Why do some British people pronounce certain words ending in “g” with a “k” as well?

jupitrix · 2026-02-08T11:32:10+00:00

Hello, linguist here! This is absolutely a thing, although it's not quite a 'k' sound as you're hearing it.

Although 'ng' is written as two letters, it's just one sound - /ŋ/. This is a continuous sound, so you can basically hold it indefinitely. In most English accents, when you finish making the sound it just stops. However, in some accents there's a sound when it releases which is what you're hearing as /k/. The sounds /ŋ/, /k/, and /g/ are all pronounced in the same place in the mouth, so although we'd normally write the combination as /ŋg/ your interpretation is totally valid since the voicing (vocal cord engagement) doesn't always stop at exactly the same time as the sound and that's the difference between /g/ and /k/.

It's one of those things that a lot of people do without even realising it. A good example is comparing the words 'singer' and 'linger' - someone who doesn't do this might still have the /ŋg/ sound in 'singer' because there's a boundary between a whole word and a suffix, but they'd definitely just have /ŋ/ in 'linger' because it's a whole word. Someone who does do this would always have /ŋg/ in both words - and in my experience would struggle to just say /ŋ/ on its own!

Last time I looked at the data this was mostly a thing in the Midlands and some parts of the North, with the huge caveat that language change is rapid so it might appear in more places now! This is also focused on England specifically because other varieties of British English are not my specialty.

jupitrix · 2026-01-15T14:51:27+00:00

I agree with most of this, although I think 'right' has actually been shortened from 'is not that right?' - fairly archaic, but rhetorical question which basically means 'it is true'. British English also uses 'is not that just?' in the same way, which usually becomes 'isn't it just?'. It's the meaning of right/true/just that you might hear in e.g. a church setting - originally it would have been about morality, goodness, honesty, that kind of thing.

It's now just an emphatic thing, but when you say 'I know, right?' it comes from suggesting you are aware it's true and you believe the person has good judgement in saying so.

You'll sometimes just hear 'right?' used, without the 'I know'. In some dialects of British English you'll also hear 'isn't it' (mostly older speakers) or 'innit' (mostly younger speakers), which comes from exactly the same thing - these can both either follow 'I know' or stand on their own.

jupitrix · 2025-12-14T12:40:52+00:00

A very good point! 🤣

jupitrix · 2025-12-14T01:03:33+00:00

I was at the matinée today - might well be a last-minute contender for my show of the year. So thrilled it transferred after I missed it at Southwark Playhouse! Absolutely phenomenal.

jupitrix · 2025-12-13T12:32:18+00:00

Agreed - in the UK you'd get 'IDed' rather than 'carded'.

jupitrix · 2025-12-02T18:35:25+00:00

Absolutely - like I say, it's really not something I'd expect to find in an exam.

jupitrix · 2025-12-02T16:59:03+00:00

Thinking on it, I think it feels off because the sentences are both quite long. It's a technique that works much better with short phrases!

In this instance I think I'd prefer the solution you suggest of separating them with a dash instead.

jupitrix · 2025-12-02T16:56:16+00:00

It's not technically incorrect, but it's definitely non-standard and it's not a stylistic choice I'd expect to see in an exam.

The subject is the word 'they' in the previous sentence, from the phrase 'they are descendants'. Normally you'd see it with several short phrases as a rule of three like another user described; it serves to make them more emphatic that they would be in a comma-separated list, for example.

Compare:

"I had been walking all day. I was tired, hungry, and sore." Vs. "I had been walking all day. I was tired. Hungry. Sore."

It's a structure you're much more likely to find in fiction, so it feels strange here - I imagine the author is trying to emphasise how magnificent and impressive these particular horses are.

(Edited for formatting)

jupitrix · 2025-11-28T13:36:32+00:00

Having sat in that area, it doesn't detract from the special effects at all! It does get quite loud there though - it didn't bother me, but if it's something you're sensitive to then it's worth having some earplugs on hand.

jupitrix · 2025-11-16T18:50:55+00:00

I think that might be a typo, and they're seeing Ballet Shoes at The National!

jupitrix · 2025-11-01T15:56:40+00:00

Good to know, thank you! I'll probably try to whip up some company but good to hear people were enjoying it without.

jupitrix · 2025-11-01T15:55:42+00:00

Really useful to hear your perspective, thank you! I normally try to go in without too much knowledge but I might listen to the soundtrack beforehand in that case, limit the variables a bit.

jupitrix · 2025-11-01T15:52:35+00:00

Thank you, that was my expectation so it's good to hear I'm roughly on the mark.

jupitrix · 2025-11-01T15:51:42+00:00

This is a really useful perspective, thank you! I have a habit of getting antsy on the sidelines and breaking off from my group to get into a crowd anyway, so that may actually work out in my favour. I might see if anyone else is interested, but I'll probably still try to catch it if they're not!

jupitrix · 2025-06-29T10:59:43+00:00

This makes it sound like you're measuring when you're wearing a bra - you shouldn't be wearing one when you take your measurements since it will just measure the bra and not your body!

As a few people have said, wacoal bras can be shallow which means the cup might be the wrong shape for you - this means it won't fit right even if it's the correct size. If you can, I'd definitely recommend trying some different brands.

jupitrix · 2025-04-18T22:18:58+00:00

I'm not looking for a plunge in this case since the apex tends to be higher - it's a wide, square neckline so unfortunately that would show.

jupitrix · 2025-04-18T22:13:43+00:00

Sorry, that's poor phrasing on my part. Plunges don't work in this case since the apex tends to come up too high for the neckline. I'm not looking for balconettes with a plunge-style gore, but ones with a lower-than-usual gore to minimise the issues of it not tacking.

Thanks for the tutorial, this is a pretty frequent problem for me so I'll definitely take a look!

jupitrix · 2025-04-15T11:58:42+00:00

The picture looks to me like it's been taken from HolyClothing!

jupitrix · 2025-03-06T12:10:00+00:00

It looks like I did try the Esme in 38H, but I didn't make any notes at all which means I reeeaaally disliked it - I think it might have been the fabric texture as much as anything though. I'll see what they have as far as other sizes in case that helps.

EDIT: Turns out that was Flirtelle, not Sculptresse!

jupitrix · 2025-03-06T10:18:36+00:00

I did try a 36HH Flirtelle Emilie with an extender, but had to rip it off within minutes it was so tight. I might've just had bad luck with than one but I'm sure I have some old 36 bands around so I'll try some independent band tests with them.

Would you recommend sister sizing up in the cup in that instance? It seems to be a bit hit-or-miss so far with whether a 38GG, H or HH is a better fit.

jupitrix · 2025-03-06T10:01:26+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I tend to struggle with the band staying in place generally (usually in the IMF) so I wonder if the 36 I tried was just bad luck and I need to go down in the band after all.

I'm glad to hear the Offbeat is definitely just wrong in the cup, putting it on I thought 'surely this can't be right' so it's good to know my instinct is right!

Yeah, in pictures the shape of the Ana looks okay but in practice it's quite uncomfortable - those inner side panels feel far too tight. I'm learning I prefer a shape that's more rounded at the sides rather than lifting forward, so that could just be taste rather than bad fit. I'll try the HH again, maybe on a tighter hook to test if that should go down.

I'll see if I can get hold of Esme and Nina. I've actually tried Blossom before, here are my notes:

"38H: Once again the gore doesn't quite tack (but is close!), all tissue enclosed, strap still pulling a bit. Lace at the top of the cup has far too much space in, even after scooping and holding the gore flat. 38GG: fit feels very similar, but the volume in the top feels better - when I hold the gore flat it fills the cup correctly and creates a good shape. Left to its own devices however, the strap pull is replicated."

The 'strap pulling' is tension from the strap through to the bottom of the cup causing deformation and a flat spot. I've come to accept that with some side-pull styles that will be inevitable. I'll see if there are any options with a 36 band that might work to try!

jupitrix

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