Talk:mandatory

could not understand uk pprounceation guide.

• If you click on the IPA link you will see an explanation of the strange symbols. SemperBlotto (talk) 14:29, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

I don't understand the UK pronunciation either. I've heard /manˈdeɪtəɹi/ (man-DATE-ĕ-rĭ ) and /ˈmandətɹi/ (MAN-dĕ-trĭ with three syllables) but not either of the given variants. (I suppose there might be some regions where they are used?) Does anyone else think the current versions need altering? Dbfirs 16:33, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

It looks a bit off to me too, I'd say /ˈmæn.də.tɹi/, well actually I say /ˈmæn.də.tɹɪ/ because I'm a Yorkshireman but the first pronunciation is a more inclusive one. Mglovesfun (talk) 16:53, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

The first pronunciation in the entry is correctly marked as American, but may be used in parts of the UK these days. The other two just look wrong to me. The second one has the stress on the wrong syllable. The third one uses what might be a very rare "tʃ" that I've never heard. I think we should include the common British pronunciations, as given in the OED (your version being the standard IPA representation for RP). Do you really use "mæn" rather than "man"? Perhaps I was born further north in Yorkshire than you were? Dbfirs 09:09, 10 June 2012 (UTC)

The above is copied from the feedback page. What does anyone else think about the pronunciation? The previous UK versions were"(UK) IPA: /manˈdətəɹi/" (stressed vowel should be long) and "(UK) (rare) IPA: /ˈmandətʃɹi/" (which I don't recognise as normal British). We don't record common mis-pronunciations such as aks for ask, do we? Dbfirs 07:16, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

• Yeah I think the previous versions were just plain nonsense. Ƿidsiþ 07:43, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. (My IPA is still a bit shaky, and I have to keep thinking "How would the Queen say it?" so I appreciate the confirmation.) Dbfirs 07:55, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Would you say that the pronunciation "/manˈdeɪtəɹi/ (man-DATE-ĕ-rĭ)" is not sufficiently common in the UK to be included. The OED has it, but Collins Millennium Dictionary has only your variants. It's probably dying out. Dbfirs 08:30, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Actually, the OED doesn't have it, at least in the latest (3rd) edition, updated in 2000 (nor was it there in the 2nd edition of 1989). I would consider that wrong, in fact I'm not sure I've ever heard it. But if it is in an old version of the OED then maybe it used to be a variant. Ƿidsiþ 08:32, 11 June 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, my error. I've heard it, and I thought I'd seen it in the OED, but it must have been elsewhere. I'll check. (It's in Daniel Jones' English Pronouncing Dictionary, but only as a variant, and that's not where I saw it.) Meanwhile, I'm happy with the correction that you've made. At least the entry now makes sense. Dbfirs 08:24, 14 June 2012 (UTC)