Oh my word!

Ihave often said that I have no argument with the accent people use when talking. The spoken word is often given colour and character when delivered with a colloquial twang.

There is, of course, quite a difference between words uttered in a Scottish, a Northumbrian or a Bristolian accent. Again, I accept that. Who am I to tell people how to speak?

However, differences in accents does not excuse words being mispronounced.

Words mangled by ignorance or slurred by laziness is a bugbear for me. And it is a widespread affliction, no matter what accent is used.

Take the word probably. It is not probally, or probly, or prolly. Nuclear should not be uttered as nucular. It is barbed wire, not barb wire. A prescription is not a persciption.

Excetera should not be said when et cetera is intended. Clothes are not cloze. Specific requires an S at the start. It is not pacific. Sixth needs the “th” sound. It is not sixt. The colour mauve is pronounced mowv, not mawv.

Cavalry is not calvary. An affidavit is not an affadavid. Masonry is not masonary.

Library and February are not libary and Febary. Business is not bidness. An athlete is not an athelete, and a triathlon is not a triathalon.

Often, pronunciation stumbles are due to silent letters – it can be tricky to know when to include them and when to leave them out. You’ll find many who say Wensday, but to my mind it needs the D. But don’t sound the L in almond. And Arctic is not pronounced artick.

Schedule has a “shed” sound to start. Not sked. It is ostensibly not ostensively, and percolate not perculate. Perspire, not pespire. Utmost, not upmost. Prerogative, not perogative. And, similarly, prostate cancer not prostrate cancer.

Silicone is what breast implants are made of. Silicon is what computer chips are made of. These things are not interchangeable.

I think I’ve heard sherbet being mispronounced as sherbert for most of my life. And there is something quite enjoyable in writing: isn’t isn’t idn’t and wasn’t isn’t wadn’t.

My ex-RAF father’s pet hate was lieutenant given as loo-tenant instead of leftenant. You can blame American TV cop shows for that one.

My own pet hate is mute, when people are trying to say “a moot point” (I always suspect they’ve also got the meaning wrong).

Lastly, at the end of the alphabet (unless you’re from Arkansas) please don’t say zee when you mean zed. Or zee-bra when you mean zeb-rah.

STEVE FINAN IN DEFENCE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE