Monday, 15 July 2013

Biopic

Che Guevara, Gael Garcia Bernal, Biopic, Rodrigo de la Serna, Argentinian cinema

BIOPIC

Noun. Colloquial. Mid-20th century.
[from BIOGRAPHICAL + PIC noun.]

A biographical film.

Biopic annoys me a bit as a word. For as long as I can remember, I've pronounced it incorrectly, firmly stressing the 'o' so that it rhymes (somewhat ironically) with myopic. However, virtually every authoritative source gives its correct pronunciation as bio-pick. Ever since I discovered the proper pronunciation, however, I've remained resolutely convinced that my pronunciation is the superior one. Yes, it's true that it doesn't make as much sense (after all, biopic means biographical picture), but it just sounds so much better. Biopic (spoken my way) sounds so much grander, with so much more majesty, bigger and bolder, with tones of the epic. The thing is - it isn't just my pronunciation; after a modicum of research on the interweb, it seems that others are also partial to my myopically-intoned pronunciation. So perhaps we're right, and to continue to deny so is simply ... ahem ... short-sighted?

How do you pronounce biopic? Is it just me and some other renegade internet weirdos? Or is something big starting here?

Oh, I rather like The Motorcycle Diaries, a biopic (pronounced my way) of Che Guevara.
If you have any favourite biopics (pronounced my way), do feel free to share.
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23 comments:

  1. BibiMonday, 15 July 2013 at 08:10:00 BST

    I pronounce it the myopic-way, too. I think the authoritative sources just don't know what they're talking about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eddie FMonday, 15 July 2013 at 09:06:00 BST

      Oh no! Another renegade internet weirdo, just like I feared! *sniggers*

      Delete
    2. The T 1 thousandMonday, 15 July 2013 at 12:09:00 BST

      Well, growing up in east Belfast WE have a tendency to pronounce words which ever way we want.
      However Bi-OP-ic as I would say it, does feel and portray a somewhat legendary or Epic status.

      I like Long Way Round and Long Way Down
      Another motorcycle, educational, adventurous Epic Bi-OP-ic

      Hope you 2 weirdos like the comment.
      Regards,
      A non weirdo :)

      Delete
    3. Eddie FMonday, 15 July 2013 at 14:37:00 BST

      Great! It seems I'm in good company. If I get any more consenting voices, I might even dispatch a letter to the OED.

      Delete
    4. BibiMonday, 15 July 2013 at 15:28:00 BST

      @ The T 1 thousand: Don't try to sneak out of it, you're just as weird as any other person in this comment section. :)

      Delete
    5. AnonymousMonday, 15 July 2013 at 16:53:00 BST

      Hey! I'm not weird. Well, ok, I'm weird. But at least I'm consistently weird, most of the time. At least I'm occasionally consistently weird. At least I'm inconsistently normal on weird occasions. Nope, can't remember my objection - carry on.

      -clueless.

      Delete
    6. Eddie FMonday, 15 July 2013 at 19:11:00 BST

      You're weird, C, and as evidence I cite your protestation: "I'm not weird." Anyone that ever feels the need to say that is indubitably weird.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMonday, 15 July 2013 at 14:47:00 BST

    It DOES and SHOULD rhyme with myopic, but then I recently asked a teenager if they liked the band Kasabian, in a futile effort to seem cool, and pronounced it such that in a poem it would have sat nicely in a verse about Azerbaijan.

    -clueless

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eddie FMonday, 15 July 2013 at 19:15:00 BST

      You must be some kind of rhyming wizard, C. I've gone over this numerous times in my head and I just can't make Kasabian and Azerbaijan rhyme, not in any way that is feasibly reasonable to think a person may have done it by mistake in their head. What kind of linguistic sorcery is this??

      Delete
    2. AnonymousTuesday, 16 July 2013 at 07:25:00 BST

      Kaz er by an. I'm not proud.

      Delete
  3. E.Monday, 15 July 2013 at 17:02:00 BST

    If you, native speakers, cannot agree on the pronunciation, what are we to do??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eddie FMonday, 15 July 2013 at 19:10:00 BST

      Oddly, Evi, it seems we do agree, something I didn't anticipate *at all* on this post.

      Delete
  4. The T 1 thousandMonday, 15 July 2013 at 23:33:00 BST

    I thoroughly enjoyed the banter today.
    I think a hearty well done old chap is in order for our founding blogger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eddie FTuesday, 16 July 2013 at 01:10:00 BST

      I'm glad you enjoyed it, T1, and it's great to have you commenting here : o )

      Delete
  5. bbreaderMonday, 15 December 2014 at 14:49:00 GMT

    I pronounce it like myopic, too, and I just heard Oprah pronounce it that way, so that settles it. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousTuesday, 24 February 2015 at 17:40:00 GMT

    I have also always said "biopic" to rhyme with myopic, because it used to be said that way by many... often! I would actually say it's a biography in pictures yes? Using the word biography, it makes sense when pronounced like myopic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eddie LexiSaturday, 7 March 2015 at 20:21:00 GMT

      If we all persevere, eventually the beastly dictionaries will bend to the will of the common pronunciation : o )

      Delete
  7. AnonymousFriday, 14 August 2015 at 22:49:00 BST

    Biopic is actually a contraction of biographical picture. Do you pronounce "cannot" differently than "can" "not"

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSunday, 13 March 2016 at 17:24:00 GMT

    I used to think that people who pronounced biopic like myopic were just ignorant of the meaning of biopic. But now I see they are stubborn too.

    ReplyDelete
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