Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think an English teacher should know the correct pronunciation of Glamis?

332 replies

susannahmoodie · 16/09/2015 06:15

As in Thane of......?

Or is it now ok to say "glam-mis"??

OP posts:
shovetheholly · 16/09/2015 09:31

stands on gigantic soapbox

`FOR GODSSAKE - I JUST ANSWERED THAT QUESTION!
SHAKESPEARE INTENDED IT TO BE PRONOUNCED GLAM-ISS!
TWO SYLLABLES!
HIS IS NOT THE MODERN PRONUNCIATION, BUT THE TEACHER IS RIGHT!

For evidence, see my posts on previous page.

Blimey, what does a girl have to do to get attention round here?! Grin

ReallyTired · 16/09/2015 09:30

I wonder how shakesphere himself would have pronounced "Glamis". Did Shakesphere never visit scotland? Certainly his spelling was interesting. The guy couldn't make up his mind how to spell his own name yet alone the name of his characters. It would be interesting to know how shakesphere did his historial research for his plays. How did he know how to spell or pronounce the names of his characters. Did Elizabethans pronounce names of places or people in the same way that we do?

I am in awe of anyone who can tolerate being in a room with 30 grumpy hormonal teens. I can forgive them for not knowing how to pronounce "Glamis".

AnnPerkins · 16/09/2015 09:28

"Glarms/Glarmz" angry - I nearly choked on my coffee. Always "Glamz", anything else makes me shudder.

Don't worry about it. It probably got corrupted from 'Glamz' to 'Glarms' the way everything with an 'a' sound north of Watford Gap does round here. (Hertfordshire: birthplace of the QM.)

BathshebaDarkstone · 16/09/2015 09:27

Just texted DF to ask how you pronounce it, he's an ex-English teacher. Smile

shovetheholly · 16/09/2015 09:27

Clearly not Grin!!

Racundra · 16/09/2015 09:26

I do know the gist of the story though, and can highly recommend the Japanese version by Kurosawa, Throne of Blood which is a masterpiece.

TwmSionCati · 16/09/2015 09:26

no

shovetheholly · 16/09/2015 09:24
Sad

Did anyone even read my last post?

TwmSionCati · 16/09/2015 09:24

" forcing me to look like one of those illiterate oafs who graduated from a former Poly." oh you know that was just tongue in cheek. I should talk, I graduated with a lower second from a tiny far provincial uni that was incredibly easy to get into Grin

Keeptrudging · 16/09/2015 09:24

I always pronounce Menzies as Ming-is, but the shop is John Men-zees. No idea why!Grin

ComposHatComesBack · 16/09/2015 09:23

If the teacher was busily telling the students that Macbeth had encouraged his wife to kill Duncan or didn't understand how the 'man of woman born' prophesy works, I'd be concerned as it shoes a fundamental lack of understanding of the text, the fact that she has a non-standard pronunciation of a place name is neither here no there, it doesn't fundamentally alter the students' understanding of the plot or the motivation of the characters.

It is also interesting that some of the sneering is coming from people who are are insisting that the correct pronunciation 'glarmz' which might be considered equally wrong as 'glamiss' given that within Scotland it is almost universally pronounced 'glamz'.

tiggytape · 16/09/2015 09:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

slicedfinger · 16/09/2015 09:20

Ah Pictish I know that, but I know more people, whose name it actually is (and are Scottish) who say MenZees. Even loads who'd go to the clan gatherings seemed split!

Racundra · 16/09/2015 09:18

I find it more appalling that all these people only learnt to pronounce Glamis because it's in a story!
I have never read Macbeth, nor seen it performed (which isn't really acceptable for a British adult, but ho-hum, I only went to an English RG not Edinburgh, and did science) but I know how to pronounce it because it's a British place name and has a castle.
Does no-one travel within their own country any more?

TwmSionCati · 16/09/2015 09:18

" Shakespeare wasn't pronounced anything like we do it now. "

I have heard that in Shakey's day 'asked' would have been pronounced 'axed' which is something that certain people get hot and bothered about when teens use it these days!

JeffreysMummyIsCross · 16/09/2015 09:17

Much obliged, Twm Grin. I'd also like it made a matter of public record that Mumsnet does not allow me to insert the appropriate possessive apostrophe into my username. Effectively forcing me to look like one of those illiterate oafs who graduated from a former Poly.

shovetheholly · 16/09/2015 09:17

In support of my last assertion - there are lots of references, but this is from a Longman study text for Indian students.

So the teacher is actually correct.

To think an English teacher should know the correct pronunciation of Glamis?
Pranmasghost · 16/09/2015 09:15

Glamis thou art ,and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised...
It sends shivers down my spine, the start of Lady M's road to Hell.

Fannyupcrutch · 16/09/2015 09:14

I imagine it will really piss all the snobs off on this thread to learn that Shakespeare wasn't pronounced anything like we do it now. So it's all moot either way. The fabulous linguists from the Crystal family have actually argued a very valid case that instead of an upper register type RP, the plays would have been delivered in the local London accent at the time and it was more like a brummy/cockney farmer than the sort of accent you all assume. It also transforms the texts and the entire feel for each play.

And yes, I have an English degree. No, never heard it pronounced. I specialised in Romeo and Juliet and A midsummers night dream, linguistics, creative writing and Chaucer. Apologies for you for not knowing how to pronounce a single place name from a play......will have to tell my assessor that I am in fact NOT "a dynamic teacher that successfully engages er students to get consistently high results".

Now please, get over yourselves!

HopefulHamster · 16/09/2015 09:13

The snobbery here is crazy.

I did English Lang & Lit (yeah yeah, Lit's lesser cousin) at a RG uni and have barely studied any Shakespeare. We did Romeo and Juliet at GCSE. The Merchant of Venice at A Level. At degree level I did one unit in Jacobean literature and our main text was The Revenger's Tragedy (not Shakespeare), though we did read Shakespeare too, just not in as much detail.

Anyhoo, I'm TERRIBLE at pronunciation. Give me any word I don't use day-to-day and I'll probably say it wrong. I'm an excellent editor, proof-reader, etc (maybe not on here, don't jump on my posts!), but reading unfamiliar words... I say them, but I say them based on how I think they sound and always guess incorrectly. Of course I'm not a teacher, but it is possible to study English to a half-decent level and still mis-pronounce things you know.

Saw Macbeth long long ago and would still say Glamis incorrectly.

Trickydecision · 16/09/2015 09:10

Belvoir is surely Beever except when it is the name of our managing agent. I find it hard to call them Bell-vwoir which is what they irritating call themselves.
Not such a crime as 'we was', but DGD's new teacher apparently pronounces something as somethink which annoys her no end.

merrymouse · 16/09/2015 09:10

Jeffrey I am very sorry you have never read Macbeth or seen it performed. I suggest you do so. You have a treat in store.

But it is likely that, if not for this thread, you would be concentrating more on the play than the spelling of 'Glamis', which I think (using the power of the Internet) is only mentioned 4 times in the play.

pictish · 16/09/2015 09:10

Menzies is Ming-iz as I have always understood it.
Up in Scotland the old stationary store chain John Menzies was always known just as 'Ming-is's'.

TwmSionCati · 16/09/2015 09:08

I did notice it Jeffery but decided to rise above it Grin

JeffreysMummyIsCross · 16/09/2015 09:06

And before some pedant points out the errant apostrophe in my previous post, that was my phone autocorrecting.