08 Jun 2023, 6:41 am
08 Jun 2023, 6:44 am
Joe90 wrote:
I never even knew that (about Guy Fawkes Night). We always called it Bonfire Night or Firework Night. It seems that a lot of Brits celebrate these things without actually acknowledging the meaning behind it but as just an excuse to socialise and drink. 
I'm amazed you didn't know that, I thought all the English people knew that. But you are a lot younger than me. It was well known when I was a child in the 1970s/80s.
I think people might have decided it was pretty gruesome to celebrate the death of Guy Fawkes in such a way (which it is) and stopped doing all of that. It's definitely Bonfire or Firework Night now.
08 Jun 2023, 6:45 am
KitLily wrote:
English has 5 vowels and something like 26 vowel sounds. It must be a nightmare for people learning English!
I'm an editor so I have to deal with English problems every day!
^ Too right!
Bow (and arrow) versus (take a) bow
Bough versus Cough versus Tough
Read (present tense) versus Read (past tense)
etc, etc....
08 Jun 2023, 6:46 am
naturalplastic wrote:
DeepHour wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
Glacier differs too.
We yanks say "GLAY-shur".
Upper class Brits like David Attenborough say "GLASS-ee-er". Harder to say. But since ice IS rather glass-like in appearance it has a certain visual logic to it.
We yanks say "GLAY-shur".
Upper class Brits like David Attenborough say "GLASS-ee-er". Harder to say. But since ice IS rather glass-like in appearance it has a certain visual logic to it.
I can't answer for Attenborough, but most people over here say GLAY- sier.
He says it some odd way. Maybe thats it.
Ooh no! One thing you must know about the English:
Never, ever, criticise David Attenborough! That's an arrestable offence over here!
08 Jun 2023, 7:03 am
DeepHour wrote:
KitLily wrote:
English has 5 vowels and something like 26 vowel sounds. It must be a nightmare for people learning English!
I'm an editor so I have to deal with English problems every day!
^ Too right!
Bow (and arrow) versus (take a) bow
Bough versus Cough versus Tough
Read (present tense) versus Read (past tense)
etc, etc....
Some lovely sentences to show this. Only English speakers can pronounce these correctly:
----That quick beige fox jumped in the air over each thin dog. Look out, I shout, for he's foiled you again, creating chaos.
----The beige hue on the waters of the loch impressed all, including the French queen, before she heard that symphony again, just as what young Arthur wanted.
----Please call Stella. Ask her to bring these things with her from the store: Six spoons of fresh snow peas, five thick slabs of blue cheese, and maybe a snack for her brother Bob. We also need a small plastic snake and a big toy frog for the kids. She can scoop these things into three red bags, and we will go meet her Wednesday at the train station.
----Who would know aught of art must learn, act, and then take his ease.
btw most non English speakers have a hard time with words like biscuit, circuit, suite etc.
08 Jun 2023, 7:39 am
KitLily wrote:
envirozentinel wrote:
English is rather a silly language really. Many words aren't pronounced as they are spelt. As a scrabble player and crossword ace I don't care much about pronunciation, only spelling. But occasionally people such as my Mom and others didn't know what I was talking about. For instance Ì mentioned taffeta fabric once saying taFEETa and she said it's TAFFeta
It is a very muddled language because Britain has been invaded by so many other countries. They have all left parts of their language in English. e.g. pre Roman it was Celtic. Then Latin from the Romans. Then Germanic from the Anglo Saxons. Then Scandinavian from the Vikings. Then French from the Normans. And probably god knows what else from other invaders I've forgotten.
English has 5 vowels and something like 26 vowel sounds. It must be a nightmare for people learning English!
I'm an editor so I have to deal with English problems every day!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if there was just one time that the Brits could repel and invading army, we'd have a language that actually make some sense. I'm pretty sure that "English Channel" is a mispronunciation of "Welcome mat."
08 Jun 2023, 7:59 am
08 Jun 2023, 8:09 am
08 Jun 2023, 8:58 am
KitLily wrote:
Joe90 wrote:
I never even knew that (about Guy Fawkes Night). We always called it Bonfire Night or Firework Night. It seems that a lot of Brits celebrate these things without actually acknowledging the meaning behind it but as just an excuse to socialise and drink.
I'm amazed you didn't know that, I thought all the English people knew that. But you are a lot younger than me. It was well known when I was a child in the 1970s/80s.
I think people might have decided it was pretty gruesome to celebrate the death of Guy Fawkes in such a way (which it is) and stopped doing all of that. It's definitely Bonfire or Firework Night now.
Personally I'm also surprised. The poem was absolutely drilled into our heads at my school.
"Remember remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot".
08 Jun 2023, 9:31 am
Lost_dragon wrote:
KitLily wrote:
Joe90 wrote:
I never even knew that (about Guy Fawkes Night). We always called it Bonfire Night or Firework Night. It seems that a lot of Brits celebrate these things without actually acknowledging the meaning behind it but as just an excuse to socialise and drink.
I'm amazed you didn't know that, I thought all the English people knew that. But you are a lot younger than me. It was well known when I was a child in the 1970s/80s.
I think people might have decided it was pretty gruesome to celebrate the death of Guy Fawkes in such a way (which it is) and stopped doing all of that. It's definitely Bonfire or Firework Night now.
Personally I'm also surprised. The poem was absolutely drilled into our heads at my school.
"Remember remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot".
My grandmother used to tell me that rhyme but I only always remember the first line.
At school we didn't seem to be taught the origins of the events we celebrate. Maybe because things got more PC and certain things weren't allowed to be taught in schools any more in case it offended someone. I think that's stupid though, because it does children more good to be aware of different historic events, as being unaware of these things is more likely to cause misunderstandings and could unintentionally offend people even more.
In school we didn't learn about the Holocaust or any other tragic things that had gone on.
Last edited by Joe90 on 08 Jun 2023, 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
08 Jun 2023, 9:41 am
funeralxempire
Veteran
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 40
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 30,238
Location: Right over your left shoulder
08 Jun 2023, 10:27 am
08 Jun 2023, 10:38 am
08 Jun 2023, 11:08 am
08 Jun 2023, 12:05 pm
funeralxempire wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
funeralxempire wrote:
envirozentinel wrote:
And there's no other way to say schedule than SHEDule....
What about the c?
Americans say "SKED ule".
However..."ch" is pronounced like the ch in "church".
But if you're...gonna say it that incorrect British way (just kidding) then....
You can think of that ch in the word "schedule" as having the ch sound of 'church' with an s in front. And that would yield the same "sh" sound of "should", or the British "schedule".
But that raises the question of ...why isnt everything that starts with the SH sound spelled "sch"?
Sche schould go to the sched to get a scheet of scheet metal.
Sk-chød-ule is how I'm used to Yanks and Canucks saying it.
There's a distinct hard C before the Ch sound.
WHAT "ch" sound?
Who said Americans give it any CH sound?
What I said was "Americans say 'skedaool'. No ch sound at all.
I said that the Brits give it an sh sound (as in "sherry") and say shedaool....except that the sh sound could be thought of as being....S plus ch (ch as in "cherry"). Which is actually how the word "schedule" is spelled. So one could argue that that makes the British pronunciation correct. But then if you argue that then to be consistent, we would have change the spelling every sh word with that sound to "sch". And that would schure be a schit load of trouble!
08 Jun 2023, 12:33 pm
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