Which mispronunciations drive us mad?

I HAVE tried several times to draw pronunciation errors to the BBC’s attention (Letters) but have not received the courtesy of a reply. While I accept that language is dynamic, sadly we appear to be influenced by the Americans and use their incorrect pronunciation of some words — ‘kilometre’, for example. The American kil-OM-etre, with emphasis incorrectly placed on the second syllable, is now used around the world. As I try to explain, if kil-OM-etre is correct, then centimetre and millimetre would have to be cent-IM-etre and mill-IM-etre, and we would ask for a kil-OG-ram of potatoes. It is shameful that university-educated BBC news presenters on six-figure salaries should show their ignorance in this by following the Americans. Have they no pride?

Dr DAVID HILL, Mevagissey, Cornwall.

HUW EDWARDS’S commentary on the Queen’s funeral was dignified and masterful but I have one quibble: he kept pronouncing the definite article as though it was followed by a vowel: ‘thee Palace’, ‘thee coffin’, ‘thee procession’.

GRAHAM TAYLOR, Witney, Oxon.

ACCORDING to various reference sources, Mrs M. Raine (Letters) is wrong and the word subsidence is pronounced sub-SAI-dence. It is an extension of the word subside (and you don’t pronounce that ‘subsid’).

GREGORY BROWN, East Barnet, North London.

BOTH ways to pronounce ‘subsidence’ are correct but the OED puts sub-SAI-dence first, probably as it is clearly related to the word subside.

HELEN ROBERTSON, Beaminster, Dorset.

WHY does everybody seem to pronounce words that end with a ‘g’ as if they ended with a ‘k’?

TINA ROWLEY, Saltburn, N. Yorks.