- Post
- #687262
- Topic
- Words Mean Things
- Link
- https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/687262/action/topic#687262
- Time
Differences in pronunciation of words can reflect regional variance in language usage rather than incorrectness--determining whether a word is in fact being pronounced incorrectly has to happen in a larger linguistic context. In my regional accent, horse and hoarse are homophones, and it would be wrong to say 'pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd' in my accent, but it would be perfectly acceptable in Boston, where, incidentally, horse and hoarse have not merged. Some pronunciations are objectively wrong (you example of the Thames, the 'asses/assess' joke in View From the Top, etc.), but based on a cursory glance at the records on SoundComparisons, I'd guess that the majority of pronunciation differences come down to regional accent rather than outright mistakes, and what is incorrect in one accent may be correct in another.
...While we're on the subject, what bothers ME about language is when people try to imitate accents on the spot without any real knowledge or practice, or worse, try to write an accent in prose, because it usually turns out horrible. Like, 'confusing a French accent with an Italian accent' horrible, or Stepin Fetchit transcription-level horrible. The best way to convey an accent will ALWAYS be to use just a few occasional dialectal features ('ain't', 'y'all', 'aye', etc.), one or two appropriate idioms TOTAL, and simply remarking that the character has a certain accent when first describing them.