Over the next few years we find that we will be forced to retire certain words entirely from the English language or, at a minimum, require that persons using them be specially licensed. The first to be retired entirely, at least from spoken English, is forte, when used to mean “strength.”
"No Doubt About It Vince, the End Around Is Ferguson's Forte "
We have searched spoken media carefully and can find no instance whatsoever wherein the word ever has been pronounced correctly. As apparently only lexicographers know, when used to describe strength it is pronounced fort, exactly like the strong, fortified place so often occupied by John Wayne and Randolph Scott in the westerns of yesteryear. When describing strength forte is never pronounced for-tay.
It is entirely proper, when describing a person’s strength to say, “His forte (pronounced fort) is hitting the long ball,” or “During a difficult trial, her forte (pronounced fort) is a convincing closing argument.” But, alas, the poor word is overwhelmed by mispronunciation. Say it correctly at a party and even your educated friends will slowly edge their way towards the cheese board.
"I Said Forte! I Want The Tympani to Rattle Their Teeth!!"
As a spoken word we will continue to allow the use of forte by musicians. Here, the word indeed is correctly pronounced for-tay, (or, by a few, for-tay. It means loud.
Yes, indeed, you’ll get some strange looks even from your more educated friends but it is perfectly acceptable to say his forte as a musician seems to come in the forte passages.
But the smart thing is to never, ever use the word in polite company.
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 9:08 PM and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Forte Retired
Over the next few years we find that we will be forced to retire certain words entirely from the English language or, at a minimum, require that persons using them be specially licensed. The first to be retired entirely, at least from spoken English, is forte, when used to mean “strength.”
"No Doubt About It Vince, the End Around Is Ferguson's Forte "
We have searched spoken media carefully and can find no instance whatsoever wherein the word ever has been pronounced correctly. As apparently only lexicographers know, when used to describe strength it is pronounced fort, exactly like the strong, fortified place so often occupied by John Wayne and Randolph Scott in the westerns of yesteryear. When describing strength forte is never pronounced for-tay.
It is entirely proper, when describing a person’s strength to say, “His forte (pronounced fort) is hitting the long ball,” or “During a difficult trial, her forte (pronounced fort) is a convincing closing argument.” But, alas, the poor word is overwhelmed by mispronunciation. Say it correctly at a party and even your educated friends will slowly edge their way towards the cheese board.
"I Said Forte! I Want The Tympani to Rattle Their Teeth!!"
As a spoken word we will continue to allow the use of forte by musicians. Here, the word indeed is correctly pronounced for-tay, (or, by a few, for-tay. It means loud.
Yes, indeed, you’ll get some strange looks even from your more educated friends but it is perfectly acceptable to say his forte as a musician seems to come in the forte passages.
But the smart thing is to never, ever use the word in polite company.
Like this:
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 9:08 PM and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.