Pronunciation quibble

[amateur51]

Yes, but you don't count as an English person, even if you do live in Willesden Green! Your ears are properly attuned to the sound. But you're hearing a sound that English ears aren't accustomed to which is why they 'hear' (in quotes) a 'cl' - or 'thl' - sound.

There's an ethnological point: I read about certain tribes who had no experience of pictures - flat representations - and couldn't 'see' what a photograph [I]represented.

I'm thrilled that, as an arbiter of nationality, french frank you say that I'm not an English person.

There is simply no way that even an English person could 'hear' a 'c' in 'll' in the two syllables of 'llyfrgell' (pronunciation attached)

http://www.geiriadur.net/sain/llyfrgell.mp3

The correct method of producing the authentic 'll' sound has already been given in EA's msg #73. Anything else is a fudge, pure and simple. English people who sneer and giggle when they hear another person mispronounce the French 'u' or German ü are for some reason quite content to affect 'cl' for 'll'. There's no call for it.

[gurnemanz]

I've come late to this thread but I'm certainly one of those who have always found the prevalent mispronunciation of 'Giovanni' as a 4-syllable word with a long 'a' sound extremely tiresome.

A true pedant would also insist on the double consonant being pronounced as such i.e. "an-ni" as with "tut-te" in the Mozart opera.
I found this clarification online.
"Quanti anni hai?—How old are you? sounds like an innocent question posed by someone just learning the Italian language. But it can be a real conversation stopper, leading to guffaws, laughter, and embarrassment, when mispronounced. That's because many beginners pronounce anni (years) as ani (anuses)"

http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa082703a.htm

[rachfan]

Hello all. I have been away from the R3 boards since the blessed Beeb threw us all out. I am pleased to return and to discover that there is still so much entertaining froth! I must pop in more often.

[french frank]

Hello all. I have been away from the R3 boards since the blessed Beeb threw us all out. I am pleased to return and to discover that there is still so much entertaining froth! I must pop in more often.

Entertaining froth!!! Well, there does seem to be as much 'variety' as the old boards - same old, same old ...

Welcome back.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes; welcome back indeed, rachfan!

[amateur51]

Welcome back indeed, rachfan.