Disputin’ the pronunciation of Putin
Cats: CBC Radio|Call me a prickly pedant, but will someone please tell CBC radio news announcers that the correct pronunciation for President of Russia is vluh-DEE-meer POO-tin, that’s Vladimir Putin WITH the T. Some have taken to calling the man Pooooo-n, dropping the T altogether.
You may say Pe-shaw - what’s in a T?
Well, a lot when you’re a radio broadcaster. Correct pronunciation is a hallmark of good broadcasting. Pooooo-n is lazy elocution and this is inexcusable for a national radio broadcaster.
BBC satirists have lambasted Geo. Bush mercilessly for this lazy glottal stoppage. Would Canadians like it if Russian national broadcasters called our Prime Minister Stephen Haper? Actually, most broadcasters outside of Canada don’t know who Stephen Harper is or how his name is pronounced.
It’s embarrassing to hear our national public broadcaster going soft on pronunciation.
And it’s worth noting that not all CBC broadcasters are guilty of this T-dropping, ergo the North American accent argument can’t be invoked in this case.
July 18th, 2007 at 9:30 am
I thawt that brawdcastrs wer fed sum kynd of spelling like this so taht they woodnt misspronownce nayms, as per yor vluh-DEE-meer POO-tin.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Ok G here goes!
aherm aherm cough cough. CBC radio news announcers may I have your attention? The correct way to pronounce the President of Russia name is vluh-DEE-meer bring back the Starlin ussr era I will rule the world with my energy exports and I don’t sanction poisonings in other country’s POO-tin. Hope this helps..
July 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
It helps enormously, both of you. thank you, on behalf of Mr. pooo-tin.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
You go, girl! Broadcasters often get scripts and feeds with PRONOUNCIATIONS, so they have no excuse.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Oh, don’t get me started on CBC gaffs!
Tonight, we heard about Stephen Harper’s visit to Chilly, where he was met by Chilly-an protesters.
We hear about two groaners with every newscast. Which makes me think that CBC Style Guide must have been one more thing lost in government cutbacks.
July 19th, 2007 at 2:31 am
Richard and Beth, there’s probably a blog out there somewhere that covers mispronunciation in the media…
July 22nd, 2007 at 6:24 am
You know another mispronunciation that used to really bother me? Sad-em Hussein. Gah!
December 19th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
[…] It’s Putin with the T, not Poo’n like CBC announcers seem to think. A couple of months ago this typist accused the CBC of lazy elocution in the post “Disputin’ the pronunciation of Poo’n. […]