Now I need to have a rant but I obviously need to set some boundaries at the start. This rant does not apply to tourists, or those new to Australia, or any new area within the borders, or even people on Telethon (assuming that still happens) - it is aimed squarely at the media and those who should know better.I am tired of people mispronouncing place names. This specifically applies to places in WA because now that I am on the east coast I more aware of how many times it happens. Journalists have as much responsibly to double check pronunciation as much as to ensure the accuracy of spellings of names or other details of their stories.
On top of my list is Albany (the "al" is pronounced as in 'pal' not 'mall'). Then there is Bunbury in which is said 'bun-bree' not 'bun-b-u-ree. And the favorite for getting it wrong - Mandurah which is said 'man-j-ra'. Today I heard the most famous fish and chip shop in the state Cicerellos (as in Siserellos) called Chiserellos!
Now some place names I can sort of understand (the small village of Cowaramup which is pronounced 'cwaramup' or the indigenous community of Wangkatjungka pronounced 'wonka-jonka') but all you need to do is ask someone who knows (ring the local council for example)and not come up with your own guess - especially if you are in the media - and yes this includes those in the ABC.
I am stepping off my soapbox now.
6 comments:
i can safely say,
without a shadow of a doubt,
that this is one thing,
that i don't give a shit about.
lol
there are bigger communication barriers that mispronunciation.
just saying.
shit.
above comment was from Sammi.
sorry.
And you are so very right! (as usual)
Isn't it weird that the stuff that really irks us about others is usually really small stuff (when you think about the world as a whole).
I guess you can add this to those who get fussy about punctuation - especially apostrophes, the position of toilet seats, the use of fonts ... the list goes on :-)
Since I'd be considered a tourist (if I were there), then I guess I'd be safe from your rant. In USA, we pronounce Albany rhyming with "call". The only time it gets an "al" sound is if we're talking about Albania.
Of course, a lot of times it depends on where you're at within the country as to how a word/name is pronounced.
But I'm with you, it's the little things that set me off as well.
I agree, mg. Broadcasters are paid to get these things right. Err - how should you pronounce "Albany", though?
Ps: Love Alison's rhyme!
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