Pronunciation watch

[ahinton]

Should I draw attention to #1844, which I still think was incredibly funny, or be Buddhist and just nonchalantly drop it?

Neither; I think that it draws attention to itself very well, actually! That said, should Labour gain more votes and/or more seats after the next General Election than any other party, I expect it to have an even smaller majority than the present lot so I anticipate the first in a series of hung Parliaments in which most things will have to remain more or less as they are now because no one will have sufficient power to implement fundamental change of any kind - but I digress!

[french frank]

Should I draw attention to #1844, which I still think was incredibly funny, or be Buddhist and just nonchalantly drop it?

It is on a par with factory foreman who when I described some overalls, newly returned from the cleaners, as being rather 'holey' enquired whether I meant hawly (full of hawls, holey) or hoh-wwly (holy). I confirmed that I meant 'full of hawls'.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Pronouncing R

Not related to anything being discussed, but I'd like to suggest a reason for a common speech impediment - a weak R.

It seems to affect a number of prominent people who have name with an R sound:

For example:

Roy Jenkins
Roy Hodgson
Roger Wright

Could it be that they developed this at an early age, simply because their first names were among their earliest words, so they became accustomed to saying, "Woy", "Woger", etc. and the early habit became permanent? It's something of a curse for those affected, as they are often teased mercilessly, particularly in their teenage years.

Similarly, in England, we do not normally roll our Rs, but the Scots do. Flutter tonguing is an essential part of flute playing, but some of my pupils found this very difficult, and some of them never succeeded. I would guess that flautists brought up in Scotland would experience no such difficulty for the simply reason that they would have learnt to roll their Rs at a very early age. I know of one very good English flautist who can only flutter-tongue by rolling her Rs the French way (the uvula trill).

[french frank]

Could it be that they developed this at an early age, simply because their first names were among their earliest words, so they became accustomed to saying, "Woy", "Woger", etc. and the early habit became permanent?

Could be. It's sometimes called 'rhotacism' (difficulty in pronouncing the letter r) and, Wikipedia says: The rhotic sounds are usually the last ones a child masters. Though it could just be that the childhood difficulty is never overcome.

Lambdacism is the difficulty pronouncing the sound 'l' (hard luck on the child called Leslie Lumley).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

'rhotacism' (difficulty in pronouncing the letter r)

That's just vindictive!

[Serial_Apologist]

That's just vindictive!

It was very funny in The Life of Bwian!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Debussian sex-changes?

Can't find anyone else on these boards raising this one, but an awful lot of R3 announcers sound to me as if they think Debussy's famous faun is a girl, une faune. IIRC the Rafferty is a particular offender but there are others.

Well, that might have presented Nijinsky with, ahem, alternative challenges for shocking audiences c1912...

Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??

[Pabmusic]

... Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??

As Boggers made clear. :)

[LeMartinPecheur]

As Boggers made clear. :)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Can't find anyone else on these boards raising this one, but an awful lot of R3 announcers sound to me as if they think Debussy's famous faun is a girl, une faune. IIRC the Rafferty is a particular offender but there are others.

Well, that might have presented Nijinsky with, ahem, alternative challenges for shocking audiences c1912...

Perhaps any fule kno that all French nouns ending in e are feminine??

Oh, I suspect that's just the current habit of English people not being able to pronounce an oo sound, turning it into a French u (as in"une"), subsequently making an even bigger hash of it when using the French masculine.

[Oldcrofter]

In case you haven't seen this recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3fjQa5Hls

[Serial_Apologist]

In case you haven't seen this recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3fjQa5Hls

Oh I remember it well.

[Lat-Literal]

Eh-leck-tooooor-al.

This should be electoral.

[Serial_Apologist]

Eh-leck-tooooor-al.

This should be electoral.

I've even heard Electorial in my time! To rhyme with editorial, presumably!

[Lat-Literal]

Clem-a-tis rather than Cle-may-tis.

Presumably........?