Madam, - Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of reading Gay Byrne's article about mispronunciations on RTÉ. However, I have often been angered by the careless and sloppy style of some of the reporters on our national TV station. I know this is not as important an issue as world hunger or global warming, but who is "Burtie Ahurn"? Some say he the "Thaoiseach". Even people in the Dáil have been known to address him as "Thaoiseach". This is "purfectly" true.
What annoys me even more is the way some reporters pronounce the letter "t" as if it were a "d". So now we have "fordie shades of green", "head-quarders", etc.
Some people seem to think that TV presenters should reflect a wide variety of regional accents. They shouldn't. Can you imagine an English presenter reading the news on TV with a "Cor blimey" or "doon toon" accent? Or an American with a "Yee Haw" introduction to the nightly news? There was a certain standard which was maintained by men such as the late Charles Mitchell and Maurice O'Doherty and which is continued today by the main newsreaders - but not, I think, by some of the younger special correspondents.
Finally, I would just like to point out that the word "height" does not end in "th", although Irish people generally pronounce it as if it does. Now, I'm glad I done that. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL McGUIRE,
Speenogue,
Burt,
Co Donegal.