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Rhys Ifans! Welsh fans, another pronunciation pop question

From:Sally Caves <scaves@...>
Date:Saturday, November 27, 2004, 4:39
Here's a pronunciation question of a less academic nature, and defintely
more answerable.  Chris and I just came back from watching the new film
_Enduring Love_ (dir. Roger Michell), based on Ian McEwan's novel and
starring Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans.  Ifans is one of my all-time FAVORITE
actors.  He moves so easily from one accent to another--Welsh, Midlands,
standard British English, American--and from absolutely hilarious (_Human
Nature_ still has us rolling on the floor laughing) to pathetic to downright
menacing.  What a gift!  When I first saw him as that "masturbating
Welshman" in _Notting Hill_ (I know how that sounds; I'm merely quoting the
Hugh Grant character :), I was struck by his name and its spelling in the
credits; I knew instantly that he must be a native speaker (he IS, and a
"gog" at that); but I heard his name pronounced in a movie trailer as Reese
Eye-Fonz.  Or for those of you baffled by this primitive way of spelling out
pronunciations: /ris  'aifAnz/.  As though he was the Fonz.  I was aghast.
Surely it is /Ris 'ivans/ and dammee if I can't remember the CSX for the
voiceless trilled/tapped "r" after all that instruction you gave me.  Please
don't tell me that he goes by this pronunciation in Britain, having
capitulated to anglophonism.  Or is the announcer in the trailer a twit?
Ray would know.

Or is the announcer in the twailer a twit? Way would know.  Weally, that's
what went thwough my mind, caused me to commit some typos.

 _Enduring Love_ was intriguing, but I had different expectations for the
ending which disappointed me a little.  It is important to sit through the
credits.  So many people get up, and there are some interesting developments
there.

mulling it over...
Sally

Replies

Michael Poxon <m.poxon@...>
Ray Brown <ray.brown@...>