sowny.net | The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum


You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

June 3, 2023 10:00 pm  #1


Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

I'm posting this for a friend who insists there's a growing group of newscasters in Toronto that are driving him crazy. The reason? They insist on pronouncing words that begin with the letters "S-T-R" as though there's an "H" in it. So "String" becomes "Shtring."  "Strength" gets said as "Shrtength." And "Street" transforms into "Shtreet." 

He insists he's heard this too many times on both TV and radio to have imagined it. I personally have not noticed this when I've listened to either, but he says it's becoming increasingly common. Has anyone else detected this? 

 

June 4, 2023 9:40 am  #2


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

RadioActive wrote:

I'm posting this for a friend who insists there's a growing group of newscasters in Toronto that are driving him crazy. The reason? They insist on pronouncing words that begin with the letters "S-T-R" as though there's an "H" in it. So "String" becomes "Shtring."  "Strength" gets said as "Shrtength." And "Street" transforms into "Shtreet." 

He insists he's heard this too many times on both TV and radio to have imagined it. I personally have not noticed this when I've listened to either, but he says it's becoming increasingly common. Has anyone else detected this? 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice this. It's very irritating. It bothers me almost as much as the trend towards not using proper sentences. "City Hall in crisis this morning" instead of IS in crisis; "Toronto police saying they've arrested a suspect" instead of ARE saying or just simply SAY. I know it seems to be a popular new style, but I don't like it.

Then there's the traffic reporters who insist on pronouncing Eglinton as EglinGton and reporters who pronounce singer and hanger with a hard G. Sing-gur. It's quite jarring.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be out on the lawn shouting at a cloud.

 

June 4, 2023 12:21 pm  #3


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

Can't say I've noticed that as yet.  I'll have an ear out for it.    When it comes to mispronouncing and misspelling Eglinton with a G, that's nothing new.   I've been reading up on Toronto history, especially Yonge St. related and there are quotations from people and newspaper articles going back well over a century with that problem.   I've seen it on screen with local TV news a few times.

According to this informative article "The village was named after the Earl of Eglinton in Ayrshire, Scotland, as a tribute to the soldiers that Ayshire provided for the War of 1812. A clerical error in the 1820s resulted in the word being recorded as "Eglington," though, and the misspelling crept its way into both municipal and business documents. It was only in 1880 that the mistake was found and the correct spelling was restored."    Eglinton vs Eglington

 

June 4, 2023 12:24 pm  #4


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

John Michael, the late talk show host who ruled the airwaves in Niagara for many years on both CJRN and CKTB, used to joke that Toronto Mayor Art Eggleton was deliberately mispronouncing his own name, and that it was really "Art Eglinton."

Not sure why, but it always made me laugh. 

     Thread Starter
 

June 4, 2023 12:29 pm  #5


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

RadioActive wrote:

John Michael, the late talk show host who ruled the airwaves in Niagara for many years on both CJRN and CKTB, used to joke that Toronto Mayor Art Eggleton was deliberately mispronouncing his own name, and that it was really "Art Eglinton."

Not sure why, but it always made me laugh. 

That's a good one.

1010 news announced one day some years ago that there was a plan to change the name and add the 'g'.    I fell for it, got a little pissed and then realized it was April 1 and I'd been had!

 

June 4, 2023 2:43 pm  #6


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

younger news readers probably now have the health plan to get those braces.

 

June 4, 2023 2:54 pm  #7


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

RadioActive wrote:

I'm posting this for a friend who insists there's a growing group of newscasters in Toronto that are driving him crazy. The reason? They insist on pronouncing words that begin with the letters "S-T-R" as though there's an "H" in it. So "String" becomes "Shtring."  "Strength" gets said as "Shrtength." And "Street" transforms into "Shtreet." 

He insists he's heard this too many times on both TV and radio to have imagined it. I personally have not noticed this when I've listened to either, but he says it's becoming increasingly common. Has anyone else detected this? 

I've heard this too.

At the risk of being labelled a racist, these days this seems to be something prevalent in African-American English speakers.  At least that's who I've been hearing it from -- probably not excusively.  

Here is an interesting article about it:  (it goes as far back as the 1920s -- no mention of black people)

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/how-s-backing-causes-people-to-pronounce-street-as-schtreet/

 

 

June 4, 2023 3:29 pm  #8


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

The "sh" thing is only the tip of the ishberg.
There are myriad strange pronunciations coming out in younger "announcers."
Just wait until tennis season heats up.
You'll here the latest news from WIMPELTUN.
There's also several readers at CP 24 who start ebvery news story with "well." As in "Well, at Queen's Park today..."
Or, "Well Toronto police are investigating a stabbing today."
Well, I have no idea where that's coming from.
I have already written about many young newscasters who pronounce words with an AH sound or short a  instead of a short crisp "e"sound.
One such offender -- a woman on 'RB continually calls the station, NewsTalk "tan tan."
Am I right to be bugged by these or am I just being "overblowen?"




 

 

June 4, 2023 3:46 pm  #9


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

The "well" crutch seems to be primarily a CTV/Bell thing, esp. here in the Ottawa area, where Graham Richardson & Patricia Boal do this all the time on CJOH's 6pm cast... yet another reason to not tune in.

And don't get me started on out-of-towners who won't correctly pronounce "Almonte", as in the hometown of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. If you don't know how to correctly pronounce a name, don't risk it and make an arse of yourself on-air or online - ASK. Call the municipal offices. Or look on YouTube for multiple videos relating to the place or person.

 

June 4, 2023 3:46 pm  #10


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

Totally fake granddaughter 'Olivia' says 'Coasht Appliances'.

 

June 4, 2023 4:11 pm  #11


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

The one I notice that happens all the time is on local TV newscasts, in which the anchor will go on and on throwing to the reporter on location and finally goes to him (or her.) The guy or gal comes up on screen and always says the exact same thing -- "That's right, John" and then proceeds into their taped story. It's an unnecessary bit of verbiage. If it wasn't right, they wouldn't have put it in the show in the first place.

But the one that really drives me bonkers is David Muir on ABC World News Tonight. I've read that he's not the easiest guy to work for and enjoys being the centre of attention. His intros are endless and he reveals almost everything in the story, as he throws to a reporter. By this point, after a two minute very verbose intro, the person in the field really has nothing to say, because Muir took it all in the copy. So they'll add a "That's right David," (there it is again!) followed by a factoid or two and then throw back to Muir.

What a waste of airtime!

By the way, the ABC teasers at the top of the show last more than 2 and half minutes before the actual news begins. A very unnecessary preview, delaying the start of the show. Meanwhile, NBC is halfway through their first report. 

     Thread Starter
 

June 4, 2023 6:50 pm  #12


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

There's a very funny video on youtube of TV anchor bloopers but in one of them some people at a TV station newsroom saved and strung together their morning weatherman's daily morning intro in which he repeatedly starts off with "morning guys."
They strung his repetitive greeting into about 20 different takes in a row.
Even he had to admit he had to come up with a bit of variety in his act after they showed it to him.
 

 

June 4, 2023 6:56 pm  #13


Re: Do You Hear This "Shtrange" Newscast Pronunciation?

newsguy1 wrote:

There's a very funny video on youtube of TV anchor bloopers but in one of them some people at a TV station newsroom saved and strung together their morning weatherman's daily morning intro in which he repeatedly starts off with "morning guys."
They strung his repetitive greeting into about 20 different takes in a row.
Even he had to admit he had to come up with a bit of variety in his act after they showed it to him.
 

Somebody once had a YouTube video, a string of numerous instances of Lloyd Robertson's "Tonight..." at the start of the CTV National News.

There was also something on TV, might have been Joel McHale on "The Soup" (E!) mocking NBC's Ann Curry and her "good morning, good morning, in the news this morning good morning..."