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Cunning linguists

How do you pronounce...

16 replies

toastedteacake · 24/04/2014 09:42

Benbecula?

I have only heard it pronounced Ben beh 'queue' la. Emphasis on the 3rd syllable.

I was half watching a programme about Estate Agents last night and the guy working in Perthshire pronounced it differently. Ben beck you la, with emphasis on the 2nd syllable.

So is the 1st or 2nd pronounciation correct?

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AlwaysOneMissing · 24/04/2014 09:43

I thought it was the second, with emphasis on the second syllable

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LineRunner · 24/04/2014 09:43

Always heard it with the stress on the 2nd syllable, yes.

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PickleMobile · 24/04/2014 09:44

No idea how it's pronounced as I've never heard the word before, but reading it for the first time I read it as Ben beck u la.

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DrankSangriaInThePark · 24/04/2014 09:45

2nd.
And the 3rd is cu not qu.

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CuntyBunty · 24/04/2014 09:47

What does it mean please? I've never even heard the word.
While we are on topic; is segue pronounced "seg-way"?

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Weegiemum · 24/04/2014 09:48

I used to live in the Outer Hebrides - in fact we were there last week!

Up there, there's no stress on any syllable, it's just straight Ben-Bec-You-la. If there ever is a stress it's on the "bec" part of it. Never heard it on the "you" bit, and I lived and worked there for 10 years.

But just start trying to pronounce Lionacleit (Linna-clit).

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toastedteacake · 24/04/2014 09:51

Thanks Smile

Only ever read it or heard it in Southern England in reference to MoD testing ranges.

So can I still pronounce Kirkcudbright Ker coo bree, or have I misheard/ read that one too?

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toastedteacake · 24/04/2014 09:53

CuntyBunty - Benbecula is an island off the West coast of Scotland.

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CuntyBunty · 24/04/2014 11:25

Thanks, Toasted.

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MyPreciousRing · 24/04/2014 11:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JessieMcJessie · 03/08/2014 04:54

Definitely stress "beck". I think that the people stressing the "cu" were probably just trying to think of the closest sounding English word and thinking "Barbecue"!

Yes. Segue is prounounced "seg way". I pronounved it seeg for years till someone explained Blush.

Think somewhere along the way it has lost its umlaut.

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TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle · 03/08/2014 05:09

Min-ooh-sha = minutiae.

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chocfemme · 04/08/2014 23:57

Toastedteacake...your pronunciation of Kirkcudbright is correct. Smile

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MrsBungle · 05/08/2014 00:00

I agree with weegie I have friends from there and it's just Ben beck you la with no particular emphasis.

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JessieMcJessie · 05/08/2014 04:38

I don't think it's linguistically possible to have a polysyllabic word with no stress on any syllable MrsBungle, though the stress may not be particularly pronounced/obvious.

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MrsBungle · 05/08/2014 07:38

Well that's what I mean jessie, surely it's obvious what I meant.

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