Comments on: Blaenau Gwent http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/blaenau-gwent Language in a word Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:06:06 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Graham http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/blaenau-gwent/comment-page-1#comment-8280 Graham Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:42:25 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/?p=309#comment-8280 Agreed that he may not have realised before he went there that it was a difficult name, but once in the place, he should, as a conscientious journalist, have checked - just as a print journalist would check the spelling of a name before committing it to print. Agreed that he may not have realised before he went there that it was a difficult name, but once in the place, he should, as a conscientious journalist, have checked – just as a print journalist would check the spelling of a name before committing it to print.

]]> By: James D http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/blaenau-gwent/comment-page-1#comment-8276 James D Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:00:18 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/?p=309#comment-8276 Except most native speakers would only say /ˈblaɪnaɪ/ rather than /ˈblaɪna/, /ˈblaɪnæ/, or /ˈblaɪnɛ/ if they were speaking deliberately properly. It's no coincidence that the town after which the constituency is named is usually spelt in English as Blaina (eugh!). Except most native speakers would only say /ˈblaɪnaɪ/ rather than /ˈblaɪna/, /ˈblaɪnæ/, or /ˈblaɪnɛ/ if they were speaking deliberately properly. It’s no coincidence that the town after which the constituency is named is usually spelt in English as Blaina (eugh!).

]]> By: Philip TAYLOR http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/blaenau-gwent/comment-page-1#comment-8275 Philip TAYLOR Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:52:57 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/?p=309#comment-8275 Well, at the risk of seeming naïve, perhaps because they do not realise that it is "an obviously difficult name". As you observe, most non-Welsh-speaking British speakers would pronounce it as /ˈblaɪnaʊ/, and I would venture to suggest that many, if not most, would think that they were pronouncing it correctly ... Well, at the risk of seeming naïve, perhaps because they do not realise that it is “an obviously difficult name”. As you observe, most non-Welsh-speaking British speakers would pronounce it as /ˈblaɪnaʊ/, and I would venture to suggest that many, if not most, would think that they were pronouncing it correctly …

]]> By: Nigel Greenwood http://www.linguism.co.uk/language/blaenau-gwent/comment-page-1#comment-8273 Nigel Greenwood Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:30:58 +0000 http://www.linguism.co.uk/?p=309#comment-8273 Graham: <I>Why is it too much trouble for journalists to check such an obviously difficult name?</I> Surely the point is that Easton didn't <I>realize</I> it was a difficult name: he simply made the reasonable assumption that -au represents /aʊ/. Graham: Why is it too much trouble for journalists to check such an obviously difficult name?

Surely the point is that Easton didn’t realize it was a difficult name: he simply made the reasonable assumption that -au represents /aʊ/.

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