Vowels and consonants

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I stick out in Devon

You stand out wherever you are, Alpie

being one of the few who says "grasss", rather than "grarss". I sometimes try saying the latter, and feel foolish. I don't want to be a sheep, but neither do I want to be a Steph McGovern.

I taught in London and East Sussex for twelve years altogether - the kids would relentlessly take the fluid out of my Northern accent. ("What are we going to doo toodaaay, Sir? A proooject on Brass Bands in Baansley? Or some singing?" sort-of thing - oh; I tell a lie: that was the Head.)

Of course, when I visited family up here during the holidays, it was "Oooh 'ark at 'imm with 'is fancy Suthern aksent"!


Made me the man I am now.

[Serial_Apologist]

Our French teacher (or 'mistress' as they were called in those days ) at school who was also a French woman. She was universally referred to as M'daaaahhhm



I'm deeply impressed - she even got the feminine agreement on enchantée!

Oh I think that would have been a bit much to expect, even with subtitles!

[Serial_Apologist]

I stick out in Devon, being one of the few who says "grasss", rather than "grarss". I sometimes try saying the latter, and feel foolish. I don't want to be a sheep, but neither do I want to be a Steph McGovern.

Whereas all you would need to do not to stick out like a second home-owner in the West Countree would be to stretch that northern short A out a bit, eg "paaaahstee".

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

You stand out wherever you are, Alpie


I taught in London and East Sussex for twelve years altogether - the kids would relentlessly take the fluid out of my Northern accent. ("What are we going to doo toodaaay, Sir? A proooject on Brass Bands in Baansley? Or some singing?" sort-of thing - oh; I tell a lie: that was the Head.)

Of course, when I visited family up here during the holidays, it was "Oooh 'ark at 'imm with 'is fancy Suthern aksent"!


Made me the man I am now.

The hard ..ng is a Lancashire characteristic, for which I was ribbed, when at 'posh school' in Yorkshire. But after teaching for just a year on the Isle of Wight, I moved to Derbyshire, where they though I was a southerner.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The hard ..ng is a Lancashire characteristic, for which I was ribbed, when at 'posh school' in Yorkshire. But after teaching for just a year on the Isle of Wight, I moved to Derbyshire, where they though I was a southerner.

Yes - when I did phonetic transcription in my first year at Leeds, I would get my transcriptions of "...ng" endings marked as "incorrect". As I came form Lancashire, and as the question had specified "how would you transcribe" the given passage, the Department Head (the late Stanley Ellis, no less, who, at that time, had ... "other matters" demanding his attention!) overruled the original mark.

[Serial_Apologist]

The hard ..ng is a Lancashire characteristic,

Also of BirmingGum! And not unknown even in London - as I recall from my... "electrocution lessons" at age 11.

[Padraig]

And there is the author - Celeste Ng. I have already tried asking for her in the library! (I got it wrong)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And there is the author - Celeste Ng. I have already tried asking for her in the library! (I got it wrong)

I once taught a lad whose surname was Ng - we were told that the pronunciation was "Enjy".

[Richard Barrett]

When I arrived in London in the autumn of 1977 it was obvious to everyone that I came from Wales. After a year or two, and ever since, nobody would guess that was where I came from unless (a) I'm there and have been there for a few weeks, or (b) I'm extremely angry and upset. It's not that I consciously tried to get rid of the accent; it just seemed to disappear of its own accord. I often wish it hadn't.

[Serial_Apologist]

I once taught a lad whose surname was Ng - we were told that the pronunciation was "Enjy".

You're a day early, ferney!

[doversoul1]

I once taught a lad whose surname was Ng - we were told that the pronunciation was "Enjy".

I once knew a language student whose name was Ai. Having introduce herself in the class, one of the first new words she learned was ‘palindrome’.

[ardcarp]

Whereas all you would need to do not to stick out like a second home-owner in the West Countree would be to stretch that northern short A out a bit, eg "paaaahstee".

Pasties north of the Tamar?

[Serial_Apologist]

I once knew a language student whose name was Ai. Having introduce herself in the class, one of the first new words she learned was ‘palindrome’.

Does the riddle consist in "Ai" being the Japanese pronunciation of the English for "yes", or, maybe "yay", dovers?

[Richard Barrett]

Does the riddle consist in "Ai" being the Japanese pronunciation of the English for "yes", or, maybe "yay", dovers?

I presume the palindrome in question was "I am Ai", which is quite a common Japanese female given name. I used to know one in fact, if she phoned me she would say "Hello, this is Ai" so perhaps the second new word doversoul's acquaintance might have learned would have been "tautology".

[Padraig]

iAAi (Hiya Ai) ???


Edit: Reading RB's undoubtedly correct answer, I suggest my answer produced the third word - Nonsense.