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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary
"go oar-y"
Hi.
"Someone I know tells a story about a very senior academic giving a speech. Students shouldn't worry too much, she says, if their plans "go oar-y" after graduation. Confused glances are exchanged across the hall. Slowly the penny drops: the professor has been pronouncing "awry" wrong all through her long, glittering career." [From The Guardian.]
Why did the "go oar-y" confuse students?
Thank you.
"Someone I know tells a story about a very senior academic giving a speech. Students shouldn't worry too much, she says, if their plans "go oar-y" after graduation. Confused glances are exchanged across the hall. Slowly the penny drops: the professor has been pronouncing "awry" wrong all through her long, glittering career." [From The Guardian.]
Why did the "go oar-y" confuse students?
Thank you.
Top answer
Because the word 'awry' is pronounced with an ah sound, not an oh sound. And the second syllable is pronounced rye , not ree. ie ah - rye
- Because the word 'awry' is pronounced with an ah sound, not an oh sound.
- And the second syllable is pronounced rye , not ree.
- ie ah - rye
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4 Answers
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Because the word 'awry' is pronounced with an ah sound, not an oh sound.
And the second syllable is pronounced rye, not ree.
ie ah - rye
And the second syllable is pronounced rye, not ree.
ie ah - rye
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Thank you, Clive, for your useful reply. I've thought that that "go oar-y" may mean something lexically inappropriate when said ex-cathedra by the professor.
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Not at all.
I've had the same experience as the unfortunate professor. In my case, it was the name of a famous composer, which I had never spoken.
I've had the same experience as the unfortunate professor. In my case, it was the name of a famous composer, which I had never spoken.
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AnonymousWhy did the "go oar-y" confuse students?Because "awry" = [?'ra?], not ['?ri]. ("oar-y" is a way of writing the mispronunciation ['?ri].)
CJ
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