Donate SIGN UP

Heard on TV

Avatar Image
keyholekatebaron | 23:51 Sun 31st Jul 2011 | Phrases & Sayings
32 Answers
Often people say the word diretics when surely the proper word should be di-u-retics. Why do people especially on the shopping channels say jewlerry when the word is jewellery? Whilst I'm on my soap box----Why do people say barth and parth when it is bath and path no 'r' in there?
I am fascinated how accents change in this country when travelling only a few miles.Any thoughts anyone?
Kate B.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 20 of 32rss feed

1 2 Next Last

Avatar Image
Let's call the whole thing off
23:53 Sun 31st Jul 2011
Let's call the whole thing off
Some of it is down to dialect and local pronunciation but it also tha case that a lot of it just sloppy speaking.
Words like February, secretary, sixth, recognise are consistently mispronounced on television and radio these days.
When I were a lad you got a ruler across the back of your hand for doing things like that.
Radio is no better, Michael Ball this morning read out a request from the Scottish town of Kirkcudbright, as it's spelt. Thought everybody knew that old one.
Buenchico reaches for the Concise Oxford Dictionary, which gives the correct pronunciation of 'bath' as 'bahth'. Similarly, 'bath' should be pronounced 'bahth'. To me, that sounds remarkably similar to your ''barth' and 'parth'. (i.e. you seem to be objecting to the CORRECT pronunciation!).

While I accept that 'jewlerry' is wrong, the COD allows both the four-syllable 'jewellery' and the three-syllable 'jewelry', so it's not that far out.

If you want to listen out for a common error among TV presenters, try to hear all four syllables when they say 'Parliament' ;-)

Chris
Do a George Bush and try "nucular" - grates on my soul
Question Author
Heard a good one on the radio request programme someone asked for a T.REX recording and the presenter said TREX (thought that was a cooking fat!)
Happy Days,Kate xxx
Can we rely on the COD for pronunciation? Surely the fact that it is a dictionary produced Sarf of Wakefield means that its pronunciations are so based. Are we saying that RP is the only correct version? G help us, we'll be back to living in hyces and playing gorff. Why are we so hung up in this country on "correct pronunciation" of bath, path etc? Correct tends to mean mine. Agree totally though about Parliment libry etc.
Don't get me started on apostrophes though, I am usually called an apostrophe Nazi, even by my friends!
Go on cc1, have an apostrophe blast, it'll do you good ...

http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/
Not forgetting "Beersden" in Glasgow (Bearsden)
What I cannot get my head round is the way that Londoners are portrayed as all speaking improperly ( eg. wiv,needle'n fred, arhtside,etc.) when they have presumably been to school & taught the same English as the rest of us.
Ron.
So the Brummies, Geordies, Liverpudlians, Mancunians all speak proper like, Ron?
But of course hc.
Let's not forget 'burgalry', for 'burglary', 'makizmo' for 'machismo' [it's Spanish, not Italian].
And apparently there are Are-ish people in Dublin.

The one that gets me is 'new-kew-lar' instead of nuclear from supposed science correspondents.

And as for those who can't say 'kilometers' properly and use the American pronunciation. The 'kilo' in 'kilometers' should be pronounced the same way as it is in 'kilograms' and 'kilobytes',
Who is this Laura Norder that we often hear about on news reports?
What about "Withdraw(r)al, Draw(r)ing, He/She Axed me, instead of asked,Pacific instead of specific.?
The one that bugs me is SIR-STIFF-E-KATE instead of certificate
LIE-bree instead of library
FEB-you-erry instead of February
WENS-dee instead of Wednesday
PLEECE instead of police
FOYLE-udge instead of foliage

And not forgetting those who don't differentiate between Wales / whales, weather / whether, wile / while, Wye / why etc
i don't know anyone who says hand-bag (pronouncing the D),it comes out like hambag. But i don't see what's wrong with that - it's just how language evolves
H-aitch instead of aitch

Lemon Gr-arse instead of Lemon Grass.

Government/Environment with no n. (Guvverment)

Graarph instead of Graff for Graph.

As mentioned, a lot of it is local dialect - I still tend to say raspberry with a hard "a," reflecting my northern heritage, by 'eck.

1 to 20 of 32rss feed

1 2 Next Last

Do you know the answer?

Heard on TV

Answer Question >>