Ren Faire: Language - Pronunication

Pronunciations

hese fairly cheezy sound clips demonstrate some common pronunciations. I repeat the word in common english and then in elizabethan. These were taken off the built-in mike on a powerbook, so theres some background noise.

Perhaps the most obvious sound difference is that of the R sound like that of mother . The R sound is drawn out into a pirate ARRRRRRRRR. This becomes trying in words like father where the A is pronounced like apple but the R is enunciated. Father is thus pronounced (Mpg) (aifc) (au) F-aaaa-th-rrrrrrr .

(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Want - the A sounds like A pple.
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Make - sounds like mek .
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Head - sounds like haid .
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) I - pronounced uh-ee.
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Mercy - pronounced maircy with a hard r.
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Fair - dipthong ai with a hard r.
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Neither - pronounced nayther .
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Lord - drawn out oo sound.
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Down - vowels pronouced uh-oo .
(Mpg) (aifc) (Au) Cup - a short and rounded u .

The most popular of the pronunciations is the want sound, iterated over and over with words like: father, water, salt, and fall. Combining these next to hard R's starts to twist the tounge. Here's a cheery greeting similar to the one I receive when I arrive home.

Here is how to pronounce the beginning of the (Mpg) (aifc) (Au) 23rd psalm from the King James Bible of ~1611.