In this mini episode, you will learn the correct pronunciation of the word “attorney.”
Episode 273 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the correct pronunciation of the word “attorney.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello, everyone! This is Shuang, from Anhui, China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 273 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
This episode is going to be a little bit different. Because in this episode, I am going to talk about the correct pronunciation of one word. Recently, I have heard many English learners say this one word with the wrong pronunciation.
Before I tell you what the word is, let’s see if you know the correct pronunciation. The spelling of this word is a-t-t-o-r-n-e-y. A-t-t-o-r-n-e-y. I’ll give you a moment to say that word out loud, and then I will talk about the correct way to pronounce it.
Okay. Are you ready to hear it?
That word is pronounced [a-ter-ney]. [a-ter-ney].
It’s that second syllable that might be a little bit confusing. The second syllable is pronounced [ter]. [A-TER-ney]. [A-TER-ney].
I completely understand why some people mispronounce this word, why some people pronounce this word wrong. It’s because—as everyone who has ever studied English knows—the English spelling system is very difficult. Often it does not make sense at all. It can be very confusing and very frustrating.
And it is the spelling that is the reason why many people pronounce this word [a-TOR-ney]. [a-TOR-ney].
They look at the spelling of that second syllable—t-o-r—and they think, “Well, this is probably pronounced [tor]. [a-TOR-ney].” And it makes sense to think that, but it is not correct. The correct pronunciation is [a-TER-ney].
And if you didn’t know, an attorney is basically the same as a lawyer. Attorneys and lawyers are basically the same. Maybe there are some ways that they’re not exactly the same. But most English speakers use those words in exactly the same way. Attorney and lawyer.
If you didn’t already know the correct pronunciation of attorney, you do now.
Outro
This is the end of episode 273 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Shuang recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. Goodbye! I’ll see you soon.