Saturday 3 December 2011

“All(-)inclusive” yet again!


In my post of the 26th of July 2011 I said this about the phrase all(-)inclusive:

“We all know that the expression all-inclusive in English is pronounced ˌɔːl ɪnˈkluːsɪv, ˌɑːl-, -ɪŋ-, -ˈkluːz- when in isolation and that the main stress is never on the -ɪn- or -ɪŋ- of the second term of the compound, since this usually counts as a non-native learner’s error. In contemporary Standard Italian, though, this is not always the case. Pronunciations like ˌol inˈklusiv, -iŋ-, -ziv and -ˈin-, -ˈiŋ- are all possible and to be heard very frequently. The ones with main stress on the second syllable of inclusive are usually regarded as the traditional variants, that is the correct pronunciations which should be adopted in educated speech. The -ˈin-, -ˈiŋ- pattern, on the other hand, is slightly more recent and is considered by many as sloppy, although it is becoming increasingly common among educated native speakers and, in particular, among Italian travel agents”.

Take a look at this YouTube video. It’s a television ad for mobile phones which has been appearing on all major Italian TV channels for a week now. 

Did you notice anything “strange” about it?

Yes, we can hear the expression all(-)inclusive being pronounced in two different ways, and all in the space of only 2 seconds! The first time, at 00.12, actress Vanessa Incontrada pronounces it with main stress on the -ˈiŋ- syllable; the second time, at 00.14 into the clip, the voice-over says it with stress on the penultimate: -ˈkluziv.

I wonder whether the director noticed these variant stressings and why he/she didn’t “correct” the pronunciation used by Ms Incontrada.

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I shall be busy with a conference next week. Next post in two weeks’ time.

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