Pronunciation (1 Viewer)

[CJW]

Given the variety of accents in the British Isles (and other English speaking nations), I was wondering about how different bird names get pronounced differently and what is the correct way. For instance (my pronunciation in bold):

Gyr Falcon: Gire, Ger, (both with a hard 'G') Jire, Jer
Plover: Pluhver (hard 'u' as in 'up'), plover (as in 'over')
Pochard: Pochuhd (Hard 'O' as in 'on'), Pochuhd ('long O' as in 'over',), Pochard (long 'O' and ard as in 'hard')
Cuckoo: Cuckoo (hard 'U' as in 'Up'), Cookoo (as in 'do')

 

[Jane Turner]

I'm with you on all these Chris, then again I never was a great exponent of the Queen's English

We can add
Sabine's Gull Sahbines, where the a is as in cab, or Saybines, like hay

 

[CJW]

I think Sabine was a frenchman (?) and it should pronounced Sabeen.
Ofcourse, I'm with you and pronounce it sahbine (as 'Sad' and 'woodbine')!

 

[Steve Lister]

Pochard seems to be pronounced at least three different ways, including pockard. I say Poch-ard but loads of people say Po-chard.
Plover is pluver in Yorkshire and plover rhymming with over on the other side of the Pennines.
As to Gyr I say Jerr but have no idea what is right. When I eventually see one I will try to find out.
Have never heard anyone say coo-coo for Cuckoo.
I know one chap who always says Glaushous, even when he is sober.

Steve

 

[CJW]

1. Plover is pluver in Yorkshire and plover rhymming with over on the other side of the Pennines.
2. Have never heard anyone say coo-coo for Cuckoo.

1. I'm from Lancashire and say it pluhver. But I AM from Burnley and dangerously close to the Yorks' border!!
2. Many scousers say cookoo. But then they are.

 

[KnockerNorton]

Some Southern **** once mocked the way I pronounced Warbler.

Him: wor-bluhr
Me: Worble-er

As an extention of 'warble' (something that warbles), I'd say I was closer to it.

Accent does affect pronunciation a lot. Flat A and O, etc etc., and syllabic differences.

Gyr rhymes with 'fire'.

 

[CJW]

Some Southern **** once mocked the way I pronounced Warbler.

Him: wor-bluhr
Me: Worble-er

I'm almost in the same camp as the Southern **** - war-bleh (a shortened 'err' on the end)

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Also:

Whooper Swan: Woo-per or Hoo-per
Hoopoe: Hoop-oo or Hoop-oh
Smew: (One that amuses me) Sm-yew or Smoo (I have heard the latter a few times)

 

[Jane Turner]

I'm a war-blur too

 

[Jane Turner]

Also:

Whooper Swan: Woo-per or Hoo-per
Hoopoe: Hoop-oo or Hoop-oh
Smew: (One that amuses me) Sm-yew or Smoo (I have heard the latter a few times)

Hooper and Hoo poo of course

and Sm-yew

 

[robinm]

I'm afraid us Southeners can't agree with you on cuckoo. You have the same vowel sound for plover and cuckoo. For me that would mean the first syllable rhymed with duck, luck and words that not even moderators can use Cuckoo rhymes with cook but not do.

 

[CornishExile]

Gyr Falcon: Gire, Ger, (both with a hard 'G') Jire, Jer

Guy-err. I'm clearly confused and in a minority of one!

Ee-gret or (I cringe every time I hear this) egg-ray?!

It's the slang ones that get me, and I'm unreasonably picky, using some myself and hating others... anyone saying Dick's Pipit instead of Richard's within earshot of me is asking for a good slapping!

 

[Hotspur]

Surely its a ripit anyway?

 

[robinm]

If the dictionary is correct Gyrfalcon comes from the same root as the German Geier (vulture) and therefore Gire with a hard g would be reasonable.

 

[Blackstart]

If the dictionary is correct Gyrfalcon comes from the same root as the German Geier (vulture) and therefore Gire with a hard g would be reasonable.

Webster's College Dictionary gives the pronunciation as Jur, like in injur. Go figure.

-Adam

 

[Adey Baker]

An old spelling of Gyr is (according to a mate of mine) Jer.

With an 'OE' on the end, I can never bring myself to go with Hoo-poo.

 

[robinm]

Webster's College Dictionary gives the pronunciation as Jur, like in injur. Go figure.

-Adam

Who said this was easy

 

[KnockerNorton]

Robin - where I grew up (East Yorks), 'cook' rhymes with 'spook', which would make it 'koo-koo', although we say 'kuh-koo'!

I though Gyr was related to gyro?

 

[Edward]

According to my English dictionary (Collins) "Gyr" rhymes with "fur" and I've got used to saying it like that. It's thought to derive from the Icelandic word "geir" meaning "spear" by the way.

I saw my first jacana sp. last year. How does anyone pronounce that? I had always said je-KA-na but was told off by someone who said it should be pronounced Ha-sa-NA in English, as that's an approximation of the original Portuguese. True, but still sounds a bit precious to me. Like people who say Barcelona in English with a lisp.

I rarely get to hear other English speakers pronounce bird names so I've never even heard the "woodbines" pronunciation of "Sabine's" before and have always said "sabbeens."

I did hear someone pronounce guillemot as "gee-ah-mo" once.

E

 

[Alastair Rae]

Some guidance here: http://www.xs4all.nl/~sbpoley/pronounce.htm