Thread:User talk:Commander Keane/Audio files/reply (3)

Sorry for butting in here, but I also would like to sincerely thank Commander Keane for choosing to upload pronunciations in his dialect to Wiktionary.

I say this because, when I first came to Wiktionary, there were basically only two kinds of English audio file pronunciations that were to be found here: Western (especially West Coast) American English pronunciations laden with mergers, and Received Pronunciation pronunciations (I am by no means knocking Received Pronunciation, by the way. I personally think that, especially when compared to the semi-demi-official attempts to form spoken standards for speakers of [often significantly different] dialects of English that are being grouped together because of geographical closeness/national identity found in my part of the world, Received Pronunciation is a model example of how a spoken standard ought to be. Of course, many would point to Northern England, the West Country, and the like and say "What about them?". To that, I say: fair enough. However, my view on the matter is still the same, because, although it is sad to see instances of features like rhoticity declining in areas like that, where they have long been key features of the local dialects, the thing is that the very opposite thing is happening in my part of the world, for the same reasons, so... yeah. It doesn't feel good at all for me and my ilk that harsh 100% rhoticity is becoming absolutely dominant across North America, along with loads of mergers quite foreign to my area, but I have to live with it, so, I mean, if (kind of) the opposite thing is taking place in another part of the English speaking world, forgive me for not being excessively sympathetic.) . Now, I respect and appreciate the contributions of those who speak in those ways (indeed, aside from the many users and many valuable contributions still being produced regularly by such users today, many of the [at least relatively] early contributions here seem to have been from those folks as well), but I also really do think that a (worldwide) English dictionary ought not to have its scale tilted so starkly pronunciation-wise like that. Now, don't get me wrong, the opposite is just as bad: if no one has any clue as to which pronunciations possess at least some semblance of perceived correctness by people, due to the fact that they are swamped with so many miscellaneous dialectal pronunciations, that is a serious problem as well.

...Anyway, just wanted to tell Commander Keane to keep up the good work!