How Should We Pronounce Gove ?

[Canary42]

Having never heard Michael Gove's name mentioned on radio/TV I am unaware of the pronunciation.

Is it Guv as in love

Or Goove as in move

or Gove as in wove ?

[Jackdaw33]

Gove as in wove

[jourdain2]

Gove as in 'wove'. It's the 'magic e' rule. 'Magic e makes the vowel say its name' e.g. cap becomes cape.

[albaqwerty]

I'm pretty sure it's Gove as in wove.

Other pronunciations may be available :-D

[jackthehat]

Gove as in 'backstabbing egotist'...

[Souldarkness]

He answers to 'oi ***'

[sunny-dave]

It rhymes with Jeremy ...

[Souldarkness]

Someone who flips pancakes,

[Jackdaw33]

I had the same problem with Andrea Leadsom.

[Rockrose]

Gove as in wove

[bhg481]

I think he'd like us to pronounce it "Prime Minister".

[Peter Pedant]

Gove as in 'wove'. It's the 'magic e' rule. 'Magic e makes the vowel say its name' e.g. cap becomes cape.

yeah I see - so pat becomes pattay - and move is moov - and love is luv - simples

Jourdain is right of course :)

the only problems is that the continental long vowels are (a) - ar (e) - ay - (i) ee
and this is called the Great Vowel Shift - ding ding Jan 1 1375......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift

Some surnames ( which really are a race on their own) - kept the spelling and the voice changed
and others - the sound was unchanged and the spelling changed to match

fanshawe and featherstonehaugh.
(Irish Fetherstonehaughs do it like the name is spelt)

and then you have words like water - I nearly dropped dead when I heard a lancs lad say - look the dogs in the waaa-terr
( correct pronounciation in 1400)

[Peter Pedant]

// I had the same problem with Andrea Leadsom.//

AS you said ; because she leads some down the garden path
ans someone shouted no ! she leads them ALL down the garden path....

[jourdain2]

PP :)

[bhg481]

PP //look the dogs in the waaa-terr//

I'm not surprised you nearly dropped dead - it's most unusual for a Lancs lad to use "the".