Sixth Sense

[Birchy]

When - exactly - did media types first start pronouncing the word "sixth" as "sikth"? Or are pronunciation standards simply slipping?

[boatman]

Well, Birchy, on first reading I thought you'd written 'sikh' rather than 'sikth', but you're right, some people - media types or not - do pronounce it that way. Perhaps they always have. And, as for standards of pronunciation slipping, well, that depends on your viewpoint. If you subscribe to a strictly RP ethos of pronunciation, then the prevalence of regional - especially Esturine - accents on TV and radio would be irksome. However, if you have a more demotic and egalitarian stance, then it might be perceived as a good thing.

[andy hughes]

Standards are slipping - another media mispronunciation is "secetary" of which BBC newsreaders are particularly guilty, and 'Febuary' is another - I'm sure the list goes on!

[Janetx]

I think that it happened around the same time as women lost the ability to pronounce "S", as in Shtreet.