AIBU to think that the BBC should employ newsreaders who know how to pronounce words correctly?

[Dawndonna]

I have put up with 'contra verse y' for years, recently it has been 'pie ra cy' and 'pry va cy'. This morning, I heard 'in gin u a' for ingenue. I turned it off.

Yeah, I know it's trivial, but it annoys the hell out of me!

I heartily agree with whoever mentioned "vunrable"

It's vul-ner-able!!

And Lorraine Kelly - here's a tip for you:

Stop putting a random "r" on the end of "idea" - a common Scottish failing and I hate it

I think the people saying Con Trover See are trying to be controversial by playing Office Bingo

If you say it right, it sounds like Cun Trover See...

Could someone kindly tell me how 'Taioseach' is pronounced?

I'm reading a book where it crops up a lot and I'm annoying myself with the ridiculous way it sounds in my head.

teeshock.

With apologies to the native Irish speakers out there. I don't speak Irish but I lived there for a while, and that's what it sounded like to me.

I worked at the BBC when they made all our newsreaders change to the regional pronounciation of town names. In my head it just sounds silly. Someone with a distinctly Southern accent sounds daft saying New-Cass-el, as that's not the way they sound those letters, so the word sticks out. Just as someone from the North would sound daft prouncing it "Nyoo-car-sel". When newsreaders talk about Paris we don't expect them to say "Parrrrree", with a nicely-rolled French R, do we? Town names should be said in your own accent, imo.

Almost Wicket!

Taoiseach Pronounced here

It doesnt end with a "K" sound, more of an "ach" sound.

OP, the pronunciation of controversy you give is NOT incorrect! YABU.

Whilst we're at it, I also hate 'nu' for new. Grinds my gears!
[hsmile]

How about entrepreneur. So many people say entrepren-u-er. I thought there was only the french way.

Sometimes you pronounce things based on whether it is appropriate for your environment. I have changed the way I say gilet to pronounce each letter as was a bit self-conscious saying it french way. Don't want to do this though so now I just say body warmer. Was surprised when first in England to hear people calling baguettes french sticks.

shellyboobs I thought I didn't know anyone who said it "properly" so have been asking everyone I know this weekend. One person. He's very posh. I have asked people from across the UK but primarily from Essex (where I am) and the West Midlands (where I'm from) and only the one person - who is from Buckinghamshire

OP it seems to me that you are annoyed about pronounciations that turn out to be correct all along. I have never in all my born (borne?) days heard anyone pronounce piracy as in pititon. That's just bonkers!!

That's okay Curry, it may well be the case. However, there are many words that change with the form of the word changing, and I hadn't heard anyone say pieracy until the last few years.

Really?! Where did you grow up if you don't mind me asking. I've never heard it pronounced any other way and nor has anyone else here :o

TBH I don't get too wound up about pronounciation or accents or differences tbh. I find it all to be part of life's rich tapestry and part of the wonder of the English language. It's adaptibility and openess to change.

And you can stop getting wound up about contraversy since they were right and you were wrong

I remember reading in one of Angela Thirkell's novels (upper-middle class Home Counties in the 1930s) a character getting very irate about the vulgar mispronunciations of those common lower-middle class BBC announcers. The pronunciation of controversy as conTROVersy was singled out for particular disdain. So there you are.

(can we add Essex, where St Osyth is pronounced Toosy?)

I'm pretty sure we pronounce it Saint O-zeth to be honest. :o

President of France is not called Sar-Cozy, by the way, nothing cozy about him.

I'm from the North and would say D-oh-ver, just the same as I'd say clover or over...

I hate ashoom, but say tishoo. Tiss-syoo just doesn't sound right to me.

I don't think anyone actually pronounces St Osyth "Toozy" - I think it's just a nickname.

Some people on this thread are just plain bonkers. If you expect Southerners, and by default everyone else in the world to pronounce Newcastle with a Newcastle accent, can we expect you to pronounce all other place names with the regional accent? When you go to Australia we can expect full-on ocker Aussie attempt at the place names, and American drawls when in the US.

How to look like a total prat. [hgrin]

Slinking

This reminds me of a story my father used to tell. A Radio 3 presenter had to introduce 'The Flight of the Bumblebee' by Rimsky Korsakov, but when practising he kept stumbling over the pronunciation of Rimsky Korsakov. So he repeated it over and over until he was sure he had it right. Then, when it came to the moment he was dreading, 'And now on Radio 3, Rimsky Korsakov's The Bum of the Flightle Bee.'

I think it sounds daft when they calll sarcozy, nik-o-la sar - k' zeee (on the news)

trying too hard - they used to pronounce it the english way. They don't even like him!

i say "ass- ume "
and "tiss-yoo"

I have spent so long saying words from this thread out loud that I can no longer remember how I pronounce them or what is right!

Expecting the BBC to be accurate on anything is a bit of a stretch.

The numbskulls are the ones who started off people pronouncing Morgan Tsvangirai's name as "Changi-rye" which is just completely wrong.

It's "ts-van-gi-rye", pretty much how it's spelt. No fancy tsv=ch

IDIOTS