Kezz-ick
I appreciate this post from Know Tea regarding the non-phonetic nature of the English language. I am a fan of phonics instruction and especially recommend TATRAS phonics (which we use at home). Tea's complaint is that phonics-only instruction has led to the overly literal pronunciation of our language.
The most obvious example I can think of is the word often. Often is to the word oft as the word soften is to soft. The ”t” is silent. At least it used to be, until well-meaning English teachers taught their students to pronounce it phonetically.
Ours is not a phonetic language. We don’t pronounce the “t” in castle, trestle, nestle, pestle (as in “mortar and . . .”), listen, or glisten either. Why pronounce it in often? OK, if you insist on doing so because “it’s listed as an acceptable pronunciation in the dictionary,” then fine. I won’t twist your arm. Unless you’re ever singing in a choir that I’m conducting.
Forehead is another word that has fallen victim to hyperpronunciation. In generations past, no one would have thought of pronouncing it “fore-head” any more than they would have pronounced cupboard as “cup-board.” Longfellow’s little poem about the little girl with the little curl preserves for us what was once the universally accepted pronunciation: it rhymes with horrid. If you insist on pronouncing it as fore-head, what are you going to do with cupboard? What are you going to do with boatswain or coxswain?
Another good one is "vineyard," which I hope you pronounce "vin-yerd." And don't forget place names:
Gloucester rhymes with Foster. Similarly, Worcester (whether one is referring to the one in England or the one in Massachusetts) sounds like “Wooster,” not “wer-sester” or “wer-chester.” Leicester is pronounced “Lester,” not “lye-chester.” Most of our science teachers taught us how to pronounce Greenwich (as in Greenwich Mean Time). Keswick likewise has a silent w. There are even more confusingly-spelled names (especially for non-native speakers), such as the famous surname Featherstonehaugh (pronounced “Fanshaw”).
Not only is the "w" silent in Keswick, but the "s" is said with a "z." This one drives me crazy because there is an apartment complex in Conyers called Keswick Village, and I hear just about all of my co-workers call it "Kess-wick" Village, not "Kezz-ick."
5 comments:
alright smarty pants! You've ticked me off with this one. I wish I had read this a couple days ago. I've got too much to say about it and not enough time to do it here. We'll talk about this at work. In the mean time, why don't you get out your pocket dictionary and look up the word "colloquial" 'cause that's where I'll be coming from in our discussion. Sheesh...you make the perfect Tech fan. Nerd!
Place names are place names. They're pronounced how they're pronounced. You are making my point. We can't presume some phonetic pronunciation. Keswick Village is named for the town in England, and so it is "Kezzick," not "Kess-wick." I'll not grant "pronunciative power of attorney" to a bunch of know-littles in Conyers who presume the pronuciation of an apartment complex's name is "Kess-wick." (Also, "Kezz-ick" has a rich history of usage on this side of the Atlantic as well.)
Colloquial pronunciations are perfectly legitimate. Hence, Albany, NY and "Al-benny," GA; Vienna, Austria and "Vy-enna," GA. These place names are well established and though they would appear to have the same pronunciations phonetically (because they are spelled the same) they do not. This all seems to make both our points. There's no need for your invective scurrility! Go Jackets
How about those two seaports in the Carolinas. Beaufort, NC & Beaufort SC, one pronounced bowfort like the bow used to shoot an arrow & the other pronounced like beautiful? I avoid both because I seem to pick the pronunciation that would be correct if I was in the other one.
Pop
invective scurrility? Foot would be impressed! Place names are not neccesarily place names. A person can pronounce a name that they have given any way they want! If the goober that developed Lambeth Estates pronounced Thames phonetically, so be it. I'll bet only a handful of residents on that street know how to "correctly" pronounce it. That doesn't matter in the long run. If I had free tix to the UGA/Yech game and told you to meet me in Kes-wick Village to pick them up, you'd be there!
"This one drives me crazy because there is an apartment complex in Conyers called Keswick Village, and I hear just about all of my co-workers call it "Kess-wick" Village, not "Kezz-ick.""
name me a co-worker that DOES NOT pronounce it Kes-Wick!
Post a Comment