The vicar's watch

In diesem Text geht es um die Unterscheidung der englischen Aussprache von "w", "v" und "f". Damit haben wir Deutschen generell große Probleme, wie wir leidlich bei unseren Proben für die Elgar-Programme mal wieder feststellen durften ...


Grundregel: Im Englischen wird der Buchstabe "v" ausgesprochen wie unser deutsches "w". Unser deutsches "w" wird ausgesprochen etwa wie "huu". Das englische "f" wird meistens ausgesprochen wie unseres; eine wichtige Ausnahme ist die englische Vokabel "of"; hier spricht man "ow" (vermutlich, um es von der Vokabel "off" zu unterscheiden).


Hierbei erinnerte sich eine Sängerin des Chors an den guten Colin Foskett, Lektor an der Bergischen Universität, der seine Studis gern mit einem speziell auf dieses Problem zugeschnittenen Text gequält hat, den wir Ihnen nicht vorenthalten wollen ...


Viel Spaß beim lauten Vorlesen der Geschichte des "Vicars of Wyvern", der versucht, seine Armbanduhr zu verkaufen, weil er stattdessen lieber ein großes Auto hätte ...


[ring … ring …]

 

Is that Waverly 1551? Are you Vanwells, the watch people?

 

My name is Wavell, I’m vicar of Wyvern and I want to enquire about a watch I've been given. I believe it's very valuable and I wondered whether Vanwells would be willing to buy it ...

 

… Yes, very valuable. I would have given it away, but my wife won’t hear of it and I’ve learned over the years to give great weight to my wife’s views. Her advice is invariably wise …

 

… What kind of watch? ... Well, it's a self-winding Swiss one and it's made of a sort of woven silverwork with heavy gold veins on the reverse. Over and above which it has every conceivable gadget. I believe it's worth well over five hundred.

 

… Why do I want to sell it? … Well, I was given it as a reward for saving the life of a young woman. She overturned a caravan in the river Wye and I dived in and saved her. Virtue is its own reward, of course, but her husband is one of the wealthiest men in the west and as he was very much in love with his wife he would reward me by giving me this lovely watch.

 

… I’m well aware of that. It was very civil of him. But I don’t want it. I could never wear it. I wouldn’t have the nerve. So what I want to do is convert it into cash and acquire a van. I’ve always wanted a van for my work, but I've never managed to get one. Being the vicar of Wyvern I’ve quite a wide area to cover.

 

… You will? … Which day? … Wednesday between twelve and one? … Wonderful. I’m very grateful. Goodbye.