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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
English in UK
American British pronunciations
I'm no Professor 'Iggens, but I have a lifelong interest in, and sensitivity for local dialect pronunciations. I'm particularly fascinated with the persistence of Elizabethan dialectic pronunciations that have been documented in various backwater areas of the eastern United States. I personally observed this in the 1970s when a local resident on the Eastern Shore of Maryland essayed the following phrase describing a job offer that paid "noine thewsand dawlers". It made an instant believer of me.
Anyway, years ago I noted that native residents of the Maryland area around Washington, D.C. would pronounce the "u" in words such as bush as the oo in "whoosh" (the oo drawn out as a long o-o-o). I figured it was some kind of local colonial corruption, until I started hearing British news presenters on BBC doing the same thing with "President Bush" as in "who-o-osh".
Can anyone comment on the British origins of this pronunciation?
John Mazor
"The search for wisdom is asymptotic."
"Except for Internet newsgroups, where it is divergent..." R J Carpenter
Anyway, years ago I noted that native residents of the Maryland area around Washington, D.C. would pronounce the "u" in words such as bush as the oo in "whoosh" (the oo drawn out as a long o-o-o). I figured it was some kind of local colonial corruption, until I started hearing British news presenters on BBC doing the same thing with "President Bush" as in "who-o-osh".
Can anyone comment on the British origins of this pronunciation?
John Mazor
"The search for wisdom is asymptotic."
"Except for Internet newsgroups, where it is divergent..." R J Carpenter
Top answer
[nq:1]I'm no Professor 'Iggens, but I have a lifelong interest in, and sensitivity for local dialect pronunciations. I'm particularly fascinated ... essayed the following phrase describing a job offer that paid "noine thewsand dawlers".
- [nq:1]I'm no Professor 'Iggens, but I have a lifelong interest in, and sensitivity for local dialect pronunciations.
- I'm particularly fascinated ...
- essayed the following phrase describing a job offer that paid "noine thewsand dawlers".
- [/nq] Yes, I've heard the "oi" pronunciation of "i" by characters pretending to be English in US TV shows.
- It originally took me several episodes to realise that these characters were supposed to be English and that that particular strange accent wasn't just another of the many strange US accents.
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59 Answers
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[nq:1]I'm no Professor 'Iggens, but I have a lifelong interest in, and sensitivity for local dialect pronunciations. I'm particularly fascinated ... essayed the following phrase describing a job offer that paid "noine thewsand dawlers". It made an instant believer of me.[/nq]
Yes, I've heard the "oi" pronunciation of "i" by characters pretending to be English in US TV shows. It originally took
Yes, I've heard the "oi" pronunciation of "i" by characters pretending to be English in US TV shows. It originally took
00
I have never thought about it (the reason for it might be that I'm Swedish) but they are interesting questions and I will certainly listen more carefully in the future when watching Fox News and BBC (which are the only two TV channels my cable company delivers.)
However, can the same pattern be seen in TV shows or Drama productions? Here in Sweden they broadcast a lot of both American sho
However, can the same pattern be seen in TV shows or Drama productions? Here in Sweden they broadcast a lot of both American sho
00
[nq:1]British news presenters on the Beeb exhibit different accents; many of them aren't even English.[/nq]
That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?
wanderer at tesco dot net
That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?
wanderer at tesco dot net
00
[nq:2]I'm no Professor 'Iggens, but I have a lifelong interest ... "noine thewsand dawlers". It made an instant believer of me.[/nq]
[nq:1]Yes, I've heard the "oi" pronunciation of "i" by characters pretending to be English in US TV shows. It originally ... were supposed to be English and that that particular strange accent wasn't just another of the many strange US accents.[/nq]
Bloimey,
[nq:1]Yes, I've heard the "oi" pronunciation of "i" by characters pretending to be English in US TV shows. It originally ... were supposed to be English and that that particular strange accent wasn't just another of the many strange US accents.[/nq]
Bloimey,
00
[nq:1][/nq]
[nq:2]British news presenters on the Beeb exhibit different accents; many of them aren't even English.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?[/nq]
How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?
What distinction?
[nq:2]British news presenters on the Beeb exhibit different accents; many of them aren't even English.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?[/nq]
How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?
What distinction?
00
[nq:2] That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?[/nq]
[nq:1]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
I can't think of a single non-British presenter (though there are a few Irish presenters, Terry Wogan springing immediately to mind).
[nq:1]What distinction?[/nq]
Between the Brit
[nq:1]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
I can't think of a single non-British presenter (though there are a few Irish presenters, Terry Wogan springing immediately to mind).
[nq:1]What distinction?[/nq]
Between the Brit
00
[nq:2] That's a rather sweeping, and possibly quite incorrect, statement to make. And why the distinction between British and English?[/nq]
[nq:1]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
Are you talking about the presenters or their accents? It certainly isn't clear from your comments. If you are talking about presenters, how are you able to assert that 'many of them aren
[nq:1]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
Are you talking about the presenters or their accents? It certainly isn't clear from your comments. If you are talking about presenters, how are you able to assert that 'many of them aren
00
[nq:2]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
[nq:1]I can't think of a single non-British presenter (though there are a few Irish presenters, Terry Wogan springing immediately to mind).[/nq]
Did I make reference to non-British presenters? I don't think so.
[nq:2]What distinction?[/nq]
[nq:1]Between the Britishness of the presenters and the Englishness of their ac
[nq:1]I can't think of a single non-British presenter (though there are a few Irish presenters, Terry Wogan springing immediately to mind).[/nq]
Did I make reference to non-British presenters? I don't think so.
[nq:2]What distinction?[/nq]
[nq:1]Between the Britishness of the presenters and the Englishness of their ac
00
[nq:2]How is it sweeping, and how possibly quite incorrect?[/nq]
[nq:1]Are you talking about the presenters or their accents? It certainly isn't clear from your comments. If you are talking about presenters, how are you able to assert that 'many of them aren't even English'?[/nq]
Because they aren't; some are Welsh; some are Scottis; Some are Irish; and I dare say there are even other nati
[nq:1]Are you talking about the presenters or their accents? It certainly isn't clear from your comments. If you are talking about presenters, how are you able to assert that 'many of them aren't even English'?[/nq]
Because they aren't; some are Welsh; some are Scottis; Some are Irish; and I dare say there are even other nati
00
[nq:2]I can't think of a single non-British presenter (though there are a few Irish presenters, Terry Wogan springing immediately to mind).[/nq]
[nq:1]Did I make reference to non-British presenters? I don't think so.[/nq]
You're wriggling.
[nq:2]Between the Britishness of the presenters and the Englishness of ... and could refer to the accents or the presenters themselves.[/nq]
[nq
[nq:1]Did I make reference to non-British presenters? I don't think so.[/nq]
You're wriggling.
[nq:2]Between the Britishness of the presenters and the Englishness of ... and could refer to the accents or the presenters themselves.[/nq]
[nq
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