Silly Newsreader Mistakes
Frank C. Dauenhauer
I sent this to the group on 4/13, but have not seen it posted. I'll try
again.
---------------------------
On public radio you can hear almost every newsreader (except Bob Edwards)
and correspondent pronounce the word "envoy" as "ONvoy." To my (American)
ears, this means that a French pronunciation is being given to the first
half of the word, and an English to the second. If this word is truly
assimilated into English but can still be considered a French word, why
not
use either "ONVWAH" (all French) or "ENvoy" (all English)? By the way, the
same thing applies to the word "envelope."
Now I know that usage generally prevails in determining "rightness" or
"wrongness," but it seems to me this half-and-half business, especially in
the broadcasting trade, is just plain ignorant!
First, I'd like to ask the usage mavens if my impression is correct or
not,
and, second, is there a term that describes this sort of half-and-half
pronunciation, as when one pushes the "ONvelope" in demonstrating
knowledge
of the pronunciation of a foreign word, or gratuitously gives a foreign
pronunciation to a fully assimilated English word?
=============================================
Robert Lieblich wrote in article <334FC1...@erols.com>...
>
>> Does anybody have any favorite stories of dumb things newsreaders or
>> reporters have misread or mispronounced? >Bob Lieblich <lieblich@erols.c
om>
>
Peter Schultz
Speaking of half-and-half pronunciation, how about "per se" pronounced
"prr say". It seems to me if you want to use Latin pronunciation, you
should say "pear say," and if you want to anglicize it, it should be
"prr see."
But my favorite is the radio ad I heard for a seafood restaurant. They
had a special on "froots duh mare."
Philip Yarra
"Frank C. Dauenhauer" <daue...@vivanet.com> wrote:
[snip]
> is there a term that describes this sort of half-and-half
>pronunciation, as when one pushes the "ONvelope" in demonstrating
>knowledge
>of the pronunciation of a foreign word, or gratuitously gives a foreign
>pronunciation to a fully assimilated English word?
Philip Yarra replied:
Yep, it's called evolution of language. The existence of different
english dialects such as American, English, Australian, New Zealand is
further proof that language is living and evolving, not static and
defined in definitive texts (pardon my repitition).
Comments?
Robert Lieblich
Peter Schultz wrote:
>
> Speaking of half-and-half pronunciation, how about "per se" pronounced
> "prr say". It seems to me if you want to use Latin pronunciation, you
> should say "pear say," and if you want to anglicize it, it should be
> "prr see."
> But my favorite is the radio ad I heard for a seafood restaurant. They
> had a special on "froots duh mare."
> Frank C. Dauenhauer wrote:
> >
> > I sent this to the group on 4/13, but have not seen it posted. I'll try
> > again.
> > ---------------------------
> > On public radio you can hear almost every newsreader (except Bob Edwards)
> > and correspondent pronounce the word "envoy" as "ONvoy." To my (American)
> > ears, this means that a French pronunciation is being given to the first
> > half of the word, and an English to the second. If this word is truly
> > assimilated into English but can still be considered a French word, why
> > not
> > use either "ONVWAH" (all French) or "ENvoy" (all English)? By the way, the
> > same thing applies to the word "envelope."
> >
> > Now I know that usage generally prevails in determining "rightness" or
> > "wrongness," but it seems to me this half-and-half business, especially in
> > the broadcasting trade, is just plain ignorant!
> >
> > First, I'd like to ask the usage mavens if my impression is correct or
> > not,
> > and, second, is there a term that describes this sort of half-and-half
> > pronunciation, as when one pushes the "ONvelope" in demonstrating
> > knowledge
> > of the pronunciation of a foreign word, or gratuitously gives a foreign
> > pronunciation to a fully assimilated English word?
How about other fake French pronunciations for English words? "Valet" is
"varlet" spelled without the "r." It was a fully domesticated English word,
pronounced VAL-ett for many centuries. Then it came to be taken for a French
word and pronounced val-A (long a). In similar fashion the turbot, a fish
whose name was domesticated English, long pronounced TOUR-bot, is now tour-BO
(long o). The French have *never* said LAHN-zher-A (long a), unless mimicking
a hapless American. The word means "laundry."
It's reached the point where I'm afraid to use such words as valet. It's the
same situation as with "hopefully." No matter what you do, someone will think
you're wrong.
Bob Lieblich <lieb...@erols.com>
Alan Walker
In article <5iubgc$6f5$1...@news.vivanet.com>, "Frank C. Dauenhauer" <daue...@vivanet.com> says:
>
>I sent this to the group on 4/13, but have not seen it posted. I'll try
>again.
>---------------------------
>On public radio you can hear almost every newsreader (except Bob Edwards)
>and correspondent pronounce the word "envoy" as "ONvoy." To my (American)
>ears, this means that a French pronunciation is being given to the first
>half of the word, and an English to the second. If this word is truly
>assimilated into English but can still be considered a French word, why
>not
>use either "ONVWAH" (all French) or "ENvoy" (all English)? By the way, the
>same thing applies to the word "envelope."
>
>Now I know that usage generally prevails in determining "rightness" or
>"wrongness," but it seems to me this half-and-half business, especially in
>the broadcasting trade, is just plain ignorant!
>
>First, I'd like to ask the usage mavens if my impression is correct or
>not,
>and, second, is there a term that describes this sort of half-and-half
>pronunciation, as when one pushes the "ONvelope" in demonstrating
>knowledge
>of the pronunciation of a foreign word, or gratuitously gives a foreign
>pronunciation to a fully assimilated English word?
>Robert Lieblich wrote in article <334FC1...@erols.com>...
>>
>>> Does anybody have any favorite stories of dumb things newsreaders or
>>> reporters have misread or mispronounced? >Bob Lieblich <lieblich@erols.c
>om>
>>
I once heard an Australian Broadcasting Commission announcer say during
a classical music program that he was about to play a recording of "The
Bum of the Flightle Bee".
AW
Philip Yarra
cera...@mail.bendigo.net.au (Alan Walker) wrote:
>I once heard an Australian Broadcasting Commission announcer say during
>a classical music program that he was about to play a recording of "The
>Bum of the Flightle Bee".
>AW
P.Yarra - that's a beauty, and I think you're inviting an avalanche of
spoonerisms, which is not necesarily a bad thing.
Gary Williams, Business Services Accounting
> ...one pushes the "ONvelope" in demonstrating knowledge of the pronunciation
> of a foreign word, or gratuitously gives a foreign pronunciation to a fully
> assimilated English word?
I don't think whatever it is is confined to news announcers. My mother
pronounced "onvelope" with a very flat, midwestern e-, just as the word is
spelled. But when I got to school, I found that the teachers who used the more
open "ahnvelope" pronunciation seemed _so_ much more sophisticated.
Gary Williams
WILL...@AHECAS.AHEC.EDU
Stephen Heneghan
Robert Lieblich <lieb...@erols.com> wrote:
>How about other fake French pronunciations for English words? "Valet" is
>"varlet" spelled without the "r." It was a fully domesticated English word,
>pronounced VAL-ett for many centuries. Then it came to be taken for a French
>word and pronounced val-A (long a). In similar fashion the turbot, a fish
>whose name was domesticated English, long pronounced TOUR-bot, is now tour-BO
>(long o). The French have *never* said LAHN-zher-A (long a), unless mimicking
>a hapless American. The word means "laundry."
>It's reached the point where I'm afraid to use such words as valet. It's the
>same situation as with "hopefully." No matter what you do, someone will think
>you're wrong.
>Bob Lieblich <lieb...@erols.com>
Those who employ valets call them VAL-etts.
Stephen Heneghan
Swansea, Reino Unido.
Bill Kinkaid
"Roots" <muldrew@!!!!nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:
>
>
>Alan Walker <cera...@mail.bendigo.net.au> wrote in article <
>>
>> I once heard an Australian Broadcasting Commission announcer say during
>> a classical music program that he was about to play a recording of "The
>> Bum of the Flightle Bee".
>>
>> AW
>
>A friend who works for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is famous for
>the time he read the weather report predicting "freezing rain and drivel".
>
You mean the Canadian Broadcorping Castration?
I don't know where that started, but it's almost legendary. Did a
newsreader ever really say it?
Bill in Vancouver
(delete EAT.SPAM.AND.DIE
from e-mail address to respond)
Duncan McKenzie
Roots wrote in article <01bc4ade$a2259b60$9cc9a4c6@muldrew>...
>> I once heard an Australian Broadcasting Commission announcer say during
>> a classical music program that he was about to play a recording of "The
>> Bum of the Flightle Bee".
Hmmm... I heard that at least 25 years ago as a joke. In a nutshell, a
radio announcer who NEVER makes mistakes says "The Flight of the Bumble
Bee" by Rimsky Kirs- Korsh- Korsaki..." He's so mortified by the mistake
that he practices the composer's name over and over again, wherever he
goes. When the day comes to announce it again, he says, "And now, by the
great RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, that marvellous piece, "The Bum of the Flightle
Bee."
>A friend who works for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is famous
for
>the time he read the weather report predicting "freezing rain and
drivel".
That reminds me of another (apocryphal?) CBC story -- not really a mistake
as such -- but there was a CBC radio announcer who, for years, used to
announce the weather at various points in cottage country, always including
a place called "Dribble Lake" among the list of rural place names. After he
left the job and was replaced by someone else, regular listeners phoned in
to complain that the newcomer was leaving Dribble Lake off the list. When
they looked into it, they found out it had never been ON the list -- the
announcer had invented the place, and for years had been quietly slipping
it in along with a plausible forecast.
Duncan McKenzie
Toronto, Canada
Rainer Thonnes
In article <5jia2i$a...@nr1.toronto.istar.net>,
"Duncan McKenzie" <dun...@cable.com> writes:
>
> Hmmm... I heard that at least 25 years ago as a joke. In a nutshell, a
> radio announcer who NEVER makes mistakes says "The Flight of the Bumble
> Bee" by Rimsky Kirs- Korsh- Korsaki..." He's so mortified by the mistake
> that he practices the composer's name over and over again, wherever he
> goes. When the day comes to announce it again, he says, "And now, by the
> great RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, that marvellous piece, "The Bum of the Flightle
> Bee."
Me too.
There's a German version of this which loses only a little
when rendered in English. In the morning, the announcer gives
notice that there would be a broadcast, that evening, of the
Nutcrapper suite by Chaikovsky. All afternoon he practiced
saying nutCRACKER, and when the time came, that evening, to
introduce the transmission, he said "and now we have the
Nutcracker Suite by Shitekovsky". As I said, it's a little
better in German, with Nusskacker and Scheisskowski.
Bob Cunningham
"Duncan McKenzie" <dun...@cable.com> said:
> Roots wrote [...]:
>>> I once heard an Australian Broadcasting Commission announcer say during
>>> a classical music program that he was about to play a recording of "The
>>> Bum of the Flightle Bee".
>
>Hmmm... I heard that at least 25 years ago as a joke. In a nutshell, a
>radio announcer who NEVER makes mistakes says "The Flight of the Bumble
>Bee" by Rimsky Kirs- Korsh- Korsaki..." He's so mortified by the mistake
>that he practices the composer's name over and over again, wherever he
>goes. When the day comes to announce it again, he says, "And now, by the
>great RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, that marvellous piece, "The Bum of the Flightle
>Bee."
Who was the well-known professional announcer who said on a nationwide
radio broadcast: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to
introduce the President of the United States, Hoobert Heever"?
Timothy Hunt
In article <335D3C...@hal-pc.org>,
Ralph M Jones <rmj...@hal-pc.org> wrote:
>Jimmy Carter, while president, was giving a speech shortly after the
>death of Hubert Humphrey and referred to him as "Hubert Horatio
>Hornblower". Given Carter's character and his naval background, this had
>to be a slip of the tongue. But how freudian!
My father, and Anglican minister, while intending to announce the continued
study of "Pilgrim's Progress" By John Bunyan during Lent, managed to say
"And on Tuesday we will continue our study of the Pilgrim's Bunyan"
Timothy
TeriBeri
In Pittsburgh, on KDKA TV when Bill Burns was announcing The Emporer
Hirohito's groundbreaking first airplane flight to the United States, he
finished his news story then turned to the weather forcaster and said "
Now its time for the weather and the weatherman tells us that there isa a
little nip in the air tonight"
I apologize for the ethnic slur in the above, but it is a true
story
Teri
I'm out of estrogen and I've got a gun
John W Hall
Not a mistake in what he said, but what he did...
Around 1977, a newsreader in Denver was relating the outcomes from a
local court case about minor(?) corruption in the
broadcasting/advertising business:-
"Joe Blow was found guilty of xxx and fined $5000, Jim James, that's
me, was found guilty of yyy and fined $3000".
John Hall / Digital Magic <Digita...@cadvision.com>
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Arthur C. Clarke)
John W Hall
ha...@cadvision.com (John W Hall) wrote:
>Not a mistake in what he said, but what he did...
>Around 1977, a newsreader in Denver was relating the outcomes from a
>local court case about minor(?) corruption in the
>broadcasting/advertising business:-
>"Joe Blow was found guilty of xxx and fined $5000, Jim James, that's
>me, was found guilty of yyy and fined $3000".
NOT THEIR REAL NAMES, OF COURSE!!!
Dr. Peter Kittel
In article <335e30c4....@nntp.ix.netcom.com> ad...@lafn.org (Bob Cunningham) writes:
>
>Who was the well-known professional announcer who said on a nationwide
>radio broadcast: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to
>introduce the President of the United States, Hoobert Heever"?
And then there was the first woman to moderate one of the then two big
sports shows on German TV, Carmen Thomas. She renamed two famous
football clubs, "Schalke 04" to "Schalke 05" and "Offenbacher Kickers"
to "Kickenbacher Offers", and then her career in sports was over.
--
Best Regards, Dr. Peter Kittel // http://www.pios.de of PIOS
Private Site in Frankfurt, Germany \X/ office: pet...@pios.de
Roots
Bill Kinkaid <ckin...@pinc.com> wrote in article
<335bfd60....@news.pinc.com>...
> >A friend who works for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is famous
for
> >the time he read the weather report predicting "freezing rain and
drivel".
> >
>
> You mean the Canadian Broadcorping Castration?
> I don't know where that started, but it's almost legendary. Did a
> newsreader ever really say it?
> Bill in Vancouver
It is part of the legend. Probably apocryphal, but if it didn't happpen it
should have.
I once heard an announcer on a small rural radio station announce that
their sponsor, a dry cleaner, was having a special on "drugs and raperies".
Chris Perrott
Dr. Peter Kittel wrote:
> She renamed two famous
> football clubs, "Schalke 04" to "Schalke 05" and "Offenbacher Kickers"
> to "Kickenbacher Offers", and then her career in sports was over.
Victimization.
--
Chris Perrott
Mark L. Levinson
> >Who was the well-known professional announcer who said on a nationwide
> >radio broadcast: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to
> >introduce the President of the United States, Hoobert Heever"?
>
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
- Mark L. Levinson - nosn...@netvision.net.il
Gwen Lenker
Mark L. Levinson <ma...@memco.co.il> wrote in article
<335F21...@memco.co.il>...
> > >Who was the well-known professional announcer who said on a nationwide
> > >radio broadcast: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to
> > >introduce the President of the United States, Hoobert Heever"?
> ** Durward Kirby
I thought it was Harry Von Zell, who went on to become the announcer for
George Burns and Gracie Allen.
Durward Kirby, if I recall correctly, sued (unsuccessfully, I think) the
producers of television's "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon series over a
plotline that involved a mcguffin called "The Kurward Derby".
Robert Lieblich
Gwen Lenker wrote:
>
>
> Durward Kirby, if I recall correctly, sued (unsuccessfully, I think) the
> producers of television's "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon series over a
> plotline that involved a mcguffin called "The Kurward Derby".
According to a documentary I saw a few years back on PBS, Kirby had a
lawyer write a threatening letter to the producers of the show, who
promptly wrote back begging him to sue. They wanted the notorieity. He
skulked away.
The idiot should have been flattered.
Bob Lieblich <lieb...@erols.com>, way off thread.
Joseph C Fineman
"Roots" <muldrew@nbnet!!!!.nb.ca> writes:
>I once heard an announcer on a small rural radio station announce that
>their sponsor, a dry cleaner, was having a special on "drugs and raperies".
In ancient times, Leo Roston began an article in _Look_ magazine
As therapists are well aware...
What appeared in print was
As the rapists are well aware...
--- Joe Fineman j...@world.std.com
||: Hogamus, higamus, Men are polygamous. :||
||: Higamus, hogamus, Women, monogamous. :||
Steve MacGregor
Gwen Lenker <gale...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<01bc50c1$3f4c3380$LocalHost@default>...
<<Durward Kirby, if I recall correctly, sued (unsuccessfully, I think)
the producers of television's "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon series
over a plotline that involved a mcguffin called "The Kurward Derby".>>
The way I heard it, it was Kirby's =lawyers= who noticed the
mcguffin, were setting up for a lawsuit, until Kirby found out, and
called them off. Unlike lawyers, he has a sense of humor.
--
=======================================================
Reunite Gondwanaland!
=======================================================
Roots
This morning Sam Donaldson was talking to Tiger Woods' agent and asked him
about the article on Tiger in "Cee-Q" magazine.
Obviously he gets his fashion advice from some other source.
Eric Landau
In article <01bc5339$9683e9c0$0a85b3cf@muldrew>, "Roots"
<muldrew@nbnet!!!!.nb.ca> wrote:
Unless, of course, Sam meant Congressional Quarterly. Or is CQ the only
magazine in the country that hasn't done an article on Tiger Woods?
Eric Landau, APL Solutions, Inc.
"Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger" - Abbie Hoffman
Robert R. Koblish
Eric Landau wrote:
>
> In article <01bc5339$9683e9c0$0a85b3cf@muldrew>, "Roots"
> <muldrew@nbnet!!!!.nb.ca> wrote:
>
> > This morning Sam Donaldson was talking to Tiger Woods' agent and
> > asked him about the article on Tiger in "Cee-Q" magazine.
> > Obviously he gets his fashion advice from some other source.
>
> Unless, of course, Sam meant Congressional Quarterly. Or is CQ the
> only magazine in the country that hasn't done an article on Tiger
> Woods?
I'm sure that CQ Magazine has not published an article on Tiger Woods.
It's an enthusiast magazine for Amateur Radio operators, published for
over 50 years.
Published by
CQ Communications, Inc.
76 North Broadway
Hicksville, N.Y. 11801-2953 U.S.A.
http://www.affcom.com/cqcontest/magazine.html
I'm not affiliated with them, just an occasional reader.
--
regards
-rrk
To reply, remove the leading X in my return address.