Pronunciation watch

[ahinton]

HimaLAYas, or HiMAlayas?

I tend to go with the second, which is Sir Mark Tully's way of pronouncing them. For one thing, he's lived and worked in the Indian sub-continent for most if not all of his life; for another he makes more sense to me when taking his turn presenting Something Understood than anyone else speaking on religious and spiritual topics on radio or TV, not that the latter has anything to do with correct or incorrect pronunciation, of course!

Either could be thought to sound somewhat sexist, n'est-ce pas?

[Serial_Apologist]

Either could be thought to sound somewhat sexist, n'est-ce pas?

[french frank]

... perhaps this one is an american?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YmHRKxvwUE

"Emma" is, and I don't know why she should be thought specially competent to judge. :-) I don't usually agree with her!

Chewton fro New Zealand.

Thonatas from Germany

This sounds American too

I think Emma is one of those people who deliberately pronounce names wrongly.

[kernelbogey]

Since hearing vocal fry identified I find myself alerted to it immediately in the speech of some American women. I've just heard it in the voice of an American lawyer interviewed on PM (R4). It's the gravelly sounding voice into which speakers drop their voice at the end of sentences. I find it mildly irritating but above all fascinating as a phenomenon.

[P. G. Tipps]

Since hearing vocal fry identified I find myself alerted to it immediately in the speech of some American women. I've just heard it in the voice of an American lawyer interviewed on PM (R4). It's the gravelly sounding voice into which speakers drop their voice at the end of sentences. I find it mildly irritating but above all fascinating as a phenomenon.

It's all the rage on BBC Radio in this country ... just listen to Justin Webb on R4 and Andrew McGregor on R3 ... both are true masters and prime examples of this truly fascinating phenomenon.

[Lat-Literal]

A lot of professionals in education/visiting radio and tv studios pronouncing the word "children" as "childwen".

I think the subconscious inference is "we understand and we care" but it is an odd version of dumbing down.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Today Sarah Walker announced the performance of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings as being conducted by Charles Mernch. This is a double whammy. So many presenters are incapable of pronouncing a long "oo" sound, turning it into a French "u", sounding sickly and twee in variable proportions. Now, when we are supposed to have a French "u", we get instead the sickly twee adaptation of the short English "oo".

I despair. I would have expected Sarah Walker's northern pedigree to have been beneficial here, but no.

[Ferretfancy]

One of my pet hates came up for air on BBC2 the other evening in a documentary about dissecting insects. I think it may have been a repeat.
Two handsome young scientists, possibly Canadians, presented the programme using the word DYSECT throughout

This must be one of the most mispronounced word in the language.DISSECT is derived from two latin roots dis-sectare meaning to cut apart.There is no such word as DYSECT, presumably it reflects some confusion in the mind based upon BISECT. The constant mispronunciation irked me so much that I gave up watching.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One of my pet hates came up for air on BBC2 the other evening in a documentary about dissecting insects. I think it may have been a repeat.
Two handsome young scientists, possibly Canadians, presented the programme using the word DYSECT throughout

This must be one of the most mispronounced word in the language.DISSECT is derived from two latin roots dis-sectare meaning to cut apart.There is no such word as DYSECT, presumably it reflects some confusion in the mind based upon BISECT. The constant mispronunciation irked me so much that I gave up watching.

[oddoneout]

using the word DYSECT throughout

Unfortunately I think there have been too many decades of mispronunciation on that one for it to change. When I was at grammar school in the late 60's it was die not dis, and I must confess I have never thought of it any other way, although I can see from your explanation why that is incorrect. As you say it could be that bisect is to blame.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Unfortunately I think there have been too many decades of mispronunciation on that one for it to change.

You are, of course, entirely right here. But oh how disproportionately pleasing I find it when I hear somebody using the correct pronunciation.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The same could be said for margarine and vitamin.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The same could be said for margarine and vitamin.

Indeed. (For some reason, though, the sound of the original pronunciation doesn't cause me the same glow that that of "dissection" does - not that that's of any relevance, of course. Blame it on the cough medicine!)

[Ferretfancy]

Indeed. (For some reason, though, the sound of the original pronunciation doesn't cause me the same glow that that of "dissection" does - not that that's of any relevance, of course. Blame it on the cough medicine!)

Kilometre has suffered the same fate, on some documentaries we get some people saying KILL-OMM-ETER while others use the correct pronunciation KIll-O-Metre.

[umslopogaas]

Concerning dissect, you are right, but in my entire career as a biologist I never heard it pronounced with the correct short i. So if the entire world of biologists pronounces it with a long i, I doubt chiding by etymologists is going to have much effect!