To all the people out there who are annoying me with their awful mispronunciations, in particular ABC journalists who ought to know much better.

Don’t over emphasize the vowels here:

Kilometre, it’s kuhlometa, NOT kee-loh-mee-tah Controversy – cn – trov – uh – si, NOT con-tra-ver-see Literary – litry, NOT litter-rare-ree

Sheehan A family of this name was on the news for some reason, and I really don’t care how they pronounce their own name, but I was not impressed to hear, on the ABC of all places, Shee-Han. It’s obviously sheeun.

Chiswick Had to dictate an address recently, apropos of nothing, in this well known Sydney suburb, named presumably after the English one which is also on the river.

Me: Chissik, 2077

Woman: Where?

Me: Chissik

Woman: Can you spell that?

Me: C-H-I-S-W-I-C-K

Woman: Oh, you mean Chis-Wick!

No, I don’t.

H Yes, I know it has a huh sound when you use it in words but when you are using the letter, eg. HIH, it just pronounced aitch. As is aitch, eye, aitch. A mistake forgivable only in small children.