Say all of it, says survey

Say all of it, says survey

It’s a close call, but most respondents to last month’s online survey believe we need to clearly pronounce the A when saying Docklands.

Some 22 people responded to the survey and 13 of them (59.1 per cent) opted for the more formal pronunciation.

A number of respondents left their reasoning too.

Among the majority group opting for the “Land” method of saying Docklands were:

It is the land surrounding the dock.

Proper pronunciation of the English language.

They are two separate words joined together Dock-lands.

Because it’s the land of all docks.

Because that’s how it’s spelt.

Because it is built on old Dock Land, not something fancy. Where did the A go missing to people who are trying to sound flash? Go back and learn grammar. Since when do we call land “lnds”?

Because we speak English, not slang.

It’s closest to the way I pronounce it: Docklunds ... (we think this person cast their vote on the wrong side).

Among those suggesting that the correct pronunciation was Docklnds (without the final A) were:

There is no need to self-consciously pronounce every syllable of a word separately, as if just beginning to learn the language. Other irritating examples are, neck-lace, car-ton, hos-tel, li-lac, cere-moany, hurri-cane, and many more. Not “English as she is spoken”.

Try pronouncing EngLand!

When it is clearly one word (such as Newlands/Moreland/Highlands etc) the “A” is missed in pronunciation. This simply follows the same rule.

Previous examples such as England, Scotland drop the A when pronounced. It adds class.

It is more sophisticated.

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