently than what it looked like.
Right.
The more you expose yourself to English, the more you're aware of these idiosyncrasies in English.
Yes, I love it.
Do we have any example sentences for this one?
Yeah.
So if you say put the dishes in the cupboard, please.
It now means just the cupboards that open that have doors that open in a kitchen and a pantry.
Right.
Right.
And usually we put dishes or food in there.
Or can you get can you get the plates from the cupboard?
Right.
Not cupboard, not cupboard, but cupboard.
Exactly.
Right.
But if you're writing it, you have to remember there's that silent P.
Right.
Right.
OK.
The third one is something that's happening right now all over the Western U.S.
Right.
Is a drought.
Drought.
Yeah.
Or no.
Right.
I love that you said that, because it highlights how confusing this word is in English, especially for American English speakers, because this word it's spelled D-R-A-U-G-H-T.
Yes.
It's always pronounced draft.
In British English and American English, but it looks so much like the word drought, which means a lack of water, which Lindsay was thinking about.
I have also heard people say draught.
And it looks like, you know, that it maybe would be pronounced draught.
And I thought that that meant like a little bit of medicine that was given to someone was a draught.
I looked it up.
No, it still would be pronounced draught.
So this is a weird word and it just is not spelled at all like it sounds.
Oh, yeah.
So clearly we are confused about this.
So draft beer.
OK, so he prefers draft beer, for example.
And so draft beer as opposed to what kind of beer?
Like bottled beer.
Right.
So if something's on draft, they've like tapped a keg and they'll just pull and fill a cup of beer.
Right.
Right.
And so it's interesting in American English, we often will spell this phonetically D-R-A-F-T.
But in British English, they keep that spelling D-R-A-U-G-H-T.
But I think we adjust it sometimes to keep ourselves from being confused, because it looks more like it would be pronounced caught.
Draught.
It looks like draught.
Yeah, exactly.
Like caught.
So on menus, do you see D-R-A-F-T like draft beers?
Yes.
Sometimes, yes.
In English sometimes, but it's often still the D-R-A-U-G-H-T.
So that's another tricky thing that you'll see it spelled both ways and you just have to keep track.
And there are multiple meanings, right?
So draft beer, that it means, you know, that really it means to draw or pull.
So really it's talking about pulling that handle to fill this cup.
But there's another meaning, right?
Oh my gosh, yes, a draft.
To be honest, this word, I never knew how to spell it.
I know because I've never written it before.
So I'm learning something new from you, Aubrey.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
So here's the sentence.
We'll give it to you guys in context.
Can you close the window?
There's a draft, right?
There's a draft.
And this just means like a breeze, like, oh, there's some wind or there's a breeze.
So maybe we want to close.
We often use this to talk about air coming from outside, to inside, right?
Oh, there's a draft.
This is a drafty house, meaning like air will come through the windows and doors.
Yes, for sure.
And you know, when I lived in Boston, I lived in a very old house from the late 1800s and it was always drafty.
All the air came through the windows in Boston winters.
Oh, I'm done with old houses, Aubrey.
I'm done.
I don't blame you.
Those drafty houses.
I know.
And in American English you'll often see this spelled especially this version of meaning like air, spelled D-R-A-F-T.
So here in the States, Lindsay, you could definitely write it that way.
And especially drafty, you'll see D-R-A-F-T-Y.
But in British English... you'll almost always still see that original spelling, the D-R-A-U-G-H-T.
So this draft is a little bit of a special example, because we have some options with spelling.
Here it sounds like
We've made some options, right?
A lot of this that I got, it was interesting, was from Merriam-Webster.
So Webster's Dictionary was sort of the original American dictionary, where Merriam-Webster changed a lot of spellings to match the way we say things more often.
So there was an article called You're Probably Saying It Wrong 18 Words.
Even You Might Be Mispronouncing that you could go check out.
It's interesting.
And these three were there, right?
Kernel, cupboard, and draft.
Oh, very good.
And a lot of sometimes it's the difference between American and British pronunciation.
Sometimes they're confusing in both.
Okay, very good.
I'm going to check out that article and brush up to make sure I'm not missing anything.
In the meantime, should we start a role play for our listeners?
Yeah, let's do it.
So you and I are at a conference discussing a keynote speaker here.
I'll start us out.
Did you hear that the keynote speaker is a colonel in the military?
Oh, yes.
And I heard he has a terrible reputation.
There might not be a colonel of truth in anything he says.
Crazy.
I wish they'd close the window.
There's a terrible draft.
So I first use it just saying the speaker is a colonel in the military.
And that might when you see that written, you might be surprised because it looks like colonel.
It just is not pronounced like it's spelled.
Yeah, and that was the question from Jeff there.
So good question, right?
And then I said, yes, and I heard he has a terrible reputation.
There might not be a kernel of truth in anything he says, right?
So there's not a kernel of truth or there is a kernel of truth is the example we gave you guys.
Exactly.
And that one's going to be super useful.
This idiomatic phrase to talk about a kernel of truth sounds the same spelled differently, right?
This one's K-E-R-N-E-L.
You guys can use this all the time to talk about a little bit of truth, a kernel of truth.
Yes, I love it.
And what was the last one?
And then I said there's a terrible draft which would be spelled differently, likely depending on if you're American or British, but means, like a breeze, some air coming through.
Yes, I love it.
All right, Aubrey, this is good.
I learned some things today.
I'm sure our listeners did.
What's our takeaway?
Yeah, guys, don't stress about pronunciation.
This episode, I love that it highlights that it can be tricky even for native speakers.
There are a lot of difficult things with pronunciation in English for both language learners as well as natives.
Sometimes kids, right?
These words were tricky for us when we were kids.
Oh, yes. but these tips can help you avoid these common pronunciation errors.
We're excited that you want to have more pronunciation episodes.
Send us your questions with specific things that you find tricky in English pronunciation.
We can do an episode on them.
Yeah guys, let's get past this pronunciation and get to that conversation that we all want to come to right.
We want to be in connection.
Like I said last time, let's get past the pronunciation and get into the good stuff, right?
The good stuff.
The reason we learn language is the human connection.
So go for it.
Um, Aubrey, again, remind our listeners where to find you.
Where can they study IELTS?
Prep for IELTS?
Yes, right.
Wherever you listen to podcasts guys search All Ears English and you'll see all three of our podcasts.
Be sure you're following IELTS Energy if you're studying for IELTS or even if you're not.
Great vocabulary lessons there.
You would love it.
It's fun.
And then also Business English, right?
All Ears English.
Make sure you're following all three of our podcasts.
Yeah.
I'm pretty sure there are listeners over there on IELTS Energy that are not taking IELTS.
They just are excited to... about what they're learning.
They're just learning high level vocab.
You know ways to present ideas.
That's unique and very native and natural.
So check it out, guys.
All right, Aubrey.
Good stuff.
Thanks for hanging out today.
Awesome.
Thanks.
See you next time.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
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