Pronunciation watch

[JFLL]

Bryn Terfel always objects to the lazy English pronunciation of Tair-vle, the stress is on the first, but second is separately and clearly pronounced.

Rather like the usual pronunciation by English-speakers of Bangor as though it were Banger, which always enrages a Welsh friend of mine. Welsh, unlike English, retains full vowel-quality in unstressed syllables.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In North Wales, the pronunciation of Bangor often has extra hard consonants, so that it sounds almost like Pankaw.

[Flosshilde]

Ban-gore, or Bang-gore?

[Flosshilde]

......on a completely irrelevant point, I found these on my Google travels. I think they are stunning:

http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns.../june2008.html

Goodness - 450 odd pages is a pretty substantial book now, let alone when each page was hand-written!

I wonder if the library still has a 'book of the month'? I must pop in & check.

[scottycelt]

In North Wales, the pronunciation of Bangor often has extra hard consonants, so that it sounds almost like Pankaw.

Yes, but you have English Ears ...

Only yesterday I heard a male (n.b. Flossie!) middle-aged BBC announcer refer to KehKahhhlldy. Sadly, that hardly came as any great surprise.

Now, as far as I know, no BBC presenter has ever referred to, say, Glou-ses-terr when mentioning the more southern UK city of Gloucester. The pronunciation is always of an impeccable standard.

So what exactly is the continuing great problem here regarding the well-known town of Kirkcaldy for some of our presumably well-paid, university-educated media chaps (and chapesses) who work for the BBC ... ?

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes, but you have English Ears ...

Only yesterday I heard a male (n.b. Flossie!) middle-aged BBC announcer refer to KehKahhhlldy. Sadly, that hardly came as any great surprise.

Now, as far as I know, no BBC presenter has ever referred to, say, Glou-ses-terr when mentioning the more southern UK city of Gloucester. The pronunciation is always of an impeccable standard.

So what exactly is the continuing great problem here regarding the well-known town of Kirkcaldy for some of our presumably well-paid, university-educated media chaps (and chapesses) who work for the BBC ... ?

A bit harsh scotty. How would English media grads tackle Stiffkey?

[amateur51]

A bit harsh scotty. How would English media grads tackle Stiffkey?

Stookie I think

However, to be fair to scotty's well-made (I thought) point, we have had a recent British Prime Minister who was, and is still, MP for Kirkcaldy

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes, but you have English ears...

But I can speak Welsh. My mother taught me some having been evacuated to North Wales in order to teach Manchester evacuee children. She picked up some Welsh while living in a Welsh-speaking community. I learnt some more when at university, and still more from a Linguaphone Welsh course, but this was confusing as it was based on the South Wales dialect.

[arancie33]

A bit harsh scotty. How would English media grads tackle Stiffkey?

About as well as they would manage Happisburgh down the coast

[Lateralthinking1]

who was, and is still, MP for Kirkcaldy

Allegedly.

[scottycelt]

A bit harsh scotty. How would English media grads tackle Stiffkey?

Yes, Lat, there are quite a number of lesser-known towns and villages that can trip up anyone, that's for sure ... but Kirkcaldy?

It is actually a fair-sized town, you know, and did have the distinction of being the world centre for the production of linoleum in the same way as Kidderminster once was for carpets.

'Ks' may have been a bit thin on the ground when it comes to world-famous composers but certainly not for the manufacture of floorcoverings!

[french frank]

Ban-gore, or Bang-gore?

I would say (as a phonetician, rather than a Welsh speaker) Bann-gore.

As for Scottish names, who's for Findochty and Milngavie?

[scottycelt]

Stookie I think

However, to be fair to scotty's well-made (I thought) point, we have had a recent British Prime Minister who was, and is still, MP for Kirkcaldy

Careful, amsey, too much of this unfamiliar familiarity is bound to breed contempt ...

Yes, I had forgotten about Broon and his constituency is often mispronounced in the House of Commons as well ..

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes, Lat, there are quite a number of lesser-known towns and villages that can trip up anyone, that's for sure ... but Kirkcaldy?

It is actually a fair-sized town, you know, and did have the distinction of being the world centre for the production of linoleum in the same way as Kidderminster once was for carpets.

'Ks' may have been a bit thin on the ground when it comes to world-famous composers but certainly not for the manufacture of floorcoverings!

Yes, a fair point, but one member of my family who will not be named came unstuck in Yorkshire.

"We are lost, is this Keeley?"

"Sorry love, where do you want to go?"

"Keeley"

"I don't know about that but this is Keighley if that helps."

It all depends on what you know. Rugby fans - and carpet enthusiasts - wouldn't have had a problem.

And it is probably good news both sides of the border that Leigh isn't pronounced Leith.

[subcontrabass]

And it is probably good news both sides of the border that Leigh isn't pronounced Leith.

But it is pronounced differently in Kent.