Improve Your English: Avoid These Common Mistakes

This is the second article in a series on improving your English by avoiding common mistakes. These points are directed towards Desi English speakers, as the author currently teaches in Pakistan. Indian English, similar to Pakistani English, is considered to be a dialect of English, but the mistakes listed below are not mistakes you will hear Pakistani or Indian speakers using on the radio or on national television stations. That said, if Desi English speakers want to improve their English in order to move up at home or abroad, they'd do best to avoid these mistakes! See the first article in this series here.

Word: chaos
Culprit: pronunciation

The word 'chaos' comes from Greek and does not rhyme with 'house.' It is pronounced in two syllables like 'kay-as.' 'Kay' rhymes with 'bay' and 'pay' and the second syllable rhymes with 'boss' and 'moss.' If you pronounce it like 'chouse,' nobody will understand what you want to say!

Word: pizza
Culprit: pronunciation

As this food has become popular on the subcontinent, it's pronunciation and taste has become somewhat Indianized as well. You may be surprised to know that there is no 'z' sound in the word 'pizza.' It is pronounced as two syllables: 'peet-sa'. The first syllable sounds exactly like the name 'Pete' and also rhymes with 'meat' and 'seat.' The second syllable is not stressed.

Word: thrice
Culprit: history

To most native speakers, 'thrice' is an antiquated word used in classic novels and fairy tales. American speakers of English would rarely use the word 'thrice' in a normal conversation. We prefer to say 'three times.' That said, 'tetra four' is an expression that I heard for the first time in Pakistan. I'm not sure when these terms went out of style, but my great-grandmother didn't even say them.

Phrase: Beauty saloon
Culprit: meaning, history, spelling

The first time I saw a sign for a 'beauty saloon' I burst out laughing. The word 'saloon' is pronounced with a long 'u' sound like in the word 'moon.' In American English, a 'saloon' is a tavern where cowboys in the American West go to drink beer and other types of alcohol. You often see saloons in Western movies. Being a country of teetotalers (at least by law if not in practice), Pakistan should certainly not have 'saloons' in every shopping plaza.

The correct spelling of the beauty parlor locale is 'salon,' and the second syllable is pronounced like in the word 'lawn.' Up until the 1830's, the word 'saloon' was used to mean a public meeting place such as a large hall. It could also refer to furnished railway cars that served as living rooms. In 1841, 'saloon' developed the meaning of 'public bar' in American English.

Improve Your English: Avoid These Common Mistakes - Part 1

Sources:

Author's experience as a teacher and native speaker of English
Etymology Online