I was sitting in the newsroom one day and chatting with a newsreader. We were talking about how gaffes were made in pronunciation. Then she told me about one word, which a large proportion of the population, including the English educated people, mispronounce. And that word is, SPORTS. Sounds shocking isn't it? But it is true!
Most of us approximate the sound of 'OH' in Sports to the 'OH' sound in 'Golmaal'. So it is pronounced as 'स्पोर्ट्स' - whereas the correct pronunciation would be closer to (though not exactly) 'स्पॉर्ट्स'.
The 'OH' sound in Sports is actually a long vowel and hence the vowel sound should be slightly longer, something like "स्पअऑर्ट्स"
If the vowel sound is shortened, it will sound dangerously close to 'SPOTS' "स्पॉट्स".
So, next time you listen to this word on the broadcast media or hear any friend or colleague pronounce it, watch how they pronounce it.
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