Pronounciations in the News

The amazing story of the Chilean miners being brought to the surface one at a time from the mine they've been trapped in for 69 days has us riveted. 

But it's also one of those stories that features a word that we've all pronounced one way and then suddenly are required to pronounce differently.  In the miners' story, the country is Chile - forever pronounced  "chilly" by the rest of us - but newscasters call it "chee-lay." 

Other examples of newspeak include "Bra-zeel" for Brazil (complete with plenty of tongue roll) and "Hal-eez" Comet instead of  "Hale-eez" Comet.  Another big one from space is the planet Uranus - "Your-un-us" not "Your Anus." 

But watch - as soon as the last miner surfaces, it'll go back to "Chilly."   That is, until something else happens there and puts "Chee-lay" back in the news.