ABOUT PRONUNCIATION

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 289, 6 September 1928, Page 12

ABOUT PRONUNCIATION

Sir In “The Dominion” of August 30 there’is a letter signed W. L. Edmansou, on the subject of broadcasting pronunciation, in which he states: “Our language is being grossly tainted with costermonger influences.” He also mentions healing, “We ah aw listening” for what was intended for “We are all listening, and asks what lias our consonant done that it should become so abhorred. Are not the highest authorities responsible for making “r” silent iu so many words? In our high schools a system ot phonetics is now being taught, and the symbol to represent the sound of er in such words as- —her, mother, lather seems to be equivalent to the short sound of “u” in such words as —murmur without any “r” sound, or the “cu sound m certain French words, with the difference that the “r” in French, if given, is pronounced, not silent as in the English words. By analogy the “r seems to be silent practically in all cases except where it is the first letter in a syllable, according to the phonetic system; for example, in the word error the first * r is silent, the second sounded, the third silent. It this is the present teaching in the high schools, there will, no doubt, be others who would like to know what our consonant “r” has done to become subject to similar treatment to the “h.” —I am, etC ” INQUIRER. Mastertoll, September 1.