What does one do when the guy trying to sell a house introduces himself as a “realator”?
OK. As usual, I looked this up.
I went to the two online dictionaries that I rely on.
The first one provides the way it is supposed to be pronounced. “Re’-uhl-ter.” (I don’t intend to here address the variant pronunciation, “re’-uhl-tor.” [last syllable rhymes with “nor.”] Ugh.)
But, when I went to the second source, I found that it provides, in addition to the correct pronunciation, the wrong one, “re’-leh-ter,” though it is preceded by the “obelus” (the mathematical “divided by” sign), which means that the pronunciation is “considered by some” to be “questionable or unacceptable.” “By some“? Heck, I’m looking for the word “wrong” here. Wouldn’t it be better if it said that “this pronunciation is considered incorrect by people who know how to pronounce it?” I have no idea what to make of this. Perhaps this second source feels the need to include incorrect pronunciations because so many people say it this way.
I guess this lousy pronunciation comes from the idea that a realator deals in reala state?