I went down a rabbit hole. I was looking for a video on how to pronounce Wednesday.
I feel there should be a very slight glottal hesitation between the We and the N. Barely noticeable but still there. Think of a hitch in the back of the throat rather than the tongue being directly behind the teeth.
I will admit I am a bit of a pedant when it comes to English and how she is spoke.
Meanings change and so they should - eg sophisticated used to be an insult; retard was a medical diagnosis; nice used to mean ignorant (and maybe it still does!); artificial used to mean artfully created (a good thing) - and so it goes.
Language changes as populations change and are influenced by other cultures and accents. That is great.
But I can't abide laziness in speech.
If you can't do the glottal hitch that's fine. But the word is then Wensday. Not Wnsdi. Open your mouth.
And on that note, having no doubt offended people, I shall slink away.
I am sure you all have more important things to think about than how to pronounce the days of the week.
But if you want to waste a few minutes of your life google pronunciations.
You're welcome!
I'll preface my comment with the fact that I have a strange accent. I don't sound Australian to Australians but nor do I sound English to English people.
ReplyDeleteIs the day pronunciation day or dy? I go half way in between and I am more inclined to Wendsdy. I can see where you are coming from with the glottal with Wednesday but it is so faint, I report after returning from the balcony and saying the word a few times.
It took Harry Potter, which I have never seen or read, to know the pronunciation of Hermione. Today after seeing the name in a book, I knew my instinctive in my head pronunciation of the name Calliope was wrong and I checked online to get the correct way to say the name, although I am doubtful I will ever have to say it.
Really though, what hope is there when our leaders and well educated call Australia, Austrayer.
Andrew, thank you for your dedication to the cause. A favourite name is Niamh but the Irish are a bit weird.
DeleteDon't get me started on the Strayan Gummant.
My English accent, not much left now, has been mistaken for an Australian one. I do say Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteMy "beef" the young people who speak too fast and not very clearly, slurring their words together, I believe it all boils down to not having to have a verbal conversation.
Never mind, soon no one will be speaking to anyone, all communication with be though the tapping of thumbs and fingers on a phone, just as it is starting to these days.
A sad observation, indeed, Pat.
DeleteMmm... now I think I say Wednsday. My pet hate is when people write badly ie, your instead of you're etc. It now seems acceptable for your to be used so I need to just get over it! Language is ever evolving though, you old need to look at old TV coverage to know how quickly our speech changes. I'm OK with that.
ReplyDeleteTheir, there, they're! I know English is strange and difficult to understand to a non native speaker but its history and heritage is fascinating and I would hate to have it dumbed down to a total boring beige.
DeleteAfter a few tries I believe I say "Wedinsday" which is pretty close to the original Celtic use of the word - "Woden's Day". I believe Woden was a Scandanavian god. My pet hate is seeing people write "it's" when they should be using "its" - I see it all the time in blog writers (not you!)
ReplyDeleteChris, when I see how teachers write and spell I lose all hope for upcoming generations.
DeleteMaybe we should do blog posts on pet hates!
I never thought about how I pronounce Wednesday
ReplyDeleteI guess I’m the typical Aussie and take short cuts by dropping letters lol
Now I’ll think before I say the word
You have a life! I think too much about nothing.
Delete