Two Language Observations

I listen to NPR a lot. I have come to expect mostly well-spoken English on the network. Two pronunciations have surprised me of late, however. I have heard these on NPR and elsewhere.

First, there is the word missile. The word came up a lot in coverage of the Trump-Netanyahu war against Iran. I have always heard this word pronounced as ˈmi‑səl, but I was repeatedly hearing it pronounced ˈmi‑sīl. When I looked the word up in the dictionary, I was surprised to learn that this latter pronunciation is the usual British one.  As it happens, many of the reporters I was listening to on NPR were, in fact, British. Mystery solved!

Another oddity I have noticed lately is rather more annoying. It involves the simple word a. Almost always, I expect this word to be pronounced as ə—or if you prefer, uh—as in a beautiful beach. This is the usual adjectival use of the word. Normally, it is only pronounced ˈā when the word is used as a noun (i.e., to refer to the letter A) or, more rarely, as an adjective for emphasis on the singularity of the thing it modifies (e.g., ā very big deal). Recently, however—I heard an example of this usage on the ABC news tonight—a long A is being used in phrases like ā mix of sun and clouds. My guess is that announcers are trying too hard to enunciate, even when a natural pronunciation is actually called for and a long A pronunciation simply seems stilted.