Pronunciation watch

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  • ahinton
    Full Member
    • Nov 2010
    • 16122

    Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
    Should I draw attention to #1844, which I still think was incredibly funny, or be Buddhist and just nonchalantly drop it?
    Neither; I think that it draws attention to itself very well, actually! That said, should Labour gain more votes and/or more seats after the next General Election than any other party, I expect it to have an even smaller majority than the present lot so I anticipate the first in a series of hung Parliaments in which most things will have to remain more or less as they are now because no one will have sufficient power to implement fundamental change of any kind - but I digress!

    Comment

    • french frank
      Administrator/Moderator
      • Feb 2007
      • 30243

      Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
      Should I draw attention to #1844, which I still think was incredibly funny, or be Buddhist and just nonchalantly drop it?
      It is on a par with factory foreman who when I described some overalls, newly returned from the cleaners, as being rather 'holey' enquired whether I meant hawly (full of hawls, holey) or hoh-wwly (holy). I confirmed that I meant 'full of hawls'.
      It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

      Comment

      • Eine Alpensinfonie
        Host
        • Nov 2010
        • 20570

        Pronouncing R

        Not related to anything being discussed, but I'd like to suggest a reason for a common speech impediment - a weak R.

        It seems to affect a number of prominent people who have name with an R sound:

        For example:

        Roy Jenkins
        Roy Hodgson
        Roger Wright

        Could it be that they developed this at an early age, simply because their first names were among their earliest words, so they became accustomed to saying, "Woy", "Woger", etc. and the early habit became permanent? It's something of a curse for those affected, as they are often teased mercilessly, particularly in their teenage years.

        Similarly, in England, we do not normally roll our Rs, but the Scots do. Flutter tonguing is an essential part of flute playing, but some of my pupils found this very difficult, and some of them never succeeded. I would guess that flautists brought up in Scotland would experience no such difficulty for the simply reason that they would have learnt to roll their Rs at a very early age. I know of one very good English flautist who can only flutter-tongue by rolling her Rs the French way (the uvula trill).

        Comment

        • french frank
          Administrator/Moderator
          • Feb 2007
          • 30243

          Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post
          Could it be that they developed this at an early age, simply because their first names were among their earliest words, so they became accustomed to saying, "Woy", "Woger", etc. and the early habit became permanent?
          Could be. It's sometimes called 'rhotacism' (difficulty in pronouncing the letter r) and, Wikipedia says: The rhotic sounds are usually the last ones a child masters. Though it could just be that the childhood difficulty is never overcome.

          Lambdacism is the difficulty pronouncing the sound 'l' (hard luck on the child called Leslie Lumley).
          It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

          Comment

          • ferneyhoughgeliebte
            Gone fishin'
            • Sep 2011
            • 30163

            Originally posted by french frank View Post
            'rhotacism' (difficulty in pronouncing the letter r)
            That's just vindictive!
            [FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]

            Comment

            • Serial_Apologist
              Full Member
              • Dec 2010
              • 37591

              Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post
              That's just vindictive!
              It was very funny in The Life of Bwian!

              Comment

              • LeMartinPecheur
                Full Member
                • Apr 2007
                • 4717

                Debussian sex-changes?

                Can't find anyone else on these boards raising this one, but an awful lot of R3 announcers sound to me as if they think Debussy's famous faun is a girl, une faune. IIRC the Rafferty is a particular offender but there are others.

                Well, that might have presented Nijinsky with, ahem, alternative challenges for shocking audiences c1912...

                Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??
                I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!

                Comment

                • Pabmusic
                  Full Member
                  • May 2011
                  • 5537

                  Originally posted by LeMartinPecheur View Post
                  ... Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??
                  As Boggers made clear. :)

                  Comment

                  • LeMartinPecheur
                    Full Member
                    • Apr 2007
                    • 4717

                    Originally posted by Pabmusic View Post
                    As Boggers made clear. :)
                    I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!

                    Comment

                    • Eine Alpensinfonie
                      Host
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 20570

                      Originally posted by LeMartinPecheur View Post
                      Can't find anyone else on these boards raising this one, but an awful lot of R3 announcers sound to me as if they think Debussy's famous faun is a girl, une faune. IIRC the Rafferty is a particular offender but there are others.

                      Well, that might have presented Nijinsky with, ahem, alternative challenges for shocking audiences c1912...

                      Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??
                      Oh, I suspect that's just the current habit of English people not being able to pronounce an oo sound, turning it into a French u (as in"une"), subsequently making an even bigger hash of it when using the French masculine.

                      Comment

                      • Oldcrofter
                        Full Member
                        • Dec 2010
                        • 226

                        In case you haven't seen this recently:

                        Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

                        Comment

                        • Serial_Apologist
                          Full Member
                          • Dec 2010
                          • 37591

                          Originally posted by Oldcrofter View Post
                          In case you haven't seen this recently:

                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3fjQa5Hls
                          Oh I remember it well.

                          Comment

                          • Lat-Literal
                            Guest
                            • Aug 2015
                            • 6983

                            Eh-leck-tooooor-al.

                            This should be electoral.

                            Comment

                            • Serial_Apologist
                              Full Member
                              • Dec 2010
                              • 37591

                              Originally posted by Lat-Literal View Post
                              Eh-leck-tooooor-al.

                              This should be electoral.
                              I've even heard Electorial in my time! To rhyme with editorial, presumably!

                              Comment

                              • Lat-Literal
                                Guest
                                • Aug 2015
                                • 6983

                                Clem-a-tis rather than Cle-may-tis.

                                Presumably........?

                                Comment

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