June 28, 2013
by Graham
0 comments
My daughter has reported what she and her work colleagues clearly thought was an amusing conversation. One of them had been sent on a workshop or some such event, and in describing it back in the office used a word … Continue reading
June 15, 2013
by Graham
7 Comments
When Marmaduke Hussey was Chairman of the BBC Governors in the 1990s, he received a letter from one of his cronies, who happened also to be a former governor of the BBC, asking why ‘we’ were pronouncing the word surveillance … Continue reading
May 7, 2013
by Graham
1 Comment
Once again, Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4’s morning programme, has displayed linguistic ignorance, whether by accident or design. Last week’s programme (4 May) interviewed the ‘caller’ (British English ‘commentator’) for the Kentucky Derby (surprisingly the current caller is British). Twice, … Continue reading
April 28, 2013
by Graham
6 Comments
I’ve been watching Lucy Worsley’s latest TV series on the monarchy – “Fit to Rule”. Dr Worsley is the Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, and this is not the first series she has presented. They all seem well researched, … Continue reading
April 23, 2013
by Graham
0 comments
Radio 4’s “Saturday Live” programme, broadcast on Saturday mornings at 9 am, this week included a contribution from Nevile Gwynne. We were told that Mr Gwynne (and throughout the programme he was called “Mr Gwynne” rather than “Neville”) retired as … Continue reading
April 15, 2013
by Graham
1 Comment
Melvyn Bragg trailed this week’s In Our Time (on the Amazons) on Radio 4 this morning (Thursday 11 April) at 8.30 pronouncing these two words as /penθəˈsiËlɪə/ and /ˈsætaɪəz/. I was interested to learn what he was going to say … Continue reading
April 3, 2013
by Graham
2 Comments
Just a couple of pronunciations I’ve come across recently that I’d never encountered before: 1) /ˈdiËtrɪtÉ™s/ (Harold Evans, former editor of the Sunday Times, on Broadcasting House, Radio 4, Sunday 31 March 2013) I’ve heard /ˈdetrɪtÉ™s/ quite often, but never … Continue reading
March 20, 2013
by Graham
3 Comments
I’ve been working with a group of archaeologists and historians on the local manorial rolls, which are remarkably complete. We are all amateurs, and have called in a professional palaeographer to translate the medieval Latin. There is one word which … Continue reading
March 3, 2013
by Graham
7 Comments
Almost all the British papers have carried the story this week that Gladstone Primary School in Peterborough has not a single native English speaking pupil out of 450. Predictably the story as run by the Daily Mail and the Daily … Continue reading
February 27, 2013
by Graham
4 Comments
A headline in the Daily Mail reads “Richard III’s ancestors demand a York burial”. Really? How have they got in touch? Through a ouija board? The article begins “The living descendants of King Richard III have joined the campaign to … Continue reading