November 28, 2020
by Graham
5 Comments
It’s interesting to read that the French are adding “accent discrimination” to their equality laws. In Britain, we seem to be getting past the stage of despising people for the way they speak. When I joined the BBC in 1979, … Continue reading
December 17, 2019
by Graham
4 Comments
Cheops is the well-known name of the Egyptian Pharaoh whose tomb is the Great Pyramid at Gizeh. This is actually the Greek form of the name, and in modern times he has had his name ‘re-egyptianized’, if I may coin … Continue reading
July 25, 2019
by Graham
6 Comments
As I sit sweltering in a heat of the high thirties Celsius, I’ve become very aware of the French word for heatwave – canicule. When a friend asked me its etymology, I turned to my trusty Larousse Dictionnaire étymologique. This … Continue reading
May 9, 2017
by gpointon
3 Comments
Thank you Alec for alerting me to the number of mispronunciations American broadcasters have come up with for the new French president’s name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGgHy3BLloY Has anybody come up yet with any jokes about the meaning of his name? Perhaps a … Continue reading
March 3, 2016
by gpointon
2 Comments
A Franco-British summit is being held in Amiens today. The name is pronounced in French /amjɛ̃/, which is often misinterpreted in English as /ˈæmiɑ̃ː/. The BBC’s recommendation is the closer /æmˈjæ̃/. Chris Aldridge, Radio 4’s Chief Announcer, had obviously not … 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
October 24, 2014
by gpointon
5 Comments
Martin Ball writes: “Did anyone hear Jonathan (I think rather than David) Dimbleby pronounce ebola as /ˈɛbÉ™lÉ™/ on Radio 4 the other day? Is this pronunciation somehow nearer to that of West African languages?” I didn’t hear Jonathan Dimbleby say … Continue reading
July 7, 2014
by gpointon
4 Comments
When I was learning French, our excellent teacher gave us a mnemonic for learning the positions of the personal pronouns – other than the subject forms – in relation to the verb. It was in the form of a football … Continue reading
December 31, 2012
by Graham
3 Comments
I’ve just found this on the BBC website. In case anyone has problems linking to it, it says ‘Learning a language is often tricky, particularly when it comes to spelling new words. “The Spell As You Pronounce Universal Project” (SAYPU) … Continue reading
September 8, 2012
by Graham
6 Comments
The awful events near Lake Annecy have brought this place name into prominence. At first sight it is a straightforward French name, with no problem for people needing to pronounce it, such as British radio and TV newsreaders and journalists, … Continue reading