How Do You Pronounce Subiaco ? (1945).
This is an interesting discussion about how to pronounce Subiaco from a columnist in the West Australian titled "Life and Letters, Many Things by the Walrus" in 1945.
"...Many months ago a correspondent whose letter was published in this column pointed out that if we wanted to popularise Basic English abroad (not, that I want to do so), we should have to amend our pronunciation of the letter "u."
All over the European Continent, he said, the letter was given the sound of "oo". Consequently I was not so surprised when an unquestionable authority a highly-educated Spaniard-corrected my pronunciation of "Subiaco."
Following the example of the "best people" in Perth I had called it "Sue-be-ahco". This authority informed me that it should be "Soo-be-aco." I had always felt a little contemptuous of the people who spoke of "Soobyacker", now I find that they were at least as near to the correct form as I was. "Sooby" for me in future. But, if we are to pronounce all our imported place names as they do on the other side of the world, we shall have to begin calling one of our North-West ports Darby. Try it on a resident of Derby and note the reaction..." (West Australian, 8 December 1945).
The article and photographs was from Trove, the database at the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
Western Mail, 1 July 1937.
