I ponder that the people editing the recordings don't know which differing pronunciations are due to Black English dialect and which are not, so they err on the side of not correcting at all.
On Nether-lands: Looking the other way across the Atlantic, our state of Maryland is pronounced with the y like a short i, so the name comes out like the personal name Marilyn+d. But you can hear some Europeans saying it as Mary-land. (Which could be a religious amusement park? )
On Jaguar: The alternate pronunciation for the car that I'm familiar with is Jag-you-are. I'm told that is pretty standard in England, but I know I first heard it from Click and Clack on NPR's "Car Talk".
The announcer: (I hope you don't mean to avoid making identification.s Apologies for violating that if you do.) Could it be Chioke I'Anson that you mean? He seems to be an academic who fell into this extra job. Maybe he's not who you mean, as he's male and this announcing seems to be for the network rather than your affiliate WNYC. But I have heard him as guest announcer/scorer on the radio game show "Wait Wait" and I would agree in calling his voice apparently Black but not as distinctly so as Ayesha Rascoe.
In middle school our mascot was the Jaguar, and the assistant principal brought his southern accent to the microphone many times getting four syllables out of it. Go Jag-u-why-ruhs!
Unlike Dr. McWhorter, I’ve heard the name of the animal itself pronounced “jag-wire” /ˈd͡ʒæɡwɑːɪɹ/ — a clear example can be heard on YouTube at https://youtu.be/93UQ7nC4nuQ?si=u7sw3pWUoh6uYKyG (timestamp 3:32-3:33), where the narrator discusses the Aztecs’ cross-breeding experiments involving the attempted hybridization of “jagwires” with pumas.
Oh, John! "Seuil" is French for "threshold". The word for a bucket is "seau", which rhymes with "beau(x)".
I ponder that the people editing the recordings don't know which differing pronunciations are due to Black English dialect and which are not, so they err on the side of not correcting at all.
Whoa, John! You are so brave to tackle this peeve! Loved it.
Terrific episode. Appreciate you tackling this sensitive cultural issue.
On Nether-lands: Looking the other way across the Atlantic, our state of Maryland is pronounced with the y like a short i, so the name comes out like the personal name Marilyn+d. But you can hear some Europeans saying it as Mary-land. (Which could be a religious amusement park? )
On Jaguar: The alternate pronunciation for the car that I'm familiar with is Jag-you-are. I'm told that is pretty standard in England, but I know I first heard it from Click and Clack on NPR's "Car Talk".
The announcer: (I hope you don't mean to avoid making identification.s Apologies for violating that if you do.) Could it be Chioke I'Anson that you mean? He seems to be an academic who fell into this extra job. Maybe he's not who you mean, as he's male and this announcing seems to be for the network rather than your affiliate WNYC. But I have heard him as guest announcer/scorer on the radio game show "Wait Wait" and I would agree in calling his voice apparently Black but not as distinctly so as Ayesha Rascoe.
Two links for background on Chioke I'Anson:
https://www.npr.org/people/1006763492/chioke-ianson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/vcu-instructor-stumbles-onto-the-radio-gig-of-a-lifetime/2017/01/10/2af2d20a-d6a6-11e6-9f9f-5cdb4b7f8dd7_story.html
Here in Indiana I often hear the name of the Jacksonville football team pronounced the way you say the name of the car is pronounced - jag-wires.
In middle school our mascot was the Jaguar, and the assistant principal brought his southern accent to the microphone many times getting four syllables out of it. Go Jag-u-why-ruhs!
Unlike Dr. McWhorter, I’ve heard the name of the animal itself pronounced “jag-wire” /ˈd͡ʒæɡwɑːɪɹ/ — a clear example can be heard on YouTube at https://youtu.be/93UQ7nC4nuQ?si=u7sw3pWUoh6uYKyG (timestamp 3:32-3:33), where the narrator discusses the Aztecs’ cross-breeding experiments involving the attempted hybridization of “jagwires” with pumas.