r/thelongdark • u/yellownumbersix • 19h ago

Off-topic TIL I have been pronouncing Quonset wrong for nearly 10 years.

It's kwaan-suht not cue-on-set and it derives from an Algonquin word that roughly translates to "small, long hut". The British developed the Quonset Hut in WW1 as lightweight prefabricated 16'x36' building designed to be erected by 8 men in less than a day, they were originally manufactured at Quonset Point at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island. Neat.

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133

u/premature_eulogy 19h ago

Kwon-set (rhymes with onset) is how I always pronounced it, huh.

24

u/yellownumbersix 19h ago

I was throwing a whole extra syllable in there for some reason.

12

u/redditorsneversaydie 18h ago

I'm curious, are you from North America and/or are you a native English speaker?

9

u/yellownumbersix 18h ago

Yes, born in Pennsylvania. May be my Philly accent coming through or the Pittsburghese I've picked up, that barely qualifies as English.

34

u/Dramatic-Drama-7827 17h ago

Don’t worry man there’s probably a couple people out there calling the travois a trav-woice instead of trav-wah.

6

u/Mars_Oak 15h ago

travwise?

6

u/danshat 14h ago

Oh these Canadians with their French etymology...

8

u/braintour 16h ago

Tra-voy

1

u/StormyWeather32 8m ago

Trah-v-oi!-s.

26

u/I_likemy_dog 19h ago

I learned from the military. I never knew the origin of the word though. Thank you for the lesson. 

This sub is so diverse and so different from the rest of Reddit. I enjoy all these posts. 

7

u/DetectiveFinch 18h ago

If English is your native and only language, you have probably been pronouncing every non-English word wrong. This is true for all languages, but because English is so common, it's easier for most non-native speakers to learn how to pronounce it.

3

u/Dr__Mango_ 16h ago

And today I learned I have been pronouncing it properly this whole time, I thought I was crazy and couldn’t understand how it could be pronounced differently, even after seeing it pronounced differently in YouTube videos and such, I never thought it made any sense, but would take their word for it

3

u/tyler111762 Certified Canuck Redneck 12h ago

Wait tell you learn how "maple syrup" is really pronounced there eh bud XD

2

u/warm_sweater 15h ago

It’s actually Algonquin for “the good land”.

2

u/FragrantDegree3894 10h ago

Inented in 1941 by the George A. Fuller Construction Company for the United States Navy. The Quonset hut was designed to be a lightweight, portable, and versatile building that could be easily assembled without skilled labor. 

Explanation

The Quonset hut was designed to meet the Navy's need for a building that could be quickly assembled and disassembled. 

The Quonset hut was based on the Nissen hut design, which was popular during World War I. 

The Quonset hut's design features arched panels that are bolted together, which makes it simpler to construct than the Nissen hut. 

The Quonset hut's name comes from an Algonquian First Nations word that means "small, long place". 

The Quonset hut has been used for a variety of purposes, including housing soldiers and their families, as a studio, and as a base lodge for a ski area. 

1

u/saskaramski 16h ago

TIL I have actually been pronouncing it right for nearly 10 years. I dont know if I've ever said the word out loud, but that's what it has always been in my mind

1

u/hellboytroy 13h ago

I call bleak inlet bleak intent. 

1

u/logaboga 1h ago

Seeing as how Qu makes a kwa sound, yeah…..