October 29, 2007
by Graham
0 comments
An open letter to the BBC suggests that it needs a Language Advisor, not (according to the interview Ian Bruton-Simmonds, one of the authors, gave to the Today programme this morning) to shame broadcasters publicly about their poor English, but … Continue reading
October 25, 2007
by Graham
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I quite agree with Abdul (writing in response to my post on Afghanistan, 18 June 2007) that no one can be expected to know the “correct” pronunciation of every name. That is why the BBC has its Pronunciation Research Unit, … Continue reading
October 23, 2007
by Graham
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Abdul is right in his comment on “Kofi Annan and Edward Stourton”: the news readers can’t deal with the sounds and phonotactics of other languages – and the Pronunciation Research Unit doesn’t expect them to. As he points out, the … Continue reading
October 22, 2007
by Graham
3 Comments
When Mr Annan was appointed as Secretary General of the United Nations, we in the BBC’s Pronunciation Research Unit were sent a tape of his inauguration, in the course of which he had to pronounce his own name. He clearly … Continue reading
October 11, 2007
by Graham
7 Comments
With this “superbug” back in the news, it seems time to revisit the subject of its pronunciation. The name contains two Latin words, and as Latin, the second word should be pronounced with four syllables, and stressed on the second. … Continue reading
July 23, 2007
by Graham
6 Comments
What is it about Spanish names that sports commentators can never get them right? For the past four days, not a single BBC sports reporter or commentator has pronounced Sergio García’s first name correctly (let’s leave aside for the moment … Continue reading
July 10, 2007
by Graham
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In the days before most people were literate, there were only two ways to pronounce a foreign place name – you either pronounced it more or less how the locals pronounced it, or you ignored their name and gave the … Continue reading
July 7, 2007
by Graham
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I’ve been very flattered by the review of my piece on the Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation in languagehat. It’s started a lot of reaction as well, several points being raised about other things I’ve mentioned. I’ll take them up … Continue reading
July 5, 2007
by Graham
1 Comment
The approaching tenth anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales’s death brings Althorp back into the news. This is where she grew up, and where she is buried. The BBC first became aware of the difficulty about pronunciation well before the … Continue reading
June 30, 2007
by Graham
2 Comments
According to BBC News 24, two car bombs have been successfully diffused in London. I don’t think that is what they are intending to say, but every TV anchor and reporter on the spot is saying this. If it were … Continue reading