Why It Is Important to Pronounce R And L in American English And to Also Spell Words Containing Them Correctly

Recently, a friend of mine from Japan made an honest typo when chatting with me in Skype. It was only a typo but it actually resulted in something funny. He meant to type the word "bleeding" but instead wrote "breeding". This is an instance where if you don't get the spelling correctly or if you mix up the pronunciations of R and L in English, people may think you are speaking dirty. The problem is that "bleeding" means when blood pours out of your body and "breeding" means to have sex in American English. Typically it is used to speak about animals having  sex though. So for instance, here are a few example sentences demonstrating its usage.

 

1. In Spring, robins breed and begin to build their nests. (you could also use the word "mate" here.)

 

2. Eggs are laid throughout the breeding season.

 

To breed can also mean to raise a particular type of animal. For instance, if you breed dogs, then you keep both male and female dogs and let them breed in order to sell their puppies. Some more examples:

 

1. What kind of dogs do you breed?

 

2. I'd like to start a dog breeding business, but I can't figure out which breed of dog I would like to breed.

 

* Note in this sentence, the first "breed" means "type", where as the second "breed" means to let the animals copulate and produce puppies. German Shepherds, Australian Aussies, and Pit Bulls are all breeds of dogs.

 

Another use of the verb "to breed" means when an animal has sex with another. I am not sure if this is just American English slang that horse owners use but I have heard it used at the stable before. Here are some examples.

 

1. My stallion bred her mare.

 

2. My stallion has bred a number of mares on this property.

 

In the LGBT community, "breeding" is also slang for having any kind of heterosexual sexual activity. So kissing, actual sex, etc. would all be refered to as "breeding". For instance, if two straight people were kissing in public, one of my gay friends might say "Could you please stop breeding in front of me?" The LGBT community also uses the slang word "breeder" to mean someone who is straight. It is a derrogatory word usually, much like a homophobe might call someone a f*g. I don't condone such language. Please never use either of these terms. I am only listing them here as a catalog of the English language and to inform you about their meanings because you might hear them in the "wild" if you ever come over to the States. I am not mentioning them to spread their usage or hate. :)

 

Anyhow, be careful when pronouncing the word "bleeding."

 

This brings me to another word. In America, use the word "friend", not the word "mate." Here too, people will think you are speaking dirty. In American English, to mate means the same thing as to breed. A mate is also the person or animal with whom you or some animal is having sex. For instance,

 

1. In Spring, robins mate and produce a large nest full of eggs.

 

2. In the fall, deer look for a mate.

 

If you call someone your mate in America, people could possibly laugh. They might think you are saying you sleep with this person. Hehehehe. :)