Nelson should ‘nose’ what a syllableis

WITH regard to Mr McCausland’s article about the pronunciation of Sandyknowes, he states that BBC presenters don’t have a problem with the first syllable, but some of them really do have a problem with the second.

He continues by saying that the second syllable should be pronounced ‘nows’, but some presenters seem to think that it should be pronounced ‘nose’.

However, it seems to me that Mr McCausland actually has a problem at a more elementary level — namely, not seeming to know what a syllable is.

‘Sandyknowes’ is, of course, a three-syllable word, and the syllable which he has a problem with is the third one, ‘knowes’, not the second one, which is ‘dy’.

How can we be expected to take seriously someone’s thoughts on language and pronunciation when they don’t even know what a syllable is?

GARETH McKEOWN By email