English as She are Spok

A correspondent in today's Times bewails the tendency of telly people to pronounce 'sixth' as 'sikth'.


Where have you been, bewailer?  'Fifth' has been 'fith' since ever since I can remember.  People who join in protests are called PRO-testers.  People who export are called EX-porters.  The distinction between 'less' and 'fewer' got lost in about 1949.  And of the rich panoply of prepositions that English offers, only one survives in telly-speak - 'over'.


I long to see the headline - Obama Craps Himself Over Africa.


The way things are going, it's inevitable.