Turmeric

Language can be a strange thing. At least the English language can be odd. Take, for example, the word "turmeric." I rarely hear people say the word (after all, the only time people use it, normally, is in connection with recipes they have tried or want to try), but when I do hear it pronounced, it's almost always pronounced t mr ik, but if you look at the way it's spelled, it should be pronounced tûr mr ik. But I also hear it pronounced tyü m r ik.

Anyway, after seeing the word in a recipe and hearing it pronounced in different ways, I started thinking, "I know I've had turmeric in food, but I don't recall what it tasted like." So, I went to the spice rack, pulled out the little rectangular can of turmeric, and put a bit on my finger and tasted it. That's when I realized that people who have actually eaten turmeric pronounce it
t mr ik, just like it tastes.