Mindless thought meander of the day: As far as I remember, I was always taught that the correct pronunciation of “controversy” was “con-TROV-ersy” … yet I’ve noticed on BBC Radio 4 an increase in speakers pronouncing it as “CON-tro-versy”.
Being that the BBC is usually the bastion of proper pronunciation and grammar, was I taught wrong or has usage changed?
24 responses so far ↓
1 Alina // 25th May 2006 at 9:32 pm
Wow, I’ve never really thought about it, I’ve always said CON-tro-versy, but maybe that’s an australian thing.
2 Jane // 26th May 2006 at 8:53 am
I’d have thought the change is due to a bit of US influence. I say con-TROV-ersy but then I’m a bit of a linguistic Luddite anyway. Ah, I remember when ha-RASS used to be pronounced Harris.
3 paula // 26th May 2006 at 11:47 am
con-TROV-ersy pronounciation here too but as we are north of the border does that count? The way I see it now is that there is one BBC presenter who talks through their teeth so maybe it is all lost in translation.
4 cassie-b // 26th May 2006 at 1:27 pm
I say CON-tro-versy, and never thought of saying it any other way. I guess it’s just one of those words –
Cas
this is a real controversy.
5 Lisa // 26th May 2006 at 2:58 pm
conTROVersy fits with most English pronounciations (we usually stress the third-from-last syllable) but I’ve also noticed the BBC changing and they probably do know best. They also always now say that people ‘take’ decisions rather than ‘make’ them – as do all politicians – which I think is a sign of modern refusal to accept responsibility for one’s actions. But I might be reading too much into it.
6 sylvia // 27th May 2006 at 9:47 am
They don’t know best: they are shifting to US pronunciation. Harass is another good example, as in schedule.
7 valb // 29th May 2006 at 1:48 am
ConTROVersy for me too, although being a Geordie I probably pronounce everything wrongly! Also, Sylvia, I have always said schedule with the same beginning as as school, but it seems to be SHEDule these days.
Of course, now that everyone e-mails and txts instead of actually talking, maybe we’ve forgotten the proper pronunciation of lots of words!
8 Daisy // 31st May 2006 at 9:15 am
I think I’ve always pronounced it con-TROV-ersy, but maybe I’ve been living in England too long :-)
I do think that the beeb are moving ever so slowly toward North American pronunciations on many words. I don’t really mind but I do hate the US way of presenting a date (May 31 over 31 May). Then again, there are so many more important things to get steamed up over!
9 Blue Witch // 31st May 2006 at 4:21 pm
I’ve noticed the decline (ie Americanisation) in the BBC’s pronunciation too. Not a good thing.
10 bob // 29th Aug 2006 at 9:38 pm
pronunciation of controversy is with the stress on the first syllable, ‘CON-tro-ver-sy’ (following the pattern of words such as acrimony and matrimony).
11 Philip // 17th Jan 2008 at 9:43 am
The stress on the first syllable would seem to be correct as that part of the word is derived from the Latin ‘contra’ meaning ‘against’. When words are mispronounced it does seem to break the link with their origin and meaning – like kilometre, for example.
12 Focalist // 15th Jul 2008 at 2:39 pm
Jane, Sylvia, Daisy, Blue Witch, whatever other influences (nefarious or otherwise) American English may be having on the British variety, the pronunciation “conTROversy” is not one of them!
While Britons differ in their pronunciation of this word (with “conTROversy” definitely gaining ground) this development has nothing to do with the way Americans say it.” CONtroversy” is the only pronunciation of the word you will hear in North America.
13 Blue Witch // 18th Jul 2008 at 8:25 pm
Focalist – which was exactly my point (see Perwari’s original post)!
14 Nelson // 9th Sep 2008 at 9:20 pm
I admit to cringing a little when I hear “controv”. I was always taught that the “first” definition of a word in the dictionary is the preferred one; in which case, according to the American Webster’s, “contro” wins out over “controv”. So what? Say it as you like, I understand it, and that’s all that is important in English.
15 wintermute // 11th Sep 2008 at 7:41 pm
Valb: “Schedule” should be pronounced “shed-”, and not “sked-”. The latter is one of the few Americanisms that actively sets my teeth on edge.
I can see it having a hard C in Geordie, though.
16 Ranjit Palit // 16th Apr 2009 at 5:39 pm
Ok, to those who pronounce ‘conTROversy’….how would you pronounce ‘controversial’?
17 Focalist // 17th Apr 2009 at 5:50 pm
Ranjit, although I am in the “CONtroversy”, not the “conTROversy” camp, I can tell you that the pronunciation of “controVERsial” is uncontroversial: both camps pronounce it alike. (Just as those who say “KILometre” and those who say “kiLOMetre” agree on “kiloMETric”.)
wintermute, some say “shedule” and some say “skedule”. I much prefer the former pronunciation, and so — clearly — do you, but I think that your unqualified “’Schedule’ SHOULD be pronounced ‘shed-’, and not ‘sked-’” [my emphasis] is unjustified.
Now, had you written “British English speakers who wish to avoid giving the impression that they are in thrall to American culture should pronounce ‘schedule’ ‘shedule’, and not ‘skedule’” then you would have been spot on!
But some won’t mind giving that impression, of course — may even actively seek to impart it. So — just as the wearing of a baseball cap (especially backwards) in a country where the game of baseball itself is little known may be a good indicator of low IQ but breaks no laws — I think we should be careful with our “shoulds”…
18 Rabid // 17th Oct 2009 at 5:52 pm
So, if schedule is pronounced shedule, then how are these words pronounced?
Scheme. sheme?
School. shool?
Schematic shematic?
Scholar sholar?
Hmmmm!
19 Focalist // 18th Oct 2009 at 4:52 am
NO — and you KNOW they’re not, Rabid! ;-)
Your question involves a non sequitur. The spelling of English does not follow any such inviolable rules.
(Just look at those two spellings of the identical sound of the two words “no” and “know”, above — not to mention the drama form “Noh”. And how about comparing “go” and “no” with “do” and “to”…?)
The pronunciation of the word written “schedule”, whether with sh- or sk- initially, is unconnected to the spelling of the words “scheme and “school” and their derivatives.
You might as well ask: if “police” is pronounced polEES, are the words “advice” and “notice” therefore pronounced adVEES and noTEES?
By the way, this answer has been posted without malice :-)
20 Rabid // 20th Oct 2009 at 1:55 pm
Hi Focalist
Yes of course I know that scheme, for example, is not pronounced sheme. But I still think schedule should be pronounced sKedule and not SHedule!
It literally makes my neck hairs stand on end whenever I hear it pronounced shedule, a reaction only to be equalled by Americans’ use of the word gotten when they mean got, which to my ears makes them sound retarded!
To turn things about, what other words starting with “sch” are pronounced “SH”? I can’t think of any.
BTW who’s malice? :)
21 Rick // 13th Sep 2010 at 10:59 pm
Good ol’ BBC. They’ve taken their ‘fashionable’ (read “ignorant”) deletion of “the” and “a” to the point where “appauling” has become “pauling” !
22 An English-ist // 1st Oct 2010 at 4:57 pm
No “u” in “appalling”, Rick :)
23 Ahaji // 23rd Nov 2011 at 10:23 am
I don’t claim to be an expert on these things, but a couple of points Rabid has made…
1) If “shedule” literally (don’t get me started on that word…) makes your hair stand on end, then this must be because you’re used to people using the American term ‘skedule’.
2) Gotten is a horrible word, but I’m not sure it is technically incorrect. For example – “I take, I took, I have/had taken” or “I eat, I ate, I have/had eaten”, therefore “I get, I got, I have/had gotten”.
The problem is of course that the verb ‘to get’ is a horrible, and also redundant verb. Try thinking of a phrase where you can’t substitute ‘get’ with another verb. “I got a new toy” or “I’ve got to go to work” – “I bought a new toy” or “I have to go to work”! (There might be one or two exceptions, but you see my point).
The fact that in (some) other languages there is no direct translation of ‘to get’ illustrates this!
24 Paul // 28th Nov 2011 at 2:39 pm
Not at all, it’s just the case of what English accent your speaking.. The American English speakers would pronounce it usually as con-TRO-ver-sy. British English speakers (particularly the Received Pronunciation) would say it as CON-tro-ve-sy. Note that the “r” in “ver” is dropped because the Received Pronunciation accent is non-rhotic meaning the “r” sounds are dropped except when followed by a vowel sound.
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