Is it a 'hooper' swan or a 'wooper' swan? (1 Viewer)

[Sancho]

......put an f in front of 'when' - so another version could be a fwooper.........

Wow. That sounds like a Speech Defect. Or like the old wizard at the rope bridge in "Holy Grail"...."Phwat....Is Yourrrr Name?"; "Phwat.....Is Your Favourite Colour?" etc. etc.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Interesting indeed. When exactly did I stop being English?

Apologies, BW. Clearly the dividing line is still a little way south of the border. And the line will be fuzzy as young people are likely to be more eager adopters of the change. That's mutating language, innit?

Graham

 

[bitterntwisted]

But can your Dad say hard "th"? Or does he say "I tink", like most(?) folk here do?

Oh, he lost that one sharpish. Made him sound a roight ticko.

Graham

 

[Sancho]

....That's mutating language, innit?

Graham

Mutating language, you say? Disgraceful...Harrumph, harrumph...I shall write a jolly stiff letter to "The Times of Indiarrrrrr", Forthwith!!!

 

[mikfoz]

Good grief! Is this still running?

It's hooper. At least I've never once heard anyone say otherwise out loud and that's how all the guides say it at Martin Mere.

English is pronounced as it's said, not as it's written and for every "when" to support the woopers there's a "who" to support the hoopers. And some people say hu-wen anyway.

 

[mikfoz]

Now that's a version I've never come across before - good job Whooper Swans aren't too common in Windsor Great Park or on Hampstead Heath.

Richard

Are you sure that's not Hindsor Great Park? Or Wampstead Weath?

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Good grief! Is this still running?

It's hooper. At least I've never once heard anyone say otherwise out loud and that's how all the guides say it at Martin Mere.

English is pronounced as it's said, not as it's written and for every "when" to support the woopers there's a "who" to support the hoopers. And some people say hu-wen anyway.

Gosh. Well if the guides at Martin Mere say that I must have been wrong for the past 40-odd years. I'll change my manner of speech forthwith.

Or maybe I won't.

 

[dantheman]

It's all a moot (or should that be Mute? ) point. Say it how you like.

As an aside; a few rarer ones;

Norman's Thrush?? Or Nowman's?
Fay's Petrel?? Or Fee's?

 

[Richard Klim]

Norman's Thrush?? Or Nowman's?
Fay's Petrel?? Or Fee's?

Naumann's (Now-mahn's) Thrush (German),
and Fea's (Fay-ah's) Petrel (Italian)???

Richard

 

[dantheman]

Cheers! At least I'll know how to correctly pronounce the next one I find (dream on . . .)

 

[robinm]

Cheers! At least I'll know how to correctly pronounce the next one I find (dream on . . .)

Not a lot of either in Swanley

 

[David FG]

Exactly!!!

The English people on here all say Hooper, and not Wooper, but NO-ONE says Wooper (except aforementioned beginners) It's the Scots and Irish who still have a distinct "wh-" sound, which we English can no longer make and barely perceive, who say Whooper.

My Irish father, despite 40+ years in this country, pronounces 'what' differently from 'watt', 'which' differently from 'witch', 'whether' differently to 'weather'. I can't even impersonate him. The original pronunciation of Whooper involves a sound most English people can't make any more, and so we say Hooper.

Re the Queen's English - she may be one of the few remaining English people who make this wh- sound.

Graham

Sorry to spoil a good theory, but despite my 'location' I am Irish, and I say 'hooper'.

 

[Sancho]

Sorry to spoil a good theory, but despite my 'location' I am Irish, and I say 'hooper'.

Well go and wash out your mouth with soap, I´ve never heard such a ting...

 

[oncebittern]

I've always used Hooper myself, and will continue to.

As an aside, I've heard two different pronounciations of Scaup this week - Skorp and Skawp. Everyone knew what we were talking about though, so does it really matter?

To use a quote from Monty Python:

Interviewer: [tries literal pronunciation] I'm sorry; Raymond Luxury Yatscht.
Raymond Luxury-Yacht: No no no, it's spelled, "Raymond Luxury Yacht," but it's pronounced, "Throat Warbler Mangrove".

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I've always used Hooper myself, and will continue to.

As an aside, I've heard two different pronounciations of Scaup this week - Skorp and Skawp. Everyone knew what we were talking about though, so does it really matter?

To use a quote from Monty Python:

Interviewer: [tries literal pronunciation] I'm sorry; Raymond Luxury Yatscht.
Raymond Luxury-Yacht: No no no, it's spelled, "Raymond Luxury Yacht," but it's pronounced, "Throat Warbler Mangrove".

Aren't they the same sound?

 

[dantheman]

Not a lot of either in Swanley

There's always a chance . . . in amongst the Redwings and Manxies . . . um ok, perhaps not . Have recorded a Mute Swan once though . . .

 

[dantheman]

Aren't they the same sound?

Aren't the two alternatives something like skorp and Scowlp (Or Scaup, au as in 'aural')??

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Aren't the two alternatives something like skorp and Scowlp (Or Scaup, au as in 'aural')??

I knew what he meant, I was just being awkward.

 

[David FG]

Well go and wash out your mouth with soap, I´ve never heard such a ting...

I know, mó chara; I have brought shame upon my nation and all it stands for.

I shall go and do the 'dacent' thing...

 

[dantheman]

I knew what he meant, I was just being awkward.

Aukward??

I'm beginning to think this thread needs winding up asap. For reasons of sanity . . .