Re: Bowes-Lyon - pronunciation?


"Don Moody" <dpmoody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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<channelxster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Dear all.

This is my first post to this group and I am glad if anybody could
help me.

I am Japanese guy and sometimes am confused at pronunciation of
person's names and place-names.

Ken,

Most people in 'britain' would be honoured that a Japanese person is
trying to improve his pronunciation of English. That is a lot more than
most British people would try to do if speaking Japanese. Even those such
as myself with decades of training in martial arts rarely try to speak
your language in your way.

There is a reason which applies to your nation and mine. Pronunciation is
not constant. It varies between social classes and between different
regions of our countries. It also varies over time. English has an
additional problem. Our spelling is not phonetic. The same sounds can be
spelled in different ways, and the same spellings can have many different
spoken sounds.

There are two extreme approaches. One is to come to Britain and immerse
yourself for several years in the speech of different regions and classes.
If that is not practicable, it may be best not to worry about
pronunciation at all and concentrate wholly on improving your written
English. If you meet British people and attempt to speak to them your form
of speech will sound strange, but so long as you do not get excited they
will understand what you are trying to say. I would hope they would react
politely and give you full marks for trying. Which was the reaction I got
from senior members of the Kodokan when I tried to speak to them in
Japanese long ago. I am sure it tortured their ears but they were too
polite to show it. Apart from being too busy throwing me around the dojo.

For what little it is worth I would pronounce Bowes as bow, the thing
which shoots arrows. I would pronounce Lyon as lion, the animal. If you
look at the flag of Bowes-Lyon you will see why. However, just to show the
awkwardness of the British, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was never
addressed in person by name. She was Ma'am to her face. In her absence she
was spoken of as the Queen Mum. You may not know in Japan that she was a
keen and very accomplished ballroom dancer; and she could read building
plans better than most architects. She could then use those plans to
stipulate what length of time she would spend going round a college in
London University; and she kept to time to the second. Woe betide any
pompous jackass who tried to change the appearance within the college or
the route through it. She detected every such falsity. In very simple
terms, she was good at her job. And far far too polite to question any
attempt you made to pronounce her family name. You really need not worry.

Don

Holy Christ!!


.

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