Poor diction by radio presenters

Paddyed

I love the radio. Generally switch between Newstalk, Radio One and Today FM. However the general standard of proper pronunciation and grammar can be jaw droppingly bad. I just listened to "Sahurday" Matt Cooper hatcheting his t/h words before passing over to Ian Guider who along with murdering his t/h's, also pronounces many words beginning with t/h as "v". Vis means vat ve turty tree teatres vat are located... Its astounding and shocking that a national broadcaster doesn't insist on minimum standards for its presenters.

kneemos

God save and protect us from perfect speech. People speak in accordance to where they're from and as long as they're easily understandable all is well.

The real issue is the lack of regional accents on our national broadcasters.

ford fiesta

kneemos wrote: »

The real issue is the lack of regional accents on our national broadcasters.

do you actually enjoy listening to jacqui hurley on rte sport?

kneemos

ford fiesta wrote: »

do you actually enjoy listening to jacqui hurley on rte sport?

Don't mind in the least. Never noticed her accent till you mentioned it in fact.

Perfect diction belongs to 1950's BBC announcers and nobody else.

ford fiesta

ford fiesta wrote: »

do you actually enjoy listening to jacqui hurley on rte sport?

I come from Tipperary, and I've never noticed her accent. I don't know where she's from I assume she must be from my neck of the woods. And we have a very mellifluous accent in Tipp.

I agree with kneemos, the idea of some kind of Irish RP seems intolerable. Old clips of Irish radio broadcasters from the 1950s make them sound almost foolish. The Dart accent is bad enough to contend with.

Long live the regional accent.

dxhound2005

The last time I heard the word "because" on the BBC was in the 1980's. Everyone, including the Oxbridge educated say "cos". And they all say gonna instead of going to.

It doesn't bother me, because it is just natural speech.

johnire

The newsreader on Today FM-Niall Colbert-is absolutely atrocious.
He replaces all t’s with a d.........forty becomes fordy etc etc.

dobman88

ford fiesta wrote: »

do you actually enjoy listening to jacqui hurley on rte sport?

Yep, best presenter by a country mile too. Really wish she would replace Des Cahill on the Sunday game but I'll tune in to Jacqui when shes on radio sports all the time.

dobman88

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I come from Tipperary, and I've never noticed her accent. I don't know where she's from I assume she must be from my neck of the woods. And we have a very mellifluous accent in Tipp.

I agree with kneemos, the idea of some kind of Irish RP seems intolerable. Old clips of Irish radio broadcasters from the 1950s make them sound almost foolish. The Dart accent is bad enough to contend with.

Long live the regional accent.

Shes from Cork and doesn't even have a thick cork accent.

dobman88

dobman88 wrote: »

Shes from Cork and doesn't even have a thick cork accent.

Is that so? I'm surprised to hear that, I'd never have placed that accent as being Cork.

I wonder if she's from close to the Limerick or Tipp borders of Cork, as her accent is almost indistinguishable from down my way, although she does sometimes pronounce a short 'O' (where the O in 'Cork' s pronounced like the O in 'Hot')

I still think she has a fine accent. Would listen to her over Tubridy or Kathryn Thomas (Carlow, really?) any day.

whiterebel

Its nothing to do with accent, its just lazy. How these people can be editors of newspapers and yet butcher the language is beyond me.

ford fiesta

Why does Jacqui (and a few other presenters) pronounce RTE as AAAreTE?

ford fiesta

ford fiesta wrote: »

Why does Jacqui (and a few other presenters) pronounce RTE as AAAreTE?

That's how you correctly articulate the letter R in Irish.

Lots of people still say the letter R like that, probably an historical artifact of Hiberno English.

It's an Irish initialism, so strictly speaking we should probably go one step further and say "Arr Tee Ay" (Ay to rhyme with Hay).

Jellybaby1

whiterebel wrote: »

Its nothing to do with accent, its just lazy. How these people can be editors of newspapers and yet butcher the language is beyond me.

This subject has been discussed several times before on Boards. Yes, I agree, it is lazy, they can't be bothered to use correct pronunciation. My schoolteacher taught us proper spelling, proper grammar and proper pronunciation. When I previously suggested on Boards that perhaps teachers don't teach that any more I was corrected. So if it is still taught, why don't the presenters use it? It must be because they are lazy, and RTE don't seem to have any standards at all. I notice however, that presenters will always fall towards Americanisms, which is just the worst way of speaking, but they'd rather do that than, God forbid, they should sound like a BBC presenter, shock, horror!!!! :rolleyes: It doesn't matter what accent a person has, but there is such a thing a correct pronunciation whatever your accent. Pat Kenny uses proper English.

kneemos

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

This subject has been discussed several times before on Boards. Yes, I agree, it is lazy, they can't be bothered to use correct pronunciation. My schoolteacher taught us proper spelling, proper grammar and proper pronunciation. When I previously suggested on Boards that perhaps teachers don't teach that any more I was corrected. So if it is still taught, why don't the presenters use it? It must be because they are lazy, and RTE don't seem to have any standards at all. I notice however, that presenters will always fall towards Americanisms, which is just the worst way of speaking, but they'd rather do that than, God forbid, they should sound like a BBC presenter, shock, horror!!!! :rolleyes: It doesn't matter what accent a person has, but there is such a thing a correct pronunciation whatever your accent. Pat Kenny uses proper English.

No such thing as "proper english". You wouldn't expect someone from Liverpool,Cork or the east end of London to all speak the same would you?
Americans also speak correct english despite your snobbish disapproval.

We should embrace all variations in speech and not be hung up on one upper class twit version of our colonial masters.
Love Pat Kenny,but there are those that say he sounds rather affected, that's fine however.

punisher5112

What pees me off is gawwrda as Garda..... God it's annoying.

plodder

Regional accents are fine, but I draw the line at tirty tree, and fort, fift, and sixt. That's just lazy.

Having said that, it is amusing to listen back to broadcasts even from the 80's where the BBC standard accent was still in vogue here as well.

This just reminds me as well, in our house we are increasingly finding we have to switch on sub-titles on Netflix and it's not just us relative old fogies. If anything, the younger ones seem to accept indistinct mumbling as standard now from everything out of Hollywood and sub-titles are switched on permanently for them.

Paddyed

It is utterly unrelated to accents. I never said a word about it against accents. I like accents. They make life more interesting. This is about lazy, stupid mispronunciation by people who should know better. Dis, dat, tink, Sahurday, vose, fink, vere were all uttered in a short period by educated people on national radio. Seriously, that's just lazy, crass and careless. It sounds rotten and in my opinion dilutes the persuasiveness and credibility of the ideas and opinions of the speaker.

kneemos

Paddyed wrote: »

It is utterly unrelated to accents. I never said a word about it against accents. I like accents. They make life more interesting. This is about lazy, stupid mispronunciation by people who should know better. Dis, dat, tink, Sahurday, vose, fink, vere were all uttered in a short period by educated people on national radio. Seriously, that's just lazy, crass and careless. It sounds rotten and in my opinion dilutes the persuasiveness and credibility of the ideas and opinions of the speaker.

Prefer they sounded natural and comfortable tbh.

Utopia Parkway

Paddyed wrote: »

It is utterly unrelated to accents. I never said a word about it against accents. I like accents. They make life more interesting. This is about lazy, stupid mispronunciation by people who should know better. Dis, dat, tink, Sahurday, vose, fink, vere were all uttered in a short period by educated people on national radio.

But all those pronunciations are a consequence of various Irish regional accents. That's how people speak English on our island. Some stronger than others obviously.

glaswegian

Bregzit,could our university educated current affairs correspondents learn how to pronounce it properly,after all they're paid handsomely to do so.

dxhound2005

glaswegian wrote: »

Bregzit,could our university educated current affairs correspondents learn how to pronounce it properly,after all they're paid handsomely to do so.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2017/jun/27/brexit-breggsit-how-you-pronounce

So, what’s going on? As any phonetician will tell you, part of what separates the sounds “g” and “k” is an accompanying vibration of the vocal cords. It’s there in “g”, but absent in “k”, which are labelled voiced and voiceless consonants, or stops, as a result (you can feel this if you place a finger on your adam’s apple while saying “agah” or “akah”). In Breggsit, the vibration carries over into the “s” too, turning it into its voiced counterpart, “z”. Next time someone pulls you up on it, tell them you have taken back control of your intervocalic velar stops and they’ll almost certainly leave you alone.

People complaining about natural speech annoy me. If I was counting out loud from 40 to 50, they would insist that I enunciate For tee one, For tee two and so on. That would wear out your tongue in short order.

dxhound2005

dxhound2005 wrote: »

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2017/jun/27/brexit-breggsit-how-you-pronounce

So, what’s going on? As any phonetician will tell you, part of what separates the sounds “g” and “k” is an accompanying vibration of the vocal cords. It’s there in “g”, but absent in “k”, which are labelled voiced and voiceless consonants, or stops, as a result (you can feel this if you place a finger on your adam’s apple while saying “agah” or “akah”). In Breggsit, the vibration carries over into the “s” too, turning it into its voiced counterpart, “z”. Next time someone pulls you up on it, tell them you have taken back control of your intervocalic velar stops and they’ll almost certainly leave you alone.

Only in The Guardian, or should I say The Grauniad! As if Brexit isn’t already a mighty f*ck up, we need to be worried about its pronunciation? Oh yeah, of course we should.

It’s the same as someone printing Mein Kampf (back in the day!) being worried about a misaligned typesetting by the compositor - never mind about the implications of the words themselves.

99problems1

kneemos wrote: »

No such thing as "proper english". You wouldn't expect someone from Liverpool,Cork or the east end of London to all speak the same would you?
Americans also speak correct english despite your snobbish disapproval.

We should embrace all variations in speech and not be hung up on one upper class twit version of our colonial masters.
Love Pat Kenny,but there are those that say he sounds rather affected, that's fine however.

Yes there is.

I would be ok with a Liverpool accent but if they started going on like "yiz are all bleedin' mental up da end" - no thanks.

99problems1

If you want regional accents, listen to regional radio. The same crowd wanting proper speech and diction gone and say it doesn't matter are probably the same crowd who think mick wallace is great for dressing like a bum in the dail.

Guy:Incognito

The very least the people reading the sports could do is know how to pronounce the names of sports people/competitions/stadiums etc. Half the time on some stations it comes across like they are seeing these words for the first time ever and just had the script dropped in front of them as they go on air. Do they not have even a quick read through beforehand?

As to the op, nothing wrong with expecting people who's whole job is talking on the radio to speak properly.

Portsalon

And all of them - no matter what hamlet in Ballymackarsewhole they're originally from - should be able to pronounce the simple word "any" correctly!

It isn't pronounced "annie"! :mad:

TheRiverman

There are two people on RTE who have distinct accents from where they come and also have perfect pronunciation and grammar.They are Meteotologists Michelle Dillon from West Clare and Gerry Murphy from Monaghan.They are both excellent and should be an example to anyone who works in front of a TV camera or is on Radio.
There is one word that I am convinced is pronounced incorrectly almost everytime time I hear it on Radio and TV,it is "statistics".I am sure I hear "satistics"no matter what TV or Radio station it is.

dxhound2005

I have heard Gerry talking about Eggs Tremely strong winds, instead of X Tremely. Doesn't bother me, but would disqualify him from the airwaves for some here.

screamer

I do agree, can’t stand bad diction. However even worse than lazy pronunciation is over pronunciation..... RTE becomes ORTE etc. froust instead of frost..... drives me demented.

Comhrá

Brian Dobson says "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" Where did he get that from?

newcavanman

Paddyed wrote: »

I love the radio. Generally switch between Newstalk, Radio One and Today FM. However the general standard of proper pronunciation and grammar can be jaw droppingly bad. I just listened to "Sahurday" Matt Cooper hatcheting his t/h words before passing over to Ian Guider who along with murdering his t/h's, also pronounces many words beginning with t/h as "v". Vis means vat ve turty tree teatres vat are located... Its astounding and shocking that a national broadcaster doesn't insist on minimum standards for its presenters.

Is this another thinly veiled unwarranted attack on the legend that is, Ray Darcy?

Jellybaby1

kneemos wrote: »

No such thing as "proper english". You wouldn't expect someone from Liverpool,Cork or the east end of London to all speak the same would you?
Americans also speak correct english despite your snobbish disapproval.

We should embrace all variations in speech and not be hung up on one upper class twit version of our colonial masters.
Love Pat Kenny,but there are those that say he sounds rather affected, that's fine however.

I am not a snob. I don't care how the majority of the population speak but if you are paid a five, or six figure sum per year to read the news or the sports news or present a TV or Radio programme, then yes indeed I expect better English to be delivered. If you pay bus drivers to drive a bus load of passengers you expect them to drive properly. You are not allowed to drive the Kerry way, or the Donegal way, you have to drive the correct way. Of course there is proper English, just like there is proper Irish, or perhaps not as even Irish is butchered as well. How about this YT video about pronunciation then, and the second one is supposed to be an apology but really isn't and discusses accents as opposed to pronunciation. Its supposed to be 'tongue-in-cheek' but has a good point, in my humble opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHZwOqLrF2M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk_R6P8eSf8

Adiaga 2

Comhra wrote: »

Brian Dobson says "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" Where did he get that from?

Homer Simpson?

Duggie2012

presenters that call Macklemore....Mackelmore. its fcking Macklemore. can you not pronounce it right or wha.

Muller1991

johnire wrote: »

The newsreader on Today FM-Niall Colbert-is absolutely atrocious.
He replaces all t’s with a d.........forty becomes fordy etc etc.

If its the same newsreader I'm thinking of I immediately turn the dial his voice goes from high to low to high again with certain words and there is no meaning for it whatsoever , He emphasizes the wrong words ala Ron Burgundy.

For Forks Sake

Comhra wrote: »

Brian Dobson says "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" Where did he get that from?

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

Trick of the Tail

Comhra wrote: »

Brian Dobson says "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" Where did he get that from?

That drives me mad!

kneemos

Pronunciation is evolutionary. To be concerned about current trends is futile.

bobbyss

I hate the dis and dats of people like joe duffy. I hate J Hurley and her HARSE racing. How did she pass the diction exam at AAAARR TE? I hate Matt Cooper saying words like truth and telling us what the latest noose is. I hate GAA people (seems endemic there) who answer every question 'Lookit' or 'Listen'. I hate the bloody cork accent. Is that Brendan O'Carrol from there? Hate that accent. It's a bit of an embarrassment really.

dxhound2005

Comhra wrote: »

Brian Dobson says "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" Where did he get that from?

Good explanation here.

Brendan Bendar

bobbyss wrote: »

I hate the dis and dats of people like joe duffy. I hate J Hurley and her HARSE racing. How did she pass the diction exam at AAAARR TE? I hate Matt Cooper saying words like truth and telling us what the latest noose is. I hate GAA people (seems endemic there) who answer every question 'Lookit' or 'Listen'. I hate the bloody cork accent. Is that Brendan O'Carrol from there? Hate that accent. It's a bit of an embarrassment really.

With you all the way Bob.... Lookit... getting out of hand.

Jaqui has the harshest voice I have ever heard south of the border.

Croke Paaaaaark.

endofrainbow

I hate how Nuala Carey says 'Chicargo' there's no R in it ������

Anus Von Skidmark

I wish someone would teach the AA Roadwatch ladies how to pronounce the 'ou' in 'south' and 'roundabout'. Round shouldn't rhyme with 'bind'.

Brendan Bendar

endofrainbow wrote: »

I hate how Nuala Carey says 'Chicargo' there's no R in it ������

Ah, yes, that’s a real Dub one, throw in the ‘r’ when it’s not there.

Lost count of the number of times I have seen ‘larger” instead of ‘lager’ on off licence ad.boards.

As the Dub said in the pub “ O’iim gauin to Chi-cargo on Orgust to visit moi doherter!!”

. You couldn’t make it up.

Anus Von Skidmark

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Ah, yes, that’s a real Dub one, throw in the ‘r’ when it’s not there.

Lost count of the number of times I have seen ‘larger” instead of ‘lager’ on off licence ad.boards.

As the Dub said in the pub “ O’iim gauin to Chicargo on Orgust to visit moi doherter!!”

. You couldn’t make it up.

Was he from Chapelizard?

Brendan Bendar

Anus Von Skidmark wrote: »

Was he from Chapelizard?

No, Fizzboro.....:D

dxhound2005

It's caused by the same phenomenon mentioned in the video I posted viz. expected pronunciation. That example was the word Mischievous.

Not many English words would have Cago or Lizod as an element, whereas Cargo and Lizard are well known. Chicago is a French version of a very odd Native American word. The Chicargo pronunciation is not confined to Irish people by any means.

the_pen_turner

what annoys me during the obituaries is when they cannot pronounce the names of the townslands in their own area. its not that hard. if your unsure ask someone and not butcher the name.

Brendan Bendar

Anus Von Skidmark wrote: »

I wish someone would teach the AA Roadwatch ladies how to pronounce the 'ou' in 'south' and 'roundabout'. Round shouldn't rhyme with 'bind'.

And also that ‘Cork’ is ‘Cork’ not ‘Coe-erk’.

Thanking you!

Say Your Number

I often wonder how people that get deeply upset by this type of thing manage to survive when they're out in the real world.