Weird Pronunciation in a YouTube Video

[Andy Kev.]

I recently watched Schindler's List on the TV and found Ralf Fiennes' portrayal of Amon Göth to be remarkable. I wondered how accurate it was and came upon a YouTube clip. It turns out that the film version of Göth was, if anything, watered down because some things would be just unshowable.

However, that's not the reason for this thread. What struck me about the clip was the almost surreal pronunciation employed by the commentator. I found it painful to listen to. The problem stems from his emphasis nearly always landing on the wrong places in his sentence. I'm fairly sure, in fact I'd bet on it, that nobody talks like that in real life. Have a listen (sorry about the subject matter being so horrible):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAgIKNGfD2Q

I came to the conclusion that the commentator is someone who is probably literate (he appears to be reading from script) but very poorly educated. The only other place I've come across wild pronunciation like this is in the broadcasts of cabin crew in aeroplanes.

Do you think that people like this believe that such a way of speaking makes them sound knowledgeable? It has the opposite effect on me. Any suggestions on where it comes from? Am I being over sensitive?

 

[Cabinetman]

Bit like Rowan Atkinson in court as a barrister after having completed a correspondence course using all the wrong pronunciation, aleebee instead of alibi etc. Like a lot of grumpy old men I find myself castigating - (shouting at) the people on the radio for their miss pronunciations. Ian

 

[AJB Temple]

Carol Klein is also a word and sentence mangler of similar ability. I am forced to watch gardening programmes and Ms Klein therefore attacks my ears quite often.

 

[Lurker]

Carol Klein is also a word and sentence mangler of similar ability. I am forced to watch gardening programmes and Ms Klein therefore attacks my ears quite often.

True, but she does seem to have a personality, I quite like her.
Can’t stand MontyDon.
Bring back Percy Thrower !!

 

[wallace]

On the subject of pronunciation have you noticed the way americans say aks instead of ask and ruff instead of roof.

 

[Pete Maddex]

Carol Klein is also a word and sentence mangler of similar ability. I am forced to watch gardening programmes and Ms Klein therefore attacks my ears quite often.

Its not just me then.

Pete

 

[John Brown]

Some Americans say "aks". Just like some Brits say "free" instead of "three". I find the latter more painful, maybe because I'm British.
If you want weird phrasing and pauses, check out William F Buckley Jr.

 

[AndyP]

Couldn't watch it all but what I did listen to sounded condescending to me.

 

[Doug71]

Not quite what this thread is about but kind of related and I feel the need to share in the hope it will help me calm down after something my son yesterday.

I have 2 sons aged 10 and 12, same as other kids their age they often use Americanisms like diaper or sidewalk, It does annoy me, I sometimes try to correct them but they don't see the problem.

Yesterday I was left with my head in my hands when my eldest son who has a cold announced "My nose is running like a faucet."

I think a YouTube ban is in order for them.

 

[Woodbloke]

I listened to it all the way through. It was to me at least, clearly delivered in a monotonous, slightly nasal voice and he seemed to be reading from a script which accounted for the 'flat' delivery but I didn't find it weird as there are plenty of other narrators on UToob that are a lot worse.

We also saw Schindler's List very recently and the film brought back memories of our short break to Krakow. We were able to visit his original factory without a guide and I went up the stairs immediately inside the arch on the lhs that can can clearly seen in the film. Even the yard and factory buildings beyond the entrance were derelict and I was able to peer inside to see the shop floor where the pots n'pans were made. Very surreal - Rob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I didn't think it too bad, it just sounded to me as if he had only been given two minutes warning he had to read it out and it was his first attempt at reading it.
Fortunately, maybe, I have no idea who Carol Klein is. :lol:

 

[John Brown]

Not quite what this thread is about but kind of related and I feel the need to share in the hope it will help me calm down after something my son yesterday.

I have 2 sons aged 10 and 12, same as other kids their age they often use Americanisms like diaper or sidewalk, It does annoy me, I sometimes try to correct them but they don't see the problem.

Yesterday I was left with my head in my hands when my eldest son who has a cold announced "My nose is running like a faucet."

I think a YouTube ban is in order for them.

I believe faucet is an old English word.
But anyway, what with Johnson, Trump and Putin, I've got worse things to worry about than a few American words. Of course, the fact that I have an American wife, three American stepdaughters and five grandchildren, who all use some American words or pronunciations, could be relevant.

 

[Vann]

I've been watching quite a few youtube clips on the Ukrainian war recently. I've noticed some strange pronunciations and strange repetition of words. I decided some commentators must be using computer generated voices.

However I'm not convinced that is the case with the Goth clip.

A when it comes to strange pronunciations - well, I'm a Kiwi so I'll get my coat....

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Lurker]

Not quite what this thread is about but kind of related and I feel the need to share in the hope it will help me calm down after something my son yesterday.

I have 2 sons aged 10 and 12, same as other kids their age they often use Americanisms like diaper or sidewalk, It does annoy me, I sometimes try to correct them but they don't see the problem.

Yesterday I was left with my head in my hands when my eldest son who has a cold announced "My nose is running like a faucet."

I think a YouTube ban is in order for them.

Sounds to me like let’s see who can wind dad up the most competition.

 

[Andy Kev.]

Some Americans say "aks". Just like some Brits say "free" instead of "three". I find the latter more painful, maybe because I'm British.
If you want weird phrasing and pauses, check out William F Buckley Jr.

"Aks" is an old southern English word for "ask" (which originally was more predominant in the north and eventually became the official version of the verb) and it still survives in some southern dialects. Emigrants from the south are likely to have taken it to America with them.

Quite a few Americanisms are preservations of things which have died out in British English.

Other Americanisms represent direct translations from other European languages or simple imports from other languages. Brits who are weak in their own language or who just want to sound trendy by using Americanisms tend to import them into English.

Examples: "Hej" is Swedish for "hello". Descendants of Swedish emigrants used it in their English and then it became mainstream and quite a few Brits are now using it. It is of course there in English (from the Viking) but it's use was always more exclamatory e.g. "Hey! You there! What are you doing?"

"Meet with" as in "I met with him" seems to be a direct translation of the German "treffen mit". Because German emigrants were used to the preposition mit = with, they just translated it into English. Of course in British English there is no preposition. However, linguistically weak people in the media adopted it and now it is widespread.

 

[Andy Kev.]

I didn't think it too bad, it just sounded to me as if he had only been given two minutes warning he had to read it out and it was his first attempt at reading it.
Fortunately, maybe, I have no idea who Carol Klein is. :lol:

It never ceases to amaze me how people see things so differently. Naturally I believe you when you say you don't think it too bad. For me it is almost painful.

My point is not his pronunciation - he has tried his best with Polish and German words - but rather his (to me) wholly unnatural speech rhythms.

Consider, for instance the simple phrase, "See you in the morning". The stress is on the final word. He would put the stress any of the three middle words, presumably as he sees fit. He uses these unnatural stresses in nearly every sentence. I'm not talking about Oxford English or Received Pronunciation here: I'm talking about normal English speech rhythms.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. A normal speech rhythm is expected from experienced newsreaders etc. but is difficult to achieve for most people on the first reading of something.

Your point is not pronunciation? Poor choice of thread title, then. :lol:

 

[tracerman]

Firstly apologies if this has already been mentioned ;

When my parents moved us from Bristol to southampton in 1956 , Dad was the station chemist in the old Southampton power station . As a scientific bod , he hated hearing the word research pronounced ree-search . Its not , research is one word . ( I doubt the French say Ree - cherches ) .

Next door to the power station was the open-air swimming pool referred to locally as the Lydo and Dad was always at pains to point out that it should be pronounced "leedo " as the Romans would have done .

Who started this trend of starting a scentence with " so" ?

Annoyed of Southampton .

 

[Woodbloke]

Who started this trend of starting a scentence with " so" ?

Annoyed of Southampton .

A current trend which I find intensely irritating :evil: - Rob

 

[Tiresias]

Who started this trend of starting a scentence with " so" ?

Annoyed of Southampton .

‘So shaken are we, so wan with care’. Henry IV Pt1.

You may have heard of the playwright.

‘So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep: and like a giant refreshed with wine.’ Psalm 76.

But I know what you mean – ‘so’ being used as a sort of linguistic placeholder much as umms and ahhs and well are used, whilst the speaker is thinking out what to say. I can think of some politicians whose verbal run up is the equivalent to starting from the boundary rope.

John Skelton (16C?). I seem to remember a poem where several consecutive lines begin with ‘so’.

And (there’s another one, starting a sentence with a conjunction), I’m just being mischievous. So please forgive my frivolity.

 

[RogerS]

....Am I being over sensitive?

In a word....possibly ! I didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the way that he spoke TBH.

What I find much more grating is the way a lot of women speak these days ...either with the Aussie interrogative rise at the end of each sentence or those that sound like a gerbil being castrated with a very blunt and rusty razor blade. Many American women fall into this second category.

 

[Woodbloke]

....Am I being over sensitive?

In a word....possibly ! I didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the way that he spoke TBH.

What I find much more grating is the way a lot of women speak these days ...either with the Aussie interrogative rise at the end of each sentence..

You can lay the blame fairly and squarely on 'Neighbours' for that misdemeanour; thank God it's been kicked into the long grass. KM was tolerable though - Rob

 

[RogerS]

I think that the soaps have been responsible for many of the woes in todays society. The odd times I have happened to dip in while punching through the channels, shouting and aggressive confrontational behaviour seems to be the 'norm'.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

As a survivor of Junior Latin, I find it intolerable that the proper Latin and Greek endings are so mis-pronounced. "Funjai" being a particularly irksome lingual laziness. As for "a criteria", well it tempts me to fracture the sixth commandment.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. Latin words ending in "i" pronounced "aye"............. the same as words ending in "ae"

Pedants are we. :lol:

 

[Lurker]

....Am I being over sensitive?

In a word....possibly ! I didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the way that he spoke TBH.

What I find much more grating is the way a lot of women speak these days ...either with the Aussie interrogative rise at the end of each sentence..

You can lay the blame fairly and squarely on 'Neighbours' for that misdemeanour; thank God it's been kicked into the long grass. KM was tolerable though - Rob

Skippy was even worse!
How anyone realised someone was trapped in a mineshaft was unbelievable, given his poor diction.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Pedants are we. :lol:

And deeply proud to be bastions of a proper education, and thereby, consequent unambiguous communication.

Think of this: there are two types of tube attached to the bladder. Their spellings differ by one letter and a transposition. Imagine the possible repercussions if a typist educated strictly, or even partially by soshul meja and street lingua franca was entering the consultant's dictated notes for transmission to the surgical team. :shock:
Look up the anatomy. Wrongful "palliative" resection just does not bear thinking about.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sub titles can be a great source of amusement ............... or offence. A newsreader's name was sub titled on Talk TV the other day as Nasty Kafir.

 

[Andy Kev.]

As a survivor of Junior Latin, I find it intolerable that the proper Latin and Greek endings are so mis-pronounced. "Funjai" being a particularly irksome lingual laziness. As for "a criteria", well it tempts me to fracture the sixth commandment.

Criteria is clearly the plural and I've always taken criterium to be the singular (I have no Latin). What then does "criterion" mean? The ending looks Greek but I have no Greek either.

To get back to the YouTube ... try to think of a mild term ... ah yes, moron, here's an example of what his problem is. Consider this famous quote:

Now is the winter of our discontent made summer by this bright sun of York.

In terms of where you put the emphasis, it's a thespian's playground. Try it yourself and see which words you instinctively stress (and I stress "instinctively" as opposed to thought out).

My version is:

Now is the winter of our discontent made summer by this bright sun of York.

If I did the thought out version, I can see another couple of possibilites. For instance, I might want to stress "sun". (I also noticed that I stressed only the "tent" bit of discontent.)

Let's consider our internet boy. Because he seems to have great problems turning language which goes in through the eyes into something which comes out of the mouth in a half normal way, I wouldn't be surprised at something like:

Now is the winter of our discontent made summer by this bright sun of York.

That sentence alone is a stress mangler's dream. I daren't think what he might have made of one of Churchill's more rousing wartime speeches. In fact, I can't bring myself to consider it.

 

[Andy Kev.]

Sub titles can be a great source of amusement ............... or offence. A newsreader's name was sub titled on Talk TV the other day as Nasty Kafir.

Are you sure they weren't just quoting a fatwa?

 

[tracerman]

In the original script of the play , Richard , Duke of Gloucester , ( later to be King Richard III ) is saying - " Now is the winter of our discontent ,made glorious summer by this sun of york " . Shakespear has written SUN , not SON . He is jealous of Edward the 4th and Edward's lifestyle and persons seeing Edward as as a ray of sunshine . Gloucester is portrayed by Shakespeare as a hunchback and unattractive . An actor will emphasise the SUN word in a sarcastic way . Edward was of the House of York .

Steve

 

[tracerman]

Andy Kev - I think I was brought up to realise that very many words in our Language have their origins in Latin , French and German plus a bit of Viking thrown in . Another beef I have that Proper Nouns should be pronounced in the manner in which they are pronounced in their place of origin . For example why would anyone call LLanelli " lanelly , making no attempt whatsoever at a bit of Welsh . I find it disappointing .

By the way , when I was about ten , I used to pass a car sales place on the bus ( in Southampton ) which had a sign saying " Criterion for Citroen .

Steve

 

[Trevanion]

Another beef I have that Proper Nouns should be pronounced in the manner in which they are pronounced in their place of origin . For example why would anyone call LLanelli " lanelly , making no attempt whatsoever at a bit of Welsh . I find it disappointing .

It can be difficult for non-native Welsh speakers to pronounce words with Ll or Ch, mainly because as far as I'm aware there are no other words in the English language that use similar pronunciations. If you have never used that part of your throat for communication it can be a bit of a learning curve. Commonly I've heard "Llangwm" (Llahn-goom) pronounced as Langham, "Crymych" (Cry-myckh) as Crimitch, "Croesgoch" (Croys-gockh) as Crossgotch... and numerous others.

 

[Andy Kev.]

Tracerman, I agree that it is courteous to pronounce foreign proper nouns in the foreign way. The exception is probably where we have a pronunciation which deviates from the local version e.g. we have Munich for München. The only language where I don't behave in this respect is French, which I tend to pronounce according to English conventions because it amuses me, although I never have and never would do that in the presence of a Frenchman or Frenchwoman as I would not wish to offend them.

Trevanion, I don't think that many non-Welsh speakers would have difficulty with the "ll" sound. It's just a matter of getting the back of the tongue a bit higher in the mouth. The "ch" in the Scottish "loch" is similar. The problem with the other names you list is that unfortunately the average English speaker will have no clue as to the pronunciations from the spelling. The polite thing is probably to ask at the earliest opportunity.