Wouldn’t it be pronounced ‘YAG-war’ if one was using Spanish pronunciation?
Not sure. Js are usually pronounced like an H in Spanish. To play is Jugar and is pronounced ‘Who-gar’. Wordhippo says jaguar is pronounced ‘hahg-war’.
Don’t forget Mercedes. The people I’ve known as an adult pronounce their name MER-se-dease, but as a child, I seem to recall a girl we called Mer-SAY-dees.
Don’t get me started on the apparently impossible-to-comprehend usage of “I” vs. “me” (or “he” vs. “him”), or the even more cringey and rarely ever appropriate “myself.”
It’s almost like English natives have never been taught grammar, and the difference between subject and object. Like nails on a chalkboard to me. Yeah, I’ve yelled at the TV for that one.
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But the girl’s name is PORTIA, not Porsche… unless your comment is a reference to the very funny (and identical) mistake Kevin Kline makes in “A fish called Wanda.”
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This is sort of the case for most languages, when you learn the language from the community around you as a child, rather than from school. Many people do not have Type A stickler parents who correct their grammar, many people have parents who also speak with grammatically incorrect vernacular.
I think when someone is interested in languages, and studies them, that person is going to have a different relationship with the language than someone who has learned the language as their mother tongue from imperfect speakers.
I like this quote
“Just remember, when someone has an accent, it means that he knows one more language than you do”
Attributed to Sidney Sheldon.
That said, I don’t think it’s right to be critical of native speakers who have weak grammar.
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I learned English being surrounded by (imperfect) native speakers from a very early age (2-3 years old). I didn’t even start with English in school until 7th grade, since my parents forced me to start with Latin in 5th grade.
I believe being hammered with grammar, especially in the context of Latin class, is to credit for my sensitivity to wrong usage, especially when the correct version seems so glaringly obvious.
Of course, both my parents were horrible snobs about language and education, so there’s that.
Contrary to them, however, I would never dare to correct a grown adult in public (or private), because I have manners, and am not an obnoxious asshole.
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I let it slide, too.
I remember one former Chowhound, who is not active here, seemed to love correcting grammar, misuse of idioms, and misuse of homonyms. At some point, letting people know when they’re incorrect can come across as petty and mean.
I also let it slide when a server decides to correct my pronunciation, etc. LOL. I let a lot more slide, the older I get.
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Might I also add that it’s rather difficult to address a comment that is undergoing several edits while trying to reply to it.
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My thoughts weren’t finished.
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That’s why editing one’s thoughts in a document before the final posting can be helpful 
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That’s not how I roll. Sorry.
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Native (American) English speaker - I feel like I learned more about grammar from my Latin classes than from my English ones. I think, somewhere in the mid 80s, there was a shift away from mechanical English instruction (direct decoding/encoding instruction in reading, direct grammar and composition (inclusive of note taking, outlining, etc.)) and a focus on “whole language” as an approach to English Language Arts instruction. “Whole language” seemed to boil down, for a lot of teachers, to the idea that kids would pick up what they needed to understand of English language from what they read. While that works for some kids, it is not the best approach.
Back on topic - Given that the common understanding of a taco is as a dish from Mexico (and surrounding areas), the most logical thing to adopt for its pronunciation is the pronunciation of the region(s) from which it hails. Therefore, tah-coe. That being said, language is plastic. If it is being pronounced differently in a different country (and commonly pronounced differently), then so be it. Communication, like life, finds a way.
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As an FOB (fresh off da boat), it took me two years before I was familiar enough with the English language to realize my North Beach neighbors were actually speaking Italian, not English.
Mamma Mia!!!
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I just wish I were more than bilingual. Ideally, I’d want to speak other languages as well as English - like Italian, Spanish, French, Greek…
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A mere suggestion - no apology necessary, cupcake
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I could say bad words in more than a few languages. 
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Oh, my knowledge of swears and curses is far more polyglot than just bilingual
Spanish is downright perfect for swearing, much more so than English or German.
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Well, that’s just plain helpful, IMO.
And I wish I was bilingual. I was very good in Spanish in high school, but lost it after that. I can pronounce most words I’m reading, albeit more slowly than I used to, but rarely know how it translates anymore.
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I think the best way to learn a language properly is to spend at least 3 months in the country. Also, use it or lose it. One reason I didn’t keep up my Duolingo Spanish was that I have nobody to practice with. No point. Long as I know the food/kitchen terms needed for any country I’m traveling to (to bring it back to food), 's all good
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