Should We Have English Announcers?

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 43, 3 May 1935, Page 44

Should We Have English Announcers?

To the: Editor. . Sir,-I think that.for the sake of the rising generation announcers of the highest education should be procured for the New Zealand national stations. Personally I come from England, and

one never hears grammatical errors or ; mispronunciation there; in fact, itis a { Pleasure to listen to a cultured an- 4 nouncer, Some time ago I kept alist | of the varions mistakes of. the differ ent New Zenland announcers, and it. Was & yery long one, with many very elementary errors,

Exvironment of cultured speech is, I think, of untold. benefit to the subconscious mind of youth, and the speech of the New Zealand youth is now. in the melting pot. Some are developing quite a Cockney twang, others the more common. of the expressions from the. American films, and between the two there is very little decent English spoken. Possibly it would be difficult to find announcers with the right type of. voice. I have met very few in New Zealand. However, there are quite a number of Oxford and Cambridge men out here who are doing very little good for themselves, yet who have just those.qualities of speech which are so desirable. Of course, we do not want the exaggerated Oxford drawl, but happily that appears to have died a natural death. In conclusion, I hope that somebody else who is interested in the welfare of the youth of this country will assist in a matter which is rapidly becoming of national import to New Zealand.-

CAIUS

Christchurch.