People speaking English driving me crazy

[hudson]

Not sure what thought the thread title provoked, but what I'm about to say, probably isn't what you thought.

Over the last 3 or so years, I've been quietly worrying if I was going mad (a bit dramatic, I know), but I've been having an issue listening to people pronounce words prefixed with 'per'. Words such as 'performance' (this being the main culprit). I hear it a lot in my work (previously working in video games and currently audio). I've been hearing people pronounce this as 'PREformance'. I started to think my brain is jumbling letters up on the fly or something. No way are people pronouncing incorrectly. Definitely not sources such as Digital Foundry, right?

Today I had a break through. I played a video on youtube and the first word spoken in the video was 'performance'. Again, I heard it wrong. OR SO I THOUGHT!
I remembered that YouTube has a playback speed option, so I went and played it back at slowest speed, and low and behold, I heard it. The person presenting the show said "PREforming"! Not sure why I hadn't thought to do this before... possibly because I was accepting the issue was my brain and I am 49.

Anyway, I needed more confirmation and immediately went to Digital Foundry. Guess what? Rich said it. He said "preformance".

What is happening? Maybe I am mad? Is it a cultural thing or something?

[QualityChimp]

U OK, hon?

[hudson]

No good? This is a real thing that happened.

[egparadigm]

Write to your local MP and ask him/her to raise it in PMQs?

Extra points if you can make a Reform or Conservative MP look silly doing it.

[wakka]

Now you've got me hearing 'preforming' :l

[hudson]

Now you've got me hearing 'preforming' :l

and my work is done...

[Asura]

Nah, it's a real thing Hudson. It's like how some people say expresso or pacifically.

https://youtu.be/qmVnr7rsWrE?si=U27lN2YtrepbjuCP

[Golgo]

I've also noticed this in Digital Foundry, as it happens. Given their whole business is about analysing performance I do not think it unreasonable to expect them to pronounce the word correctly.

[hudson]

Thanks.

I'm just going to let it slide as I mostly do, unless it's my child. I understand people inherit mis-pronounciations and the like. It is what it is and you always understand what is being said due to the context of the conversation.

I just wanted to find out if I was losing it or not.

[importaku]

.....

[hudson]

fudge does he want?

[Nu-Eclipse]

Nah, it's a real thing Hudson. It's like how some people say expresso or pacifically.
https://youtu.be/qmVnr7rsWrE?si=U27lN2YtrepbjuCP

Or how they say can't be asked instead of can't be arsed.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Not sure what thought the thread title provoked, but what I'm about to say, probably isn't what you thought.

Not gonna lie...I saw that title and thought that either replicashooter or Super Nintendo Chalmers had been allowed back into the forum.

[kryss]

I would perfer it if you didn't use such blatantly porvocative thread titles.

[hudson]

you had me there on toast for a couple of seconds

I have no idea what the pervious post is referring to