Pronunciation watch

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Lord Hill on "The World at One" - Chimera pronounced kimmera as in Kimmeridge.

You sure he wasn't talking about a device on his mobile 'phone, Lats?

Like you and frenchie, I've always emphasized the middle syllable, with a long "i" in the first. (I say "always" - I've probably only said the word three times in my whole life!)

[Lat-Literal]

Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা / কোলকাতা) /koʊlˈkɑːtɑː/, formerly Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, it says here.

That was approximately how he pronounced it. The first syllable was emphasised and the second and third dropped away equally with the vowel sounds short.

I've often wondered what the correct pronunciation of this word is too, assuming there to be one. I've even heard "shimmerer" and "Shim airer"!

My experience of hearing (and using) it is kye-MEE-ra

You sure he wasn't talking about a device on his mobile 'phone, Lats?

Like you and frenchie, I've always emphasized the middle syllable, with a long "i" in the first. (I say "always" - I've probably only said the word three times in my whole life!)

I think kye-MEE-ra.

[Lat-Literal]

Kathryn Stott on "Saturday Classics" - contemplative with all four syllables equal so that "con-tem" is almost like "tom-tom". Not Con-TEM-plat-ive as I tend to say. Am not sure about this one. There is a neatness and subtlety to her pronunciation of the word. And I know I have dulled strong emphases in a few other words to produce a similar effect.

[Stanfordian]

Kathryn Stott on "Saturday Classics" - contemplative with all four syllables equal so that "con-tem" is almost like "tom-tom". Not Con-TEM-plat-ive as I tend to say. Am not sure about this one. There is a neatness and subtlety to her pronunciation of the word. I know I have dulled down strong emphases in a few other words to produce the same effect.

Hiya Lat-Literal,

I'm not to sure about putting much store on Kathryn Stott's pronunciation ability.

[umslopogaas]

According to Chambers Dictionary, chimera is pronounced kiMEERA: hard k, long i, emphasis on MEERA. That's how the Royal Hort. Soc. pronounced it, when I used to work for them.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Q. Are you thirteen or thirty?
A. ThirTEEN!!!!

Exactly.

[vinteuil]

Lord Hill on "The World at One" - Chimera pronounced kimmera as in Kimmeridge. I had always thought of it more as kymeera but perhaps I am wrong?

I've often wondered what the correct pronunciation of this word is too, assuming there to be one. I've even heard "shimmerer" and "Shim airer"!

According to Chambers Dictionary, chimera is pronounced kiMEERA: hard k, long i, emphasis on MEERA. That's how the Royal Hort. Soc. pronounced it, when I used to work for them.

... my ancient OED allows both ky MEER a and ki MEER a. I have a feeling the second - with a short i - is more 'old-fashioned'.

No sign of 'shimmerer' - sounds a bit ffrenchified to me.

[jean]

Exactly.

But it is a question rarely asked.

.

[french frank]

It means I think that I stress both syllables equally, but as we are notoriously likely to get it wrong when we reflect on our own practice, I have to allow for the possibility that I'm may not be perfectly correct.

I found various attempts at generalisations on the 'rules' of English stress (there are too many exceptions to allow iron rules, apparently), but one I'd go along with is that if you hear two equal stresses you're hearing two separate words (as in homemade?) - monosyllables in the case of weekend. Cf weekday, where my ear hears a stress on the first syllable (because I stress it ). Perhaps because there is usually an implied contrast with 'non-weekdays' - so the stress carries that idea.

[ahinton]

jean knows all about messes.

I expect, then, that she knows about Jeanne Demessieux...

[vinteuil]

Sunil Khilnani on "Incarnations" - Calcutta as Calkerta with no emphasis on the second syllable - just the first. I suppose it has to be accepted this is right?

.

Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা / কোলকাতা) /koʊlˈkɑːtɑː/, formerly Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, it says here.

I learn from Murray's Handbook to India that Azim-us-Shan, grandson of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1689 gave permission to Job Charnock to rent the three villages of Sutanati, Kalikata, and Govindpur, which became the great City of Calcutta.

I think that it wd then have had two stresses - KA li - KA ta.

Of course we could always revert to calling it Fort William...

[Lat-Literal]

Many thanks to vinteuil and others for your kind contributions. Chimera, Calcutta, contemplative........perhaps this is an odd new trend in which words beginning with "c" are being pronounced with questionable emphases. Lord Hill's was definitely a "kimmerer" as in S_A's shimmerer and there was no "cutter" in Radio 4's most recent pronunciation of Calcutta!

[mangerton]

.......... and there was no "cutter" in Radio 4's most recent pronunciation of Calcutta!

I should hope not. There's no "r" in "Calcutta".

Lord Hill's was definitely a "kimmerer" as in S_A's shimmerer

Similarly, why would Lord Hill put an "r" on the end? Is this connected at all with the increasing use of the adjective "peninsular", when the noun "peninsula" is clearly meant?

[vinteuil]

I should hope not. There's no "r" in "Calcutta".



Similarly, why would Lord Hill put an "r" on the end? Is this connected at all with the increasing use of the adjective "peninsular", when the noun "peninsula" is clearly meant?

... I think ourrr mangerrrton is rrrrevealing his rrrrhotic tendencies

[Lat-Literal]

I should hope not. There's no "r" in "Calcutta".

Similarly, why would Lord Hill put an "r" on the end? Is this connected at all with the increasing use of the adjective "peninsular", when the noun "peninsula" is clearly meant?

Hah, yours is an additional shift in emphasis.

S_A and I reside in South London.

That may provide you with part of an answer!