You gotta pronounce it right!

出自香港新聞網 - 樹仁新傳系學生實習習作

“Lazy pronunciation is just like a droplet of ink on a white formal dress,” Francis Law, a well-known TV station announcer persuaded Shue Yan University students to rectify their “lazy pronunciation” in Cantonese. He explained, “no matter how attractive and perfect a person, lazy Cantonese pronunciation can destroy his image.”

For an individual, wrong pronunciation may create jokes but Law remarked the great influence of media in misleading the audience. “Many of the wrong pronunciations originated from a wrong word told by a media practitioner,” he added. Law reaffirmed that as a reporter, accurate Cantonese pronunciation is a must to maintain media’s social responsibilities.

Law explained the reason for pronouncing wrongly is mainly due to laziness. “People often neglect the differences between “N” and “L” consonants in speaking Cantonese,” said Law. He encouraged the students to learn the right words from traditional Cantonese opera as those actors paid great attention in pronunciation, “You cannot pronounce it probably unless you rectify it consciously”