Mr. Steed, if you please!

[Uncle Al]

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking
English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.

Mr Steed 2020-03-09.jpg

Uncle Al

[Sinned]

I doubt that many people can pronounce any written English poetry or prose correctly or naturally. We have the concept of accents which tend to distort the written word, run words into each other and truncate others. Over here we have Brummy, Cockney, Geordie, Scouse and others and Americans, Australians and Canadians for instance each have there own lilt. As a personal example, my late father from North London would pronounce "thirty three" as "firty free". Of course with a bit of prior reading and conscious slow speech we could all do a good stab at reading it properly. Also some words such as "tomato" or "potato" have more than one way of pronunciation either ( or eyether ) of which is correct. Sorry to deflate your post UA!

[Jim]

I had to look up "terpsichore": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Terpsichore

[crfriend]

Of course there's tear and tear, but wait, we could have used tare if we were speaking of weight!

And recall that the simple letter "s" makes the difference between laughter and slaughter -- and none us wants the latter.

[pelmut]

Over here we have Brummy, Cockney, Geordie, Scouse and others...

If you want to hear a real Geordie accent, try some of these.

[Sinned]

What's the longest word in the English language? "Smiles" because there's a mile between the two "s'" [0].

[0] I initially put "s's" but the rule of using "s'" after a word ending in "s" so "Dennis's" should really be "Dennis'" so which is "correct" "s's" or "s'"? Oh the rules of grammar!

[denimini]

Yes, there are wonderful examples of the complexity of the english language that must be learnt either by heart or rote and neither rule nor logic.

What's the longest word in the English language? "Smiles" because there's a mile between the two "s'" [0].

[0] I initially put "s's" but the rule of using "s'" after a word ending in "s" so "Dennis's" should really be "Dennis'" so which is "correct" "s's" or "s'"? Oh the rules of grammar!

What about two "s-es" for "s's" plurality?

[Fred in Skirts]

Whot i got to speak is thus.. I spel words like i wont them to be spilt. i don't wury about no gramer i just writ it on paper.

[beachlion]

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking
English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.
Mr Steed 2020-03-09.jpg

Uncle Al

As English is my 2nd or 3rd language, I wonder if there is an vocal example of that poem. Just for educational purposes.

Because of my technical education, I learned the strict basics of English and the rest was from technical manuals. My English teacher was a former RAF pilot from Jamaica who flew in WW2. He had a way of posh speaking that would put Queen Elisabeth to shame. The result was that most of us spoke in the same way. After the first year at summer break, I was at a campsite near an American military base in the Netherlands. Two times we played baseball (we lost of course both times) with them and had beers after the game. Just from talking to them I lost my posh English accent. After the summer break, my English teacher could not believe I did not visit the USA. I could not go back to the Queens English whatever I tried.

[Kirbstone]

Perhaps there are longer modern words connected to computer speak, but as a boy I was taught that 'antidisestablishmentarianism' was the longest word.
The longest place name was Welsh, of course 'Llanfairpwllgwyngogerychwyrndrobwillllantisiliogogogoch' on Anglesea island.

Tom

[crfriend]

Perhaps there are longer modern words connected to computer speak, but as a boy I was taught that 'antidisestablishmentarianism' was the longest word.

There's supposedly a slightly longer word to describe the the pulmonary condition of those living near volcanoes, but that's not exactly in "common use". (I'm fighting a bit trying to call it up.) The other one isn't exactly in common use either, as it describes a particular faction in England which was opposed to the disestablishment of the Catholic Church in England when the C of E was forming up. (If memory serves.) Note that I am open to correction on this as I am running on memories more than a half-century old.

The longest place name was Welsh, of course 'Llanfairpwllgwyngogerychwyrndrobwillllantisiliogogogoch' on Anglesea island.

I suppose it figures. And, sadly, it's mostly consonants, the English having stolen most of the vowels from several languages. I'm not even going to have a go at pronouncing that.

[trainspotter48]

If anyone wants help with Llanfair__________etc, a search on the shorthand version of Llanfair PG will help.

It's a village on the island of Anglesey off the NW corner of Wales.

[shadowfax]

Perhaps there are longer modern words connected to computer speak, but as a boy I was taught that 'antidisestablishmentarianism' was the longest word.

There's supposedly a slightly longer word to describe the the pulmonary condition of those living near volcanoes, but that's not exactly in "common use". (I'm fighting a bit trying to call it up.) The other one isn't exactly in common use either, as it describes a particular faction in England which was opposed to the disestablishment of the Catholic Church in England when the C of E was forming up. (If memory serves.)

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?

[crfriend]

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?

Yup, that's the one!

[Sinned]

Of course the longest "word" is a chemical and it's 189,819 characters long. Apparently it's the full designation of titin. I absolutely refuse to print it. If you're that interested gurgle it.

There used to be the concept of BBC English which all BBC newsreaders and broadcasters though it's largely gone by the board now.