Commander in Chief doesn't know "corpsmen"?!

[Reba]

President and Commander in Chief Obama doesn't even know what a Navy corpsman is? Those same corpsmen probably tend to his medical needs when he visits Bethesda. Give me a break.

He mispronounced, more than once, "corpsman" during his recent Prayer Breakfast speech. He called him a "corpse man." What an insult!

If former President Bush had done the same thing, can you imagine how the press would jump all over that?

Obama Corpsman, the P and S are Silent! (Video) | Blue Star Chronicles

"...One such translator was an American of Haitian descent, representative of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform do all around the world -- Navy Corpsman Christian [sic] Brossard. And lying on a gurney aboard the USNS Comfort, a woman asked Christopher: "Where do you come from? What country? After my operation," she said, "I will pray for that country." And in Creole, Corpsman Brossard responded, "Etazini." The United States of America.

God's grace, and the compassion and decency of the American people is expressed through the men and women like Corpsman Brossard...."

So much for the eloquent speaker who is so much more intelligent than the rest of us.

 

[netrox]

I'd pronounce it as well, not realizing it's pronounced as core... makes no sense tho. Why is it spelled corps if it sounds like core? Why not "core men?"

 

[Reba]

I'd pronounce it as well, not realizing it's pronounced as core... makes no sense tho. Why is it spelled corps if it sounds like core? Why not "core men?"

Navy corpsmen belong to the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, not core. Also, they provide medical service to the U.S. Marine Corps, not core. Corps refers to a specialized military group, such as the corps of cadets.

Word Origin & History

corps
c.1275, cors "body," from O.Fr. cors, from L. corpus "body" (see corporeal). The -p- was re-inserted 15c., following Fr., based on L. original. Sense in Eng. evolved from "dead body" (13c.) to "live body" (14c.) to "body of citizens" (15c.) to "band of knights" (1464). The modern military sense (1704) is from Fr. corps d'armée (16c.), picked up in Eng. during Marlborough's campaigns.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Corps | Definition of Corps at Dictionary.com:

Certainly a Harvard-educated Commander in Chief would know that.

If he's going to give a speech about military people, he better learn how to properly pronounce colonel, yeoman, coxswain, boatswain, and corps if he doesn't want to embarrass himself and insult the troops.

(Also, any military designation that ends in "-man" isn't pronounced "man." It's pronounced like a blend of "mun" and "min." --Just something a little extra for you.)

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

I think he's asking why it's spelled as corps, and not core; i don't think he actually ask for definiton or anything like that.

 

[netrox]

yes, that's what i was asking. I know the definition although it's ironic considering it originally meant "dead body" but I want to know why is it prounouced "core" and not "corps?"

 

[Reba]

I think he's asking why it's spelled as corps, and not core; i don't think he actually ask for definiton or anything like that.

The definition includes the etymology, which explains how the word evolved.

 

[Reba]

yes, that's what i was asking. I know the definition although it's ironic considering it originally meant "dead body" but I want to know why is it prounouced "core" and not "corps?"

It then evolved to living body, then "body" in the sense meaning a specific "group", such as "the legislative body" or "the body of evidence" or "body of believers."

 

[netrox]

I know... but it's just bizarre. Obama should have known not to say it but he didn't know.

I didn't know it was pronounced as "core" until my mother cued "core" and I was like, "you miscued corps." No... "koe-r!"

It's the same with "Home Depot" - used to say "dee-pah-t" but it's not pronounced that way.. its dee-poh.

 

[SilentStorm]

At first I thought I have read corpsemen or whatnot. Yeah, not everyone is capable at mastering on spelling every word correctly. I am sure that I would not spell it correctly the first time time myself.

Did Obama address his sincere apology for his mispronunciation?

 

[Texan Guy]

That is why I prefers the president with the military experience at this time.

Anyway, embarrassing for Obama being Hawaiian, Hawaii is full of US military, especially, Navy and Marine Corps and doesn't call them right.

 

[Mrs Bucket]

Obama could definitely take a lesson or two from Cue-ing!

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

Obama could definitely take a lesson or two from Cue-ing!

*groans*

 

[SilentStorm]

That is why I prefers the president with the military experience at this time.

Anyway, embarrassing for Obama being Hawaiian, Hawaii is full of US military, especially, Navy and Marine Corps and doesn't call them right.

I gotta say I agree. I just don't understand why anyone who have absolutely ZERO military experience (look at Obama himself, and of course we wouldn't forget this monkey AKA George W. Bush) has a full access to be involved with the military strategies and stuff.

I sure hope there will be a change be made later on regarding the President as a Commander in Chief if he has no experience in military whatsoever. It's ridiculous. It's kinda like an oxymoron in this.

 

[Buffalo]

Colonel is pronounced like kernel. I wish English is the language where we can pronounce the word exactly as it is spelled. Maybe the deaf people would be better speakers and the hearing people would be better spellers.

 

[Banjo]

Don't forget George W. Bush had trouble pronouncing the word, nuclear.

 

[deafskeptic]

I know... but it's just bizarre. Obama should have known not to say it but he didn't know.

I didn't know it was pronounced as "core" until my mother cued "core" and I was like, "you miscued corps." No... "koe-r!"

It's the same with "Home Depot" - used to say "dee-pah-t" but it's not pronounced that way.. its dee-poh.

I thought it was pronounced dee pot till now!

 

[deafskeptic]

Obama could definitely take a lesson or two from Cue-ing!

Shhh.. You don't want to get Loml's attention!

 

[Jiro]

Reba - is corpsman pronounced as "core-mun" ?

 

[Texan Guy]

I gotta say I agree. I just don't understand why anyone who have absolutely ZERO military experience (look at Obama himself, and of course we wouldn't forget this monkey AKA George W. Bush) has a full access to be involved with the military strategies and stuff.

I sure hope there will be a change be made later on regarding the President as a Commander in Chief if he has no experience in military whatsoever. It's ridiculous. It's kinda like an oxymoron in this.

Actually, George W. Bush was in the Air National Guard....

 

[Reba]

Don't forget George W. Bush had trouble pronouncing the word, nuclear.

And the press and public hammered him constantly for that. Where is the press criticism of Obama?

Also, who did Bush insult by his mispronunciation?

Also, Bush was never promoted as a great orator. Obama supposedly is our most articulate President ever.