Pronunciation watch

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

For the last fortnight, I've been staying in a Somerset hamlet called Rodhuish. Does anyone know how pronounce it?

I think I've cracked this one. Frau A took me out for an early birthday meal in Dunster. One of the staff there was brought up in Rodhuish, and he said the official pronunciation is as it's spelt: Rod-hyoo-ish, but some of the locals pronounce it "Roddish". They seem to do this kind of thing in West Somerset. Carhampton is prounounced exactly as spelt, but many villagers shorten it to "Crampton".

[french frank]

They seem to do this kind of thing in West Somerset. Carhampton is prounounced exactly as spelt, but many villagers shorten it to "Crampton".

Not sure whether they actually shorten it or whether it just comes out like that. If there's a difference. RP speakers (like me) would make C-hampton, stressing the h rather than the r.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes; that would make sense.

Did I mention the director of the choir I've joined asking us to do an open hum, like "u" in "butter"? All sorts of problems there.

[french frank]

Did I mention the director of the choir I've joined asking us to do an open hum, like "u" in "butter"? All sorts of problems there.

What, for a Devonian like you? Mmm, but I suppose it does come out more like 'baa'der'

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Well I did tell the MD I pronounced it "booter".

[Lat-Literal]

Mischevious.

[Lat-Literal]

Following Justin Webb's pronunciation of chinook as chin-ock, I switched over to Vanessa Feltz who almost immediately pronounded detritus as detreetus.

By anyone's standards, it was not a good morning.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Interesting to hear (on the recent BBC4 documentary on Joyce discussed elsethread) the different variations on "Ulysses". I've always said "You'll 'e sees".

(Anjelica Huston's "Trieste" - rhyming with "Vesta" - was a new one on me, too.)

[Lat-Literal]

Interesting to hear (on the recent BBC4 documentary on Joyce discussed elsethread) the different variations on "Ulysses". I've always said "You'll 'e sees".

(Anjelica Huston's "Trieste" - rhyming with "Vesta" - was a new one on me, too.)

Re the latter, she is probably getting confused with Van Gogh's last words "La tristesse durera toujours".

See also the Manic Street Preachers.

[french frank]

(Anjelica Huston's "Trieste" - rhyming with "Vesta" - was a new one on me, too.)

It seems about right for the Italian pronunciation - which makes it a bit like referring to Roma, Firenze or Napoli.

[Serial_Apologist]

Mischevious.

Never met her...

[Lat-Literal]

Most newsreaders seem to be saying Sene for Seine in regard to the river although Duncan Golestani said Sane. I think there was a time when they and we all said Sane when it is Sene that is probably more accurate. However, isn't there an argument for having an English pronunciation? We don't say Pari. We say Pariss. Also, Mark Tully on Something Understood has referred to the composer William Mathias as William Matheeas. Is that correct? I knew Matthiases - admittedly with two ts - when young and they pronounced their name Matheyeus.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

However, isn't there an argument for having an English pronunciation? We don't say Pari. We say Pariss.

It's a curious thing - French place names: "Paris" is the only one we give an English pronunciation - Lyons, Boulogne, Reims, Calais, Grez-sur-Loing ... all given with some attempt at a French pronunciation. WW1 soldiers encountering "Ypres" for the first time may have resulted in The Wipers Times, but it didn't catch on. Place names in other countries we say "in English" (Milan, Naples, St Petersburg, Athens ... ) but, apart from Paris, not French. Probably the result of being harried by the Normans.

Also, Mark Tully on Something Understood has referred to the composer William Mathias as William Matheeas. Is that correct? I knew Matthiases - admittedly with two ts - when young and they pronounced their name Matheyeus.

Yes - as in the detective in the Welsh detective series Y Gwyll/Hinterland, with the emphasis on the "eye" second syllable. Alpie's the best person to comment here.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes - as in the detective in the Welsh detective series Y Gwyll/Hinterland, with the emphasis on the "eye" second syllable. Alpie's the best person to comment here.

He was always known as "Prof", but was pronounced by others with an "eye".

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's a curious thing - French place names: "Paris" is the only one we give an English pronunciation - Lyons,

Here we have a spelling anomaly too. For years, we added an S, and when I first visited France in 1965, I was staggered when the train stopped at a station called LYON. I thought there'd been some mistake, but soon discovered tat we British has been making the mistake, perhaps to make it look more French (ditto Marseille/Marseilles).