May 27, 2010
by Graham
2 Comments
My local BBC News programme yesterday included what were, for me at least, two linguistic oddities. First a wheelchair basketball player was described as being a taliswoman for the British team. This word has not yet reached the OED, and … Continue reading
April 29, 2010
by Graham
3 Comments
In Our Time, on BBC Radio 4, continues to throw up unusual pronunciations. This morning (30 April 2010) we have had two more, both from the same speaker, who I think was Julia Lovell, Professor of Chinese History and Literature … Continue reading
April 22, 2010
by Graham
4 Comments
I’ve just been listening to “In Our Time” on BBC Radio 4 (the latest one available as a podcast, 22 April 2010), and was struck yet again how inconsistent English speakers are in their treatment of Latin names. The discussion … Continue reading
April 20, 2010
by Graham
13 Comments
I notice that BBC Radio 4 announcers regularly pronounce Ms O’Leary’s family name as /əʊˈlɛəri/. I suppose from her accent that this is what she calls herself, but I’m wondering if following suit when one does not have an Irish … Continue reading
April 13, 2010
by Graham
1 Comment
The main railway station in Edinburgh is named after the first of Walter Scott’s novels, which he published anonymously. The pronunciation known to everyone and contradicted nowhere is /ˈweɪvərli/, but is this really what Scott intended? There are certain characters … Continue reading
April 7, 2010
by Graham
5 Comments
Attending BAAP last week, I was very pleased to find there was a whole session devoted to rhythm, which I have written about before (here). One of the general conclusions was that the perception of rhythm in a language depends … Continue reading
March 22, 2010
by Graham
3 Comments
At about 8.20 this morning, on the Today programme, Nick Robinson (the BBC’s Political Editor) said that the opposition parties would want to ‘hone in’ on the revelations that Stephen Byers (former Minister for Transport) had been caught claiming to … Continue reading
March 15, 2010
by Graham
3 Comments
Listening to “Start the Week” on BBC Radio 4 this morning (15 March) I was astonished to hear one of the participants use this word and pronounce it /kɒgˈnaɪtɪv/. This is not given by any of the current dictionaries of … Continue reading
March 1, 2010
by Graham
0 comments
John Humphrys has been sounding off about the English language – again. Why is it that reporters – journalists – believe that because language is their stock in trade, therefore they know all about it? This particular article, published in … Continue reading
February 16, 2010
by Graham
0 comments
The BBC New website tells us that this mean “together” in Dari, but there seems to be a disagreement between Radio and Television about its pronunciation. Radio 4 newsreaders are all stressing the first syllable, while their television colleagues are … Continue reading