Why it’s all right to not talk proper
SEVERAL correspondents have criticised pronunciation by TV presenters, suggesting anything other than received pronunciation (RP) is incorrect. In fact, estimates put the number of RP speakers as low as 3 per cent of the population. Though there is a need for a prescriptive convention for the written word, it is unreasonable to state there should be a single way to pronounce words. Do we really want accents to disappear? Why can’t we celebrate and enjoy the gradual softening of vowels as we travel from the Midlands to the South West? The glottalisation (or dropping) of the ‘t’ sound in ‘water’ is not lazy or wrong. It is simply a feature of a different accent, not an inferior one, and as such is no less valid. The spoken word as we know it is derived from a combination of Celtic, Germanic, Latin and French. No wonder we have such a rich and varied language and variation in pronunciation. Would the detractors have us still speak as in Shakespearean times? Language is a constantly changing entity as new words are absorbed and older ones fall out of fashion. It is no different with pronunciation. Some object to the influence of EastEnders, and TV has had a marked effect on the way in which accents have spread. The unique vocabularies and accents of different regions are less locally bound as we become an increasingly mobile and culturally diverse population. The primary function of language is to make ourselves understood. By criticising TV presenters for their perceived mispronunciation, it is clear the complainants have understood the meaning of what is being said, so what is the problem? KAREN CARTWRIGHT,
redditch, Worcs. THE letter ‘t’ is now missing from so many words, eg. ‘e doesn’ ma-er’ (it doesn’t matter), that with the ‘errant errs’ (Letters), I think a new language is on its way.
M. DOYLE, Southend-on-Sea, essex. WHY do TV companies employ continuity announcers with unintelligible regional accents? The worst culprit tells us Coronation Street will be back in ‘haffen oar’.
DAVID PITT, Boxley, Kent. MY PET hate is homage pronounced as ‘homarge’ and variations such as ‘old arge’, ‘sausarge’ and ‘luggarge’. ALAN RICHARDSON,
Blackpool, Lancs. SOMEONE should tell self-satisfied newsreaders, TV presenters and socalled experts that the word ‘Brexit’ does not include the letter ‘g’.
KEITH HUGHES, exeter, Devon.