Praise For New Announcer: And Some Criticism

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 26, 4 January 1935, Page 6

Praise For New Announcer: And Some Criticism

To the Editor Sir-The advent this evening: of a. 2YA announcer who, besides having: a pleasant speaking voice, takes some pains with his pr onunciation of foreign names, has been distinctly A. long-overdue letter on this subject that might have quoted ad nauseam numerous gross mispronunciations complacently repeated with disconcerting regularity, may therefore reject an acrimonious tone in favour of a relatively complimentary. one: Unfortunately, however, only relatively; for, even in this case, certaini errors of other announcers were repeated and a few minor ones introduced. For example, the name Schumann, being German, should not have its second syllable’ nasalised. On the other hand, to hear a good nasalisation of both syllables of Saint-Saens was a distinct improvement on the "Saint Sayin’" one usually hears from 2YA and 2YC. But what of the final "‘s’’?. It should be pronounced, as should the z of Berlioz, which is usually heard as "Burly-oh." French names on ‘the whole seem to receive the worst treatment. In some cases honest Anglicising would be preferable to a half-and-half. distortion. For example, the composer ° of a certain famous symphony, Caesar Frank, would be far less irritating than "Sayzar Fronk." One sometimes hears sounds and peculiarities of one foreign language -. earried over into another: the pseudoFrench pronunciation of Schubert, without the final "t" for example. One of the most difficult things for beginners (and others) to remember in pronouncing French words is to place the principal stress on the fina] syllable ; but when, this rule.is transférred -to Italian (we hear Ver-dee regularly

from Wellington stations) the effect is grotesque. "Giggly’ as an attempt on "Gigli" is doubly so. To the average listener no doubt these atrocities mean nothing, but to anyone who is accustomed to spoken French or German they become more than ridiculous-exasperating. It is not suggested that. radio announcers should necessarily devote long hours to. an exhaustive study: of: French, Italian or German,:for; afterall, the "number of words they ‘use is strictly limited-. All the more reason, then, why they should’ get ‘a hold, once’ ‘and for:all,.of . the ‘foreign names ‘that, will form an _ integral ‘part: of their stock-in-trade: as_ long as they remain announcers. A perfectly simple remedy would. be ‘the intelligent study of phonetic transcription of the words concerned:compiled by a person familiar with French or Gexman pronunciation. Such-persons do exist-even in this out- of the-way coun-try.-I am, ete.,

LINGUIST

Wellington.