[OQmYckYz]

(sorry if I should have posted this elsewhere, but couldn't find anywhere relevant)

So I came across this on Wikipedia:

Mispronunciation of title word
Throughout the song, Bush pronounces "Wuthering" as "Wathering" ('wɔðərɪŋ) instead of ˈwʌðərɪŋ, as listed in the Oxford English Dictionary

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this means the CORRECT pronounciation of the 'U' is as in strut, mud, dull, gun, cup - which is how I've always pronounced it. Listening to the song, I have trouble hearing her 'incorrect' pronounciation - Maud, dawn, fall, straw, horse. To further clarify, I pronounce the U in Wuthering similar to Wondering or other - (w)othering...which is what phonetically seems correct, and what I hear in the song...

Am I missing something?

[Flerdourdyged]

I don't know who wrote that but I think they are incorrect. I suppose it is possible to construe her English singing pronunciation of it as "wathering" depending on where you're from or your own accent but to my ear it's always been pronounced correctly. How weird!

[OQmYckYz]

It goes on to say that she was asked about it in an interview - Bush admitted to not knowing the correct pronunciation of the word, and stated that she used what she thought was the most common British pronunciation.

From what I can tell (I'm no linguist), but they're saying she pronounces it worthering, like sauntering, or four-(thering) - which I just don't hear...???

[ethigSmimbine]

I don't hear it either. She pronounces it like I would say it (the strut, mud, dull, gun, cup), I don't know if there is a more proper pronunciation beyond that but I think whoever came up with this doesn't understand her accent or is just talking shite.

[stastony]

They're talking shite.

[immoceefe]

My experience of the Yorkshire pronunciation*, from living there a for few years, is:

Wu [as in "woof"] , thurr [as in, umm, "hot in hurr"], with the end either "in'" or "innnG" depending on which part of Yorkshire they're from.

Kate sings it in her own very south-east-English accent; the actors in the 1939 movie made it closer to "Weather-ing" but what British actors did to vowels in the 1930s is still a cause of distress to many.

It's a word of Scottish origin apparently, which never travelled much further south than Yorkshire. I wonder if it would even still get in to modern dictionaries were it not for the novel? I remember a teacher telling me Bronte had used it because even in the 1800s it was fairly obscure and so it emphasized that the book was set in the 1700s.


(* local students talking about the book - I never heard anyone use it conversationally... "Eck it's wuthering the shit out of me camper van")

[ethigSmimbine]

Kate sings it in her own very south-east-English accent

Yeah exactly, there's a difference between mispronouncing something through knowing it wrong, and the sounds simply coming out of your mouth in a certain way because of your accent. The complete scope of regional variance across the UK is immense.

[lesso73]

I don't hear any pronunciation mistakes. Even though, when you're singing that high it's likely your pronunciation will suffer a little.

[Kragh]

You can go on Wikipedia and correct it or at least add a counter viewpoint. I've done it quite a few times. Of course, you should only do it when you're absolutely certain of the information.

[OQmYckYz]

^^ Good point - and that's why I came here first - not entirely sure!!

[immoceefe]

I just heard a trailer for a new BBC Radio drama adaptation of the novel, to be broadcast (and webcast) this Sunday at 8pm GMT on Radio 3, so I'll be listening to the pronunciation particulajw attentively