Mispronunciation

[Robert G]

There's a BBC news reporter today pronouncing the word 'nuclear' as if it were spelt 'nucula' (or 'newcuela'). He's not the first - I think that's how George Bush pronounces it too.

Why do they do it? Surely, anyone can say the words 'new' and 'clear' properly, so all they have to do is join them up.

Apart from explaining why they do it, what other words are irritatingly mispronounced by people who should know better?

[kempie]

Robert G - how do you think Wednesday should be pronounced (since the phonetic version you use for ridicule is the correct pronunciation)?

[Robert G]

OK Kempie, I might have to agree with you on that one, having looked for the pronunciation in the Oxford English and Websters Dictionaries. That's fine, but the 'd' got dropped somewhere along the way because the name derives from the Day of Woden, the pronunciation of whose name must surely have included the 'd'. I therefore think the 'd' should be heard at least quietly before the 'n', in the same way as one sounds the 'd' when saying 'wouldn't'.

[kempie]

Yes, the 'd' got dropped somewhere around the 15th century.

Wednesday is still (occasionally?) pronounced wednzday as a dialect in the north midlands, but since everyone in this thread appears to be promoting RP (Received Pronunciation) as the 'correct' form of English as opposed to regional dialects (or even Estuary English), this anomalous word stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb.

[lankeela]

Soduko

[Robert G]

And you!

[Lakeslass]

HeightH for height

and all the others already mentioned.

[mimififi]

I knew a woman who used to drive me around the bend by saying 'ast' instead of 'asked'. Why did she do that?

Also, my other bugbear is, perhaps, not so much of a mispronunciation, but rather, a mis-use of the word 'free' as in 'at no cost'. I can't stand it when I hear people say, "Look what I got for free!" It isn't 'for free' surely you can just say "look what I got, free."

There are copious other bugbears, but I can't think of any right now. I shall do though, and then I shall get all irritated all over again. Grrrr.