"How do you pronounce 'hauberk'?" Topic

Any cunning linguists have the answer?

Well, I pronounce it is hor-berk, although I suppose it could be ho-berk.

My kids laugh at the way I say a lot of words though (the curse of Estuary English), so I may be wrong.

berk?

Yup, thought so.

how-berk

Listen yourself on line Dictionary with audio

link

Was this thread invented just so Cerdic could say "cunning linguist"?

Doug

How Berk

Haw-berk
(or haw-burk, depending on how you want it spelled.)

(No diphtong, i.e. not h-a-u. An aspirated aw, like in hawthorn.)

Haw-burke, but the "e" is silent…..

haw-berk here, but the e being very short

Yes, emphasis on the haw bit.

Throat Warbler Mangrove?

I say haw-berk, just like it's spelled.

That's how Norfolk, UK is pronounced as well. "Norfuk". To go with "Suffuk"

Haw-berk

Doug,

I too wondered about that :~)

John

Cunning linguists are some of my favorite people to watch (I share that in common with Chauncy Gardner). But of course, one has to be in the mood first….

Oh, and HAW burk, here, too….

I pronounce it properly, of course!

I pronounce it either haw-berk or how-berk depending on my mood. I can count on anyone present with an insistent preference to be sure to tell me which they like.

"You should hear the fun the airlines have when landing here in Norfolk Va.

It's pronounced Nor folk, but the "l"is silent".

"That's how Norfolk, UK is pronounced as well. "Norfuk". To go with "Suffuk".

Not as much fun as the above, but clearly more confusing was a conversation I had with a cousin from North Carolina, in person (so there was no bad phone connection to confuse things).

He was trying to tell me about the recent "far", but I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying. I asked him several times to repeat what he had said, and was still confused.

Then, another family member intervened, and told me he was talking about a "fire".

I grew up in Southern Virginia, and had been going to NC regularly to see the grandparents and cousins, so was quite familiar with southern accents.

However, in this case, it was like he was speaking another language. Didn't have a clue to what he was trying to say until the interpreter intervened.

Heh, back in my college radio days we organized a Friday afternoon concert by a small musical group one of the DJs knew, I forget their name, the somebody Kings or so something.

Anyway, they were set up, soundchecked, and we were with them getting lunch before the gig, doing the usual interviews, sound bites, making small talk, watching them argue about how much hair spray to use on a hot day, etc.

The guitarist who had a southern US accent (I think, I am bad at sourcing regional US accents) kept saying they needed to "return" the guitars. I was wondering, where did they rent them from, he said no, in the hot sun after a while they have to all be returned. They had put new strings on them, they needed to be returned after that.

Eventually I realized he was saying they needed to be retuned, which I was quite familiar with. Guitar strings, especially new ones or in the sun, stretch out and the instrument has to be retuned.

Thanks guys.

I've always gone with 'hor-berk', but I did wonder if the rest of the world was saying 'how-berk'.

Can be a tricky blighter, the English language.

I'm off to think of new threads where I can say vaguely rude things in all innocence……

That's how Norfolk, UK is pronounced as well. "Norfuk". To go with "Suffuk"

Quite a populr quiz team name in the uk although by now a bit dated and tired:

"Norfolk an' Chance"

steve P

"Byrnie"

However, in this case, it was like he was speaking another language. Didn't have a clue to what he was trying to say until the interpreter intervened.

Both are ways to pronounce "fair" too; you sure you still understand what he was talking about?…