This is not a rant. Honest. I shall stay calm and reasonable throughout. Honest.
The first lot comes from our old friends, the estate agents, whose recent, entirely understandable and forgivable errorettes include the following:
Then last night on the Film 4 channel the continuity announcer, giving notice of a forthcoming showing of the film Walk the Line, used the word biopic, which she had as [baɪˈɒpɪk]. All I am going to say isː surely it should be [ˈbaɪəʊpɪk].
There. I thought I did very well, don’t you? Of course, what I really meant to say was…
Do you check your blood pressure whenever you write such entries?
oṃ maṇi-padme hūṃ
Petr,
Such entries are of course an antidote to hbp — a verbal pressure relief valve.
nam myoho renge kyo
John,
be happy the announcer didn’t say /ˈbaɪəʊpɪk/.
Hi John, ‘Nucular’ has me grinding what are left of my teeth!
John
I hav cˈnsidˈrable simpathy for your “continuity girl” who sed [baɪˈɒpɪk]. Of course you wer perfectly right to say “surely it should be [ˈbaɪəʊpɪk]”. I think it’s strange that people dont much use the more helpful hyphenated spelling “bio-pic” but no douˈt it’s a case of the influence of the relativ hyphenophobia that characterises US spelling compared to our own. It was coined there in a magazine in 1951. With no other analogous word (if we discount the derivative “autobiopic”) but OED listing neˈrly 300 words ending /`ɒpɪk/ to lead them astray it’s no wonder some folk tend to say /baɪ`ɒpɪk/. Your girl was in good company: I fancy I’ve heˈrd it on occasion from such distinguisht broadcasters as Ed Stourton and Andrew Marr tho I guess that if challenged they’d be likely to admit to having slipt up in saying it that way. I hope it doesnt catch on coz it might lead to short-sighted people being called /`maɪəʊpɪk/.
I suspect other readers than myself may be glad to read this elucidation I elicited from Petr!
“om mani padme hum is a mantra. Sometimes when my blood pressure rises because of the stupidity of a member of the human race (including myself) I say the first syllable – OM – . I know nothing about Buddhism except for the the fact that when you say “om” it helps you achieve generosity and patience. I must admit I haven’t reached that state yet”.