April 21, 2015
by gpointon
3 Comments
I’m not sure whether errors of spelling or grammar introduced to a text by spell checkers are eggcorns in the same way as those caused by a misunderstanding in the mind of a person, but here are two that I’ve … Continue reading
April 19, 2015
by gpointon
1 Comment
It gets worse! Walt Disney couldn’t even spell his nom-de-plume. This is a still from the beginning of the cartoon version of the book.
April 10, 2015
by gpointon
4 Comments
Martin Ball has commented on my post about the pronunciation of Lewis Carroll’s ‘real’ family name – Dodgson. He raises a more general point that I think deserves a full post rather than simply a reply to his comment. My … Continue reading
March 30, 2015
by gpointon
4 Comments
I was listening to “Start the Week” on BBC Radio 4, presented by Andrew Marr, and dealing mainly with the anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I was not surprised that Mr Marr should pronounce Carroll’s ‘real’ … Continue reading
March 21, 2015
by gpointon
9 Comments
This may seem heretical for a phonetician, but I’ve often thought that it is possible to learn a foreign language too well. When I was a post-graduate student, there was another person around whose first language was not English, but … Continue reading
February 25, 2015
by gpointon
22 Comments
Every one of the current pronunciation dictionaries agrees that the stress in the word inexorable is on the second syllable. On Monday this week, in the Radio 4 programme charting the history of Britain in numbers, Professor Jane Humphries, Professor … Continue reading
February 6, 2015
by gpointon
4 Comments
The ‘Today’ programme on BBC Radio 4 is a rich seam for unusual usages. Yesterday threw up two, of which one could be a new word (unless someone can find a previous example?) The eminent economist Jim O’Neill, best known … Continue reading
January 19, 2015
by gpointon
3 Comments
Here baristas were mentioned in some of the comments. I’m reading “The Falls†by Ian Rankin at the moment, and have come across this: ‘Not often I see you smiling,’ his barista said as she made him a double latte. … Continue reading
January 10, 2015
by gpointon
8 Comments
The tragic events in France have once again shown the difficulties reporters have in knowing how to pronounce the names of the places involved. Obviously, they have rather more important things on their minds, but when names are constantly repeated, … Continue reading
December 18, 2014
by gpointon
4 Comments
When did the name Aaron start to be pronounced /ˈarÉ™n/? John Wells has included it as a pronunciation for the modern personal name since the first edition of the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (1990), and the 15th edition of the English … Continue reading