October 29, 2007
by Graham
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An open letter to the BBC suggests that it needs a Language Advisor, not (according to the interview Ian Bruton-Simmonds, one of the authors, gave to the Today programme this morning) to shame broadcasters publicly about their poor English, but … Continue reading
October 25, 2007
by Graham
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I quite agree with Abdul (writing in response to my post on Afghanistan, 18 June 2007) that no one can be expected to know the “correct” pronunciation of every name. That is why the BBC has its Pronunciation Research Unit, … Continue reading
October 23, 2007
by Graham
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Abdul is right in his comment on “Kofi Annan and Edward Stourton”: the news readers can’t deal with the sounds and phonotactics of other languages – and the Pronunciation Research Unit doesn’t expect them to. As he points out, the … Continue reading
October 22, 2007
by Graham
3 Comments
When Mr Annan was appointed as Secretary General of the United Nations, we in the BBC’s Pronunciation Research Unit were sent a tape of his inauguration, in the course of which he had to pronounce his own name. He clearly … Continue reading
October 11, 2007
by Graham
7 Comments
With this “superbug” back in the news, it seems time to revisit the subject of its pronunciation. The name contains two Latin words, and as Latin, the second word should be pronounced with four syllables, and stressed on the second. … Continue reading