“HAW-HAW” ACCENT”

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12963, 30 May 1935, Page 3

“HAW-HAW” ACCENT”

BBC. TEST SIDELIGHTS. Oi 30 candidates who were tested lor the position oi 8.8. C. anoounc'er over a perriod of three years, a!I but one were unable to pronounce the name of the opera “Gianni Schicchi." (It should be called ‘ Janny Skikky’ 7 ). This, states the Daily Telegraph, is one of the sidelights on the inside work of the 8.8. C. given by Professor A. Lloyd James, the hon. secretary oi the 8.1i.C. Advisory Committee, in his book ‘‘The Broadcast Word. 77 The microphone test for announcers includes the leading of a short news bulletin, an S.O.S. in French, a programme of French. German and Italian music, and an unprepared piece of prose. ‘‘Most candidates, 7 * says Professor James, “a.re rejected because their English accent is unsuitable; usually it is too aggressively modern, ti>o much like what is sometimes called ‘haw-haw’—the sort of sjieeeh certain comedians love to play with. “The standard of j>erfomianee in foreign languages is usually exceedingly low. even in the case of many university men with degrees in modern languages. Evidently public schools and universities attack little importance to this asi>ect of language teaching.” Denying the existence of “8.8. C, English. * Professor James illustrates the diversity of types among the preseut announcers. ‘‘The men range in age from 23 to 46. At the present time (1934) they include three Oxford and two Cambridge men: their schools range from Weymouth, Radley and Amplefortli to TTppington and Wiinble«hm. » “Some were officers in the Army, some schoolmasters, actors or journalists. One crossed the Atlantic as a stoker. Summarising the “most disliked” pronunciations among listeners, the ; the author puts- first the modified [ vowel short a. as in “man”) “WliiteJ chapel and Mayfair agree that ‘a > n en’s a men for a’ that 7 ”). Others * are: _ Cockneyism. pronouncing “to-day” like “to die)’ 7 A “Brighter London. 1932,” accent. whereby the author i« called ‘‘Mr Lloyd Gems” (James). “Fall” and “wahless” for “f.re” , and “wireless.” “Tower" pronounced “tali.” « Such pronunciations ns “actah,” “singali ’ and “orchestrah.” Accents which are resented l>y lisi teners are not usually “local” ones, but those which are believed to belong to :» social class or type character which is disliked. “The rolling of r’s, for example, does not seem .to anybody, but ‘evah* and ‘pah' (for ‘power* > make thouof neonlc augrv." r '