Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Those hard to pronounce words
I always thought that John Redwood's problem with the Welsh National Anthem was not that he did not know the words but that he tried to sing along to it anyway and in the process devalued and mocked it. Make your own mind up here.
It may have been a bit harsh therefore for a letter writer in yesterday's South Wales Evening Post to compare Ed Miliband to the former Welsh Secretary, just because he has difficulty correctly pronouncing Llanelli. After all the Labour leader is neither a Welsh MP, a Minister or Shadow Minister with specific responsibility for Wales, or Welsh.
Mr. Lewis writes: I wonder how many of your readers will agree with me that until Wednesday the Assembly election had been rather lacklustre.
That is until Labour leader Mr Miliband came to Llanelli and in an instant we had a ''John Redwood'' moment.
I'm sure those who were watching the event on the news will have noticed how when talking to one lady, he suddenly stopped referring to "Llanelli" and changed it to "your town".
The pronunciation of this old, illustrious town's name was obviously too much for him.
Mr. Miliband appears to have found an acceptable alternative to trying to deliver a word he has difficulty with. At least he didn't try and hum it whilst rolling his eyes around with undisguised disdain.
It may have been a bit harsh therefore for a letter writer in yesterday's South Wales Evening Post to compare Ed Miliband to the former Welsh Secretary, just because he has difficulty correctly pronouncing Llanelli. After all the Labour leader is neither a Welsh MP, a Minister or Shadow Minister with specific responsibility for Wales, or Welsh.
Mr. Lewis writes: I wonder how many of your readers will agree with me that until Wednesday the Assembly election had been rather lacklustre.
That is until Labour leader Mr Miliband came to Llanelli and in an instant we had a ''John Redwood'' moment.
I'm sure those who were watching the event on the news will have noticed how when talking to one lady, he suddenly stopped referring to "Llanelli" and changed it to "your town".
The pronunciation of this old, illustrious town's name was obviously too much for him.
Mr. Miliband appears to have found an acceptable alternative to trying to deliver a word he has difficulty with. At least he didn't try and hum it whilst rolling his eyes around with undisguised disdain.
Comments:
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"It may have been a bit harsh therefore for a letter writer in yesterday's South Wales Evening Post to compare Ed Miliband to the former Welsh Secretary, just because he has difficulty correctly pronouncing Llanelli. After all the Labour leader is neither a Welsh MP, a Minister or Shadow Minister with specific responsibility for Wales, or Welsh."
Bet he could pronounce "Srebrenica" properly.
Bet he could pronounce "Srebrenica" properly.
# posted by 
: 7:21 AM
: 7:21 AM
There are lots of placenames in the UK which are pronounced in a particular way by locals, this is unfair on miliband, I feel.
Anyway, if his ability to pronounce our placenames is under question, why isn't the dreadful versions used by non-arriva trains also under attack? That said, I'm especially fond of 'Berry Island', 'Lie-van' and, of course, 'Loynwhoopee-a'. Oh, and oddly, 'Penarth' is done in a very plummy sort of a way ....
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Anyway, if his ability to pronounce our placenames is under question, why isn't the dreadful versions used by non-arriva trains also under attack? That said, I'm especially fond of 'Berry Island', 'Lie-van' and, of course, 'Loynwhoopee-a'. Oh, and oddly, 'Penarth' is done in a very plummy sort of a way ....
# posted by : 1:56 AM
: 1:56 AM<< Home
