Who began replacing it with 'u'? as in the f-word and more importantly, as in luck and up. Luck has nothing worthwhile to do with optimism, and it is done in an optimistic pretence. You can almost feel the orgasm at the sound of these changes:
good = gud
Brooke = Bruck
brook = bruck
look = luck
book = buck
No doubt 'yuk' will become 'yook'. As in yooky croaky voices.
2006-10-16 07:50:28 · 26 answers · asked by Chris cc 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
No one understood that so far, that will say so? If you don't understand - switch on UK television and observe!
2006-10-16 07:58:15 · update #1
I apologise for not stating that I live in the UK and REFER TO THE UK TELEVISION.
2006-10-16 08:10:09 · update #2
Where do you live that this vowel shift is going on? In Southern California we don't seem afflicted by this particular shift. Although there are a few words shifting from "oo" to "ew", as in pronouncing the word "cool" as "Kewl".
I wouldn't worry too much. For a vowel shift to become permenant in any geographic region, it would require a degree of isolation that that the modern world seldom allows any living language to enjoy.
2006-10-16 08:07:29 · answer #1 · answered by Rico Toasterman JPA 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Great Vowel Shift happened in English sometime between Chaucer and Shakespeare (it finished around Shakespeare's time, though it was mainly done before he lived.) Nobody knows why it happened. But it happened.
Spelling doesn't match pronunciation. And pronunciations change. But not all of them. The earlier post was right--you are talking about three different vowel sounds. "Look" and "luck" are pronounced two different ways in most cases (maybe not on the BBC, but I don't live in Britain and I haven't noticed it in exports to the US.) And what about Northern English people who say, "book" with the long "oo" sound? We don't say that in the US. You're confusing spelling with pronunciation. And some pronunciations on TV are different than in "real life."
And if your theory were correct, "yuck" has already changed to the "uh" sound and would not change *back* to "yook". Vowel shifts only go in one direction!
Mind your linguistics and put your theory back in to bake for a while. It's only halfway there.
But don't mind me--I only studied this stuff in college. "At university," if you prefer.
2006-10-16 08:39:37 · answer #2 · answered by SlowClap 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although I can't agree with some of your examples, I think the sound you're referring to is the phoneme 'schwa' which is becoming more common in spoken (UK) English pronunciation because it aids fluidity of speech, linking words more naturally and allowing one to speak faster. However, the original sounds aren't disappearing; you only have to speak with someone who uses Received Pronunciation to realise that! Perhaps the increase of use on television is due to the fact that one doesn't need to speak 'BBC English' to get a job on TV these days, so that finally the variety of British regional accents and pronunciation is more apparent to all?
2006-10-18 07:32:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In American English, we always pronounce the r sound. The schwa sound is just for nouns, we don't use it for r's like British English does.
2016-03-28 11:55:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
For those still unsure what the question relates to, I believe it is regarding the fact that most presenters on BBC TV have a regional accent, ie. they are from Wales, Ireland, Liverpool, etc.
The phrase 'good food' is now frequently pronounced as 'gud fud'. Not sure about the rest of the examples though.
2006-10-17 12:08:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
hahaha - its only cos they employ northern gits now to play all the parts as its no longer fashionable ot be "posh" - in fact anyone who talks properly is these days painted quaint and old fashioned and passed over - its way cooller to be funky and northern and boobbly!
2006-10-16 17:42:00 · answer #6 · answered by ABCugetME 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And have you noticed that Kabul is now Car-bul and Iraq has become I-rack and Glasgow has become Glarsgow.
2006-10-16 08:01:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends whether you are referring to the short vowel sound as in 'good' or the long vowel sound as in pool.
2006-10-16 07:55:55 · answer #8 · answered by blah blah blah 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what are you talking about
no one ever pronounced the F word "fook." or "yuck" as "yook."
There are three different vowel sounds you're talking about
2006-10-16 07:51:45 · answer #9 · answered by Marcy C 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Thank God you cleared up your location...I thought I was losing it. They are really doing this in the UK??? Why???
2006-10-16 16:05:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋