Pronunciation watch

[french frank]

I consider pronunciation of the first R almost as bad as pronouncing the L in almond, the H in forehead, the first T in waistcoat, or the the first D in Wednesday...

And the re, a and t in forecastle? The O(R)D agrees with you on almond and Wednesday, but allows as alternatives the h in forehead and the (first) t in waistcoat. But February is given no alternative pronunciation. However, it allows a t as an alternative in often and is therefore totally unreliable.

[vinteuil]

... It's the same with the so-called "educated" people saying "different to" or "slowed up" (instead of "different from" and "slowed down")...

"That different can only be followed by from and not by to is a superstition. Not only is to 'found in writers of all ages' [OED]; the principle on which it is rejected (You do not say differ to; therefore you cannot say different to) involves a hasty and ill-defined generalization. ... The fact is that the objections to different to, like those to averse to, sympathy for, and compare to, are mere pedantries. This does not imply that different from is wrong; on the contrary, it is 'now usual' [OED]; but it is only so owing to the dead set made against different to by mistaken critics."
HW Fowler, 'Modern English Usage'

[scottycelt]

This begs me to ask a question of our Scottish friends. I have a colleague who is an excellent flautist, but cannot flutter-tongue as she cannot roll her Rs. Does this particular affliction affect those north of the border?

Naw, in Glesca' we daen't huv a problum wae forin langwaguzzes like Inglush and can flutter wur tungs and roll wur a***s wae the best of thaim ...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was brung up to say febyuary.

I consider pronunciation of the first R almost as bad as pronouncing the L in almond, the H in forehead, the first T in waistcoat, or the the first D in Wednesday...

Now I understand

[arancie33]

And any views, then, on "opra" as opposed to the correct pronunciation, in my view, with the "e" sounded? The biggest offender on R3 is Sara M-P

PS I am posting before scurrying to the dictionary but I know when I am right

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If we're going to go into microscopic detail, what about "paw", "pore", "pour" and "poor", all of which should be pronounced differently from one another.

[kernelbogey]

Oh and that French fellow who wrote a Requiem - Mr Foray.

[mangerton]

This begs me to ask a question of our Scottish friends. I have a colleague who is an excellent flautist, but cannot flutter-tongue as she cannot roll her Rs. Does this particular affliction affect those north of the border?

No, I think the vast majority of Scots can speak properly, and put "r" in when it should be there, and omit it when it should not. It's very rare to hear a Scot talking about "lor 'n' order". The "intrusive r" used by non-rhotic speakers is second in ugliness only to the glottal stop, which is becoming increasingly prevalent.

All IMHO, of course.

[vinteuil]

[feb-roo-er-ee, feb-yoo‐er-ee]
."

Ectually, - I suspect most RP speakers, at normal conversational speeds, say / fèbri / - I shall listen to my friends and associates over the next few weeks...

[kernelbogey]

Ectually, - I suspect most RP speakers, at normal conversational speeds, say / fèbri / - I shall listen to my friends and associates over the next few weeks...

This is part of a general and sad trend to speak very quickly and to elide whole syllables: secrety, terrist etc. You hear it all the time in soundbites and (more sadly) Beeb correspondents.

[french frank]

Surely Glaston rhymes with Shaston

Is that Shaston, spelled Sherston?

[Uncle Monty]

The "intrusive r" used by non-rhotic speakers is second in ugliness only to the glottal stop, which is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Yes, absolutely, I had a whinge the other week about brodcasters increasingly saying "thuh east", "thuh end", etc. Why, oh why, etc.

[Uncle Monty]

This is part of a general and sad trend to speak very quickly and to elide whole syllables: secrety, terrist etc. You hear it all the time in soundbites and (more sadly) Beeb correspondents.

And let us not forget our old friend "deteriate"

[mangerton]

and "vunrable"

[vinteuil]

... and yet it is these swallowings and gabblings that have given us the English language - after all, it took a fair amount of elision and attrition to reduce the seven syllables of "eleemosynary" to the single syllable of "alms"...