Firstly let me tell you that I am not a Linguist, an English Teacher or in any way do I profess to be a bona fide pronunciation expert on the North American English language. I am an experienced broadcaster with an ear for pronunciation.
Actually this is a pet peeve of mine and it is getting worse every day. I don’t know if you are like me but when you watch professional TV Broadcasters read English it makes you wonder how they were even considered for the job.
I am probably awakening an awareness in your head which will antagonize you forever. Sorry about that and yes I know you can probably add multiple additional words to my list.
Here is a list of a few words for which I won’t even give the correct pronunciation because you know them already but this is what the “real” words have become. Of course there are not many “perfect pronouncers” out there and I am certainly not one of them…….although I do try.
Even seasoned Broadcasters are caught up in this. Don’t they realize that many children learn pronunciation from Professional Speakers who are paid to speak? What about all the Immigrants learning English for the first time? Our language is hard enough to learn as it is let alone steering students down the wrong path from Day One.
Well, that’s my mini rant for the day. I feel better already.
Cheers,
Rick Gordon
Original Word | Has now become |
Before | Ba-four |
Behind | Ba-hind |
Didn’t | Dint |
Eleven | Al-levan |
Elite | Ah-leet |
Emissions | Ah-missions |
Essential | Ass-N-chill |
Experiment | Ax-pear-a-mint |
February | Feb-you-ary |
Fredericton | Fredrickten |
Hundred | Hun-erd |
Immediately | Ah-meed-e-atly |
Internet | Inner-net |
News | Nooze |
Official | Ah-fish-al |
Olympics | Aw-limpics |
Recorded | Ra-corded |
Remain | Rah-main |
Remainder | Rah-mainder |
Remainder | Ra-mainder |
Remained | Ra-mained |
Reminder | Rah-minder |
Reserves | Ra-zerves |
Return | Ra-turn |
Review | Ra-view |
Temperature | Temp-a-chur |
The letter “W” | Dubb-a-you |
To | Ta |
Today | Ta-day |
Today | Ta-day |
Tomorrow | Ta-morrow |
Tomorrow | Ta-morrow |
Toronto | Ta-ranna |
Tuesday | Choose-day |
Wouldn’t | Wu-nt |