Jim_P Posted March 1 #26 Share Posted March 1 (edited) The captains on the ships I've been on always say it like "Que-nard" (with a quick "que" and longer "nard"), if its good enough for the captains, its good enough for me. Edited March 1 by Jim_P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphWiggum Posted March 2 #27 Share Posted March 2 (edited) I have noticed that when you call customer service and are put on hold, there are usually adverts with a British female announcer, or if you watch some of the Cunard QV preview videos, esp. the ones with the same female narrator, she pronounces it as queue-nard. Which always sticks out to me since that’s not how I hear it pronounced when on board (short que / long nard). Edited March 2 by RalphWiggum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMAXROBs1- Posted March 2 #28 Share Posted March 2 5 hours ago, Jim_P said: The captains on the ships I've been on always say it like "Que-nard" (with a quick "que" and longer "nard"), if its good enough for the captains, its good enough for me. If the ship captains said ' kyew-NARD ' , good enough for me too. But ' KEW-nard ', with stress on 1st syllable as in US radio ads, sounds Appalachian and, is just harder to say. Easiest of all is ' k'-NARD ', as I always heard it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WantedOnVoyage Posted March 2 #29 Share Posted March 2 Sounds like it would be less puzzling had they stuck to the original name of the company: The British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd. Even colonials (like Cunard himself) could pronounce that "properly." 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NE John Posted March 2 #30 Share Posted March 2 My brother-in-law from New Jersey pronounces it Ca’Nerd ??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TouchstoneFeste Posted March 2 #31 Share Posted March 2 18 hours ago, FMAXROBs1- said: Only Britons who assume that some harder pronunciation makes a word sound more posh. The insertion of a slight "y" at the beginning of the "oo" sound in many words is simply a characteristic of the Received Pronunciation (and others) in British English. Think of the word "Duke". In America (and some other non-RP accents) this is normally "Dook"; in RP there's a tiny little "y" in there: "Dyook". It may sound overly posh to some, but it's just the way they pronounce it. I think we can safely choose whichever pronunciation we prefer - "Coonard" or "Cyoonard". And personally I place the stress equally on both syllables, perhaps a slightly stronger stress on the second syllable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Windsurfboy Posted March 2 #32 Share Posted March 2 Queue - nard Cue - nard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibabacruisers Posted March 3 #33 Share Posted March 3 (edited) Prior to our first cruise on Cunard, there was a video of Commodore Bernard Warner and he said Cue-nard, so that is how I have been saying it since. I have heard both Cue-nard and Koo-nard though. Edited March 3 by alibabacruisers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_P Posted March 3 #34 Share Posted March 3 Just to muddy the waters a bit I was just watching a youtube video of the QM2's titanic anniversary ceremony and Captain Hashmi pronounces it like "k'nard" - about 2:10 in this video https://youtu.be/3ARC8hwav14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMAXROBs1- Posted March 3 #35 Share Posted March 3 Barring those who fancy they are putting on the style, native English-speakers prefer the shortest route. Examples of preferring the shorter way: Do you say 'WENNS-dy', 'WED-nez-day' or even 'WED-'nz-day' as a few do? Do you way 'SEV-ral' or 'SEV-er-'l' as a few do? Syllables with vowel-sounds like 'eh-ee' ie 'a', 'ee', ie, 'e', 'ah-ee' ie, 'i', 'oh-oo' ie, 'o', and 'yew' ie, 'u' are harder to say than 'ah', 'eh' 'ih', short 'aw' as in 'cot', or long 'uhh' or barely any 'uh' like the schwah-sound in the 1st 'a' in 'parade'. In different, unstressed English syllables, the schwah can replace a lot more than one vowel. That means depending on the unstressed vowel, the schwah can replace a 'a', an 'e', an 'i', an 'o', or a 'u'--just not more than one per unstressed syllable. In the US, some speakers accent 1st syllables in words like 'idea', 'hotel' and many others, with quite rustic effect. That is how 'CUE-nard' strikes me. As to words not stressed on the 1st syllable, I doubt un-posh Britons wanting to sound posh, ever imagined how hickish 'jag-GYEW-ahr' ie, 'jaguar' sounds. The disease spread to 'gyew-WAHT-erh-ma-la' [Guatemala] 'bye-LING-gyew-'l [bilingual] and other gems. Same applies to to 'KYEW-nard'. It's just harder to say. Yet, one contributor who would surely know says Cunard ship captains say it as 'cue-NARD'. The 'yew'-pronunciation is the hardest for a 'u' and doubly so in a stressed syllable. Cunard ship captains apparently go easy on themselves putting the 'yew' sound in 'Cunard's' 1st syllable and leaving stress for its last syllable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_P Posted March 3 #36 Share Posted March 3 (edited) Captain Chris Wells pronouncing it "Que-nard" - 4:20 in this video: https://youtu.be/uVk13Q4OxBc Commodore Rynd, also "Que-nard" - 0:20 in this one: https://youtu.be/1DVWBocvuKw Captain Wells, also "Que-nard" - 2:53 in this one: https://youtu.be/z_i2tgNopQQ Commodore Warner, also "Que-nard" - 0:18: https://youtu.be/XPzzGac1T3g So in conclusion, I have way too much time on my hands today. Edited March 3 by Jim_P 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMAXROBs1- Posted March 3 #37 Share Posted March 3 No need to check. Some people say such things, which was never disputed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted March 4 #38 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Schwa [no H by the way]. The lazy vowel. FMAXROBs1-,that will be a new word for many. As a teacher of phonics for many years, it never encroached on my lesson plans as it would have truly messed up little minds and spelling. The English language is a night mare anyway should all its rules be strictly followed. Spoken lazy vowels are very common but as an unposh Brit who has no intention of sounding posh, my use of schwas is limited and I do tend to pronounce many syllables where others might use a schwa. Cue-naaard. Up to personal interpretation. I go with the past captains but at the end of the day, pronunciation is in the ''I say tomarto. you say tomayto'' / ''I say varse, you say vayse'' bracket. Talking of which, don't get me started on Worcester. 😄 Edited March 4 by Victoria2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggielou362 Posted March 4 #39 Share Posted March 4 (edited) 3 hours ago, Victoria2 said: ...Talking of which, don't get me started on Worcester. 😄 Sorry Victoria, the temptation and curiosity is too great😉😁! We call the iconic Lea and Perrins sauce "Woostersheer" (short oo, as in book) in Australia, but on our delightful recent QM2 voyage a Brit at the adjoining table called it "Wooster" sauce (same short oo), no "sheer" on the end. I would never say "Wersester", but are we wrong in Australia pronouncing "Woostersheer" with the "sheer" on the end? The sauce is called Worcestershire sauce, not Worcester sauce, so I am now confused. Edited March 4 by maggielou362 typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted March 4 #40 Share Posted March 4 (edited) maggielou362, don't be confused as we say Wus ter shur or Wus ter Sauce depending on what comes out of our mouths at the time. Lea and Perrins will do too. 😀 You'd be amazed at the number of local UK names which are pronounced incorrectly by non local, native English speakers. All the fun of the fair. The pronunciation of the city of Worcester however, is a continual source of merriment to us and our American friends. Edit Try Belvoir Castle! 😄 Edited March 4 by Victoria2 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggielou362 Posted March 4 #41 Share Posted March 4 (edited) I was going to say 'Belvwah" but I cheated and checked with my husband, who lived in England for a while. So now I think it's pronounced Beaver Castle and it's in Lestersheer 😜 Or maybe it's in Lestershur? Am I correct? Edited March 4 by maggielou362 add 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NE John Posted March 4 #42 Share Posted March 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, Victoria2 said: The pronunciation of the city of Worcester That’ll be called “Wooster” Mass or sometimes “Whester”. Then put a strong New England accent on top of that! Edited March 4 by NE John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted March 4 #43 Share Posted March 4 Try Happisburgh, Norfolk, where the cliffs fall into the sea. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggielou362 Posted March 4 #44 Share Posted March 4 (edited) Uh oh, what have I started? I think I'd better go to bed. Edited March 4 by maggielou362 add 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted March 4 #45 Share Posted March 4 7 minutes ago, exlondoner said: Try Happisburgh, Norfolk, where the cliffs fall into the sea. Nothappiburruh?😅 Or is it said through a haze of bewilderment. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Windsurfboy Posted March 4 #46 Share Posted March 4 Try Fowey in Cornwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted March 4 #47 Share Posted March 4 10 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said: Try Fowey in Cornwall That is interesting, because it had never struck me that its pronunciation was actually illogical, but I suppose it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted March 4 #48 Share Posted March 4 5 hours ago, Victoria2 said: Nothappiburruh?😅 Or is it said through a haze of bewilderment. 🙂 I think it is Haysbruh, but obviously said with a Norfolk accent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggielou362 Posted March 4 #49 Share Posted March 4 7 hours ago, exlondoner said: Try Happisburgh, Norfolk, where the cliffs fall into the sea. Nope, not even going to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted March 5 #50 Share Posted March 5 How about Mousehole in Cornwall? I believe it's pronounced Mowsel or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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