The Madness of English Pronunciation

The pronunciation of well spoken English, can seem a little barmy.

Seriously.

I am indigenous and can trace my family back at least a thousand years on one side and more on the other, but I still think the spelling versus the pronunciation of well spoken English – is extremely misleading!

English is made up of so many languages that the spelling bears little relation to the English pronunciation of the words..

 

For example: the pronunciation of h

A very common mistake is pronouncing the letter h with an h!

… Actually, h should be  pronounced  ‘aitch’ and the explosion of air used only when it is in a word…

or not …

– ugh?

–  yes really, there are certain words that begin with h when it is not pronounced at all..  eg: honour,  hour and honest

BUT NOT ‘ERB’ – say the h – herb! …

This is UK English 🙂

 

So to help your English Pronunciation …

I’ve made a list of of common words and spelt them phonetically.

 

Common words and their correct English Pronunciation

(the) government = guv-eu-meunt

a = eu   (eu as in entrpreneur / amateur / saboteur)

almond = pronounced ar-meund

area = air-ree-eu

art = ahh-t

back = bak

Beauchamp Place = Bee-cheum Play-s

Beaulieu = Byou-lee

body= bo-dee

book = beu-k

business = biz-nis

car= kah

case = cai-s

change= chay-nj

child = chy-euld

city = si-tee

community = ceu-myou-ni-tee

company = cum-peu-nee

country = cun-tree

day = day-ee

done = dun

door = dor

education = ed-you-kay-sheun

eye = I

face = fay-s

fact = fak-t

family = fam-lee

father = fah-theu

force = for-s

friend = fre-nd

girl= geul

group = groop

guy = gye

head = he-d

health= hell-th

history = hiss-tor-ree

Holborn = Hoe -beun

home = hoe-m

hour = a-o-weu

idea = I-dee-eu

information = in-feu-may-sheun

issue = ish – you

kind = kye-nd

law = lor

level= leh-veul

life = ly-ff

London = Lun-deun

Marylebone = Mar-le-beun

minute = min-it

moment = moe-meunt

money = mu-nee

month = mun-th

mother = mu-theu

name= nay-m

night = nye-t

obviously = ob-vee-eus-lee

office = o-ffiss

others = u-theuz

of = ov

off = of

parent = pare-reunt

part = pah-t

party = par-tee

people = pee-peul

person = per-seun

place = play-s

point = poy-eent

power = pow-weu

president = prez-i-dent

primeminister = pry-min-eu-steu

problem = pro-bleum

program = proe-gram

question = kweh-stcheun

reason = ree-zeun

research = reu-seuch

result = reu-zult

right= rye-t

room = reum

school = skoo-eul

service = ser-vis

side = sye-d

state = stay-ee-t

story = stor-ree

student = stu-deunt

study = stuh-dee

system = sis-teum

table = tay-beul

teacher = tee-cheu

team = teem

thank you = thang-que 

 time/thyme = tie-m

war/waugh = wor

water = war-teu

way /wey = wai-ee

Wednesday – Wenz- day

woman = weu-meun

word = wer-d

work = wer-k

world = Weu-ld

year = yer if ur posh!  and yee-eu if you’re not ! 🙂

 

English Pronunciation of Place Names:

Loughborough = Luff-beu-reu

Marylebone = Mar-le-beun

Holborn = Hoe-beun

Shrewsbury = Shrowz-bree

Beauchamp Place = Beecheum Play-s

Beaulieu = Byou-lee 

Magdelen College (Oxford Uni) = More-deu-lin