NonRevKing From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3617 times:
Ok, I'm sitting in class and my instructor is talking about SkyTeam. She keeps pronouncing "AeroMexico" with a Spanish accent, making it all dramatic. (Al-lo-may-he-co) This is irritating the piss out of me. Shouldn't she therefore pronounce the other SkyTeam carriers with their own accent? She doesn't.
I've noticed a LOT of Americans doing this, especially with Spanish words.
It's like Wolf Blitzer on CNN pronouncing Qatar, "cutter". IT'S MOTHERF@$%ING KA-TAR Wolf! Always has been, always will be. The CEO of Qatar Airways says it like this!
When did Iraq (I-RACK) become E-ROCK?
Why do Americans do this? If there is a logical reason, then shouldn't they have to pronounce all foreign words in the native accent?
When ordering a drink, should we get a "Wod-ka" and cranberry?
When I get take out, so I have to say "kung pow chicken" like the guy on the other end of the phone?
Do I have to say, "My favorite sport is hockey, eh?" and sound like the MacKenzie brothers?
Where does it all end? Does anyone else share my pain?
AA61Hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13975 posts, RR: 59 Reply 1, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3602 times:
I always like it when the newscasters turn hispanic when they say a hispanic persons name.
TWFirst From Vatican City, joined Apr 2000, 6346 posts, RR: 53 Reply 2, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3587 times:
You have a point.... sort of.
Just because we as Americans pronounce foreign words with an American accent doesn't mean it's correct to do so. When pronouncing Spanish words, (and technically Aeromexico is a Spanish word) the correct Spanish pronunciation, although annoying, is probably the correct thing to do.
On the flip side, doesn't it annoy you when foreigners don't make any effort to pronounce English correctly?
MaverickM11 From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 15813 posts, RR: 50 Reply 3, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3584 times:
If I speak the language, or know the proper pronunciation, I'll pronounce it properly, not really a big deal. It's not as bad as spitting in a urinal .
ManuCH From Switzerland, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 2977 posts, RR: 51 Reply 4, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3575 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD MODERATOR
It's also like that in German. Everyone chimes in a pseudo-american accent when pronouncing an english word. On the total opposite we have Italian. They "translate" everything in the native Italian accent. For example, the music group "U2", normally pronounced "you too", becomes "oo doo-eh" in italian, which is hilarious . Another funny thing in Italian are Levi's Jeans ... they suddenly become "lewis" or "leh-vees".
But I concur with the OP that Americans trying to emulate a spanish accent sound terrible
AirWillie6475 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 2448 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3554 times:
Since the English speaking world learned of the country Iraq.
What pisses me off is when people say I-RAQ instead of ERAQ beacause that's the way it is said, I-RAQ is just something uneducated (news reporter) A-holes use, who have no idea about linguistics. Same thing with Moscow. You don't say it mosCOW its pronaunced moscoe like the rest of the world says it. Here in the U.S we make up sounds because they fit our way of saying words but it just sounds dumb.
NonRevKing From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3541 times:
Quoting TWFirst (Reply 2): On the flip side, doesn't it annoy you when foreigners don't make any effort to pronounce English correctly?
Yes, damnit! If we're obligated to say things in the native accent, then when I go to Japan, I wanna hear "Quarter Pounder", "Boeing", and "Philadelphia Eagles" said like an American!
So again, why do we do this? What does it do?
Quoting AirWillie6475 (Reply 5): Since the English speaking world learned of the country Iraq.
No, not really. It's been I-RACK up until this war. Something changed.
Searpqx From Netherlands, joined Jun 2000, 4343 posts, RR: 12 Reply 8, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3535 times:
I took six years of Spanish in school (and haven't used it once since, oh well), so pronouncing Spanish or Mexican names and places properly is second nature to me. In retrospect it probably is annoying, but after twenty some odd years, it's a habit I doubt I can break.
On the other hand, here in Hawai'i the locals have a distinct pidgin dialect, and hearing a haole, including transplants like myself, talk in a fake pidgin accent sets my hair on end. Unless you've been immersed in it for awhile it takes some real effort, and even then it doesn't sound right. You're not fooling any of the locals into thinking you're from here, so why do it? Out of respect for the loacals and the culture I try and pronounce the Hawai'ian names properly, but beyond that, I'm a haole, they know it, I know it, so why not try and get along on that basis?
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity"
Mir From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 19813 posts, RR: 56 Reply 9, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3532 times:
I pronounce about half of the foreign words I know in the proper way, mostly having to do with the vowels. It just sounds better. I sometimes extend that to foreign words that the US has adopted into common use (ne-vah-dah as opposed to ne-va-da).
-Mir
7 billion, one nation, imagination...it's a beautiful day
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 10, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3528 times:
If H.H. Humphrey had been elected President I would have stayed in Latin America just to hear the newscasters down there say: Oobert Achay Oomphrey.
As it is I just have to content myself with listening to Brits pronouncing "foreign" words. They are funnier than we are!
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
AirWillie6475 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 2448 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3518 times:
Quoting NonRevKing (Reply 7): then when I go to Japan, I wanna hear "Quarter Pounder",
I don't remember if they call it that there but if they did its gonna sound more like Quatar Pandar.
Carmenlu15 From Guatemala, joined Dec 2004, 4701 posts, RR: 34 Reply 12, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3517 times:
It goes both ways... ever heard Spanish speakers trying to (mis)pronounce words that come from English? I can understand it with proper names, but it really ticks me off when they could have used a Spanish word for the same purpose.
... oh well, I confess myself guilty at times... but at least my spoken English is good
Being a pioneer in any field is not by itself a guarantee of continued success - Pan Am, anyone?
Xpat From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 634 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3517 times:
Frankly I think it's totally fine that they are pronounced the way they were intended to be. To the whole I-RACK, EERAQ debate let's add I-RAN vs. EERAHN, PAKIS-STAN vs. PAKI-STAHN, AFGHANI-STAN vs. AFGHANI-STAHN. Why not pronounce them the correct way?
The only thing we have to fear is the sky falling on our heads. -Asterix
MaverickM11 From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 15813 posts, RR: 50 Reply 15, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3508 times:
Quoting NonRevKing (Reply 7): when I go to Japan, I wanna hear "Quarter Pounder", "Boeing", and "Philadelphia Eagles" said like an American!
JGPH1A From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 3501 times:
Quoting TWFirst (Reply 2): On the flip side, doesn't it annoy you when foreigners don't make any effort to pronounce English correctly?
Yes. And Americans are the worst !
Quoting NonRevKing (Reply 7): No, not really. It's been I-RACK up until this war. Something changed.
No - in the ENGLISH-speaking world, it was always Ih-rahk. Same for Ih-rahn, Pahkiss-tahn, Affgannis-tahn, etc. In the AMERICAN-speaking world, however...
Oh and by the way, it's "Cannes", pronounced like "can". Not "Cahn". Nobody calls it Cahn, not even the French.
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 17, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 3485 times:
Quoting Xpat (Reply 13): AFGHANI-STAN vs. AFGHANI-STAHN. Why not pronounce them the correct way?
Okay, it is properly pronounced more like Afannistan. Drop the G.
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
SRQCrosscheck From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 211 posts, RR: 1 Reply 18, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 3474 times:
hey hey hey, the English "L" happens to be really hard for Japanese speakers, since they don't have that consonant, and the position of the tongue near the top teeth is approximately where the tongue is for the Japanese/Spanish r.
ever heard an american try to say french words like "abeille" with an eille or any words that end in -tion ? it can be just as pathetic.
Waterpolodan From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 1649 posts, RR: 5 Reply 19, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 3444 times:
Quoting NonRevKing (Thread starter): Why do Americans do this? If there is a logical reason, then shouldn't they have to pronounce all foreign words in the native accent?
Personally, I pronounce spanish words with the proper accent because I speak spanish. The majority of the populace here in miami would scoff at someone who mispronounces a word, like my friend who read a florida lotto sign that said juegue aquí (play here) as jewgew akwee. My feeling is, if someone pronounces it properly, there's nothign wrong with that, no matter the language they are trying to imitate, but if they butcher it and it turns into a cheap imitation of an accent, then they're better off with the gringo pronunciation
MaverickM11 From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 15813 posts, RR: 50 Reply 20, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 3418 times:
Quoting SRQCrosscheck (Reply 18): hey hey hey, the English "L" happens to be really hard for Japanese speakers, since they don't have that consonant
Oh I know...it's just easier to laugh at everybody's linguistic quirks than worry about it.
My related peeve is this: if the capital of China is Bejing, then why do we call it Peking? Why the hell are there different names for cities? One city = one name, damnit!
Quoting AirWillie6475 (Reply 5):
What pisses me off is when people say I-RAQ instead of ERAQ beacause that's the way it is said, I-RAQ is just something uneducated (news reporter) A-holes use, who have no idea about linguistics. Same thing with Moscow. You don't say it mosCOW its pronaunced moscoe like the rest of the world says it. Here in the U.S we make up sounds because they fit our way of saying words but it just sounds dumb.
AFAIK "E-RUQ is correct ("CK" at the end is wrong becuase it is pronounced softly). That's at least how the guy on BBC pronounced it some minutes ago. That's how we say in German. And finally it's closest to what arabic speaking people say ...
Quoting SlamClick (Reply 17): Okay, it is properly pronounced more like Afannistan. Drop the G.
Nope. The "G" is correct. Actually it's more like "Afgahnistan" (the middle part is emphasized). Thats at least what I remember from how their president pronounced it lately ...
Gipper913 From United States of America, joined Jul 2005, 176 posts, RR: 3 Reply 23, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 3406 times:
Quoting JGPH1A (Reply 16): No - in the ENGLISH-speaking world, it was always Ih-rahk. Same for Ih-rahn, Pahkiss-tahn, Affgannis-tahn, etc. In the AMERICAN-speaking world, however...
Wow! I never thought we'd reach the point where a Frenchman would be taking the English side over the Americans!
Hey, all of the Ameircan versions of the pronunciations you quote are acceptable pronunciations according to the unabridged dictionary I have on hand here at my office, though the Americanized versions are prefered, and the Bristishisms are described as either alternates or antiquated.
Yes, the Brits/Aussies/Canadians etc and the US are separated by a common language. The Brits add "u"s in odd places like "labour" and "colour" and we don't. They also call the trunk of a car a "boot". All this just points to the diversity, flexibility and strength of the English language. Other languages (yes, especially French) are a bit more rigid.
As to the i-RAK vs EE-rock, it is that popmpous nit Christianne Amanpour of CNN who has been proselytizing to use HER British-ism version of pronunciation. I say, that's fine for the BBC, but here in the colonies, we'll say i-RAK, thank you kindly!
The size of the federal budget is not an appropriate barometer of social conscience or charitable concern. --R. Reagan
SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71 Reply 24, posted (7 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 3398 times:
Quoting SRQCrosscheck (Reply 18): hey hey hey, the English "L" happens to be really hard for Japanese speakers, since they don't have that consonant,
That would certainly explain the "Japanese cannot say Honoruru" story at LAX clearance delivery. (He kept reading back "cleared to Hickham")
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
25 Jaspike: We don't add them, you take them out Tom
26 Mexicana757: Very good topic here. I say E-ROCK and E-RUN. I-RAN sounds just llike you say it, I ran. Watching the BBC World news and those reporters say It like I
27 AsstChiefMark: I like the way British reporters say "al-Qaeda." They seem to add a couple of syllables...like they try to pronounce every letter. It's "al-kida" with
28 Logan22L: Actually, JG is South African. The only reason he lives in France is so I can do this:
29 FLAIRPORT: ok a few points here: Maybe I don't notice it too much in Miami (pronounced MY-AMA!)... However, I've always wanted to go to Taco Bell and order a que
30 ShyFlyer: He's not the only one. Practically everyone I've heard on TV says "cutter." Everytime I hear it, I yell "It's pronounced KA-TAR you idiot! 'Cutter' i
31 TedTAce: Rick 'the dick' Sanchez doesn't count.. he's as green as the Greengoes get despite his adopted onscreen latin surname.
32 NonRevKing: I can give you three reasons... 1) You can't just up and change these things after we've learned them. It's just like, when I learn the answers, they
33 FLAIRPORT: He hasn't been around here for a while. He tried a (unsucessful) talk show! Sucked btw! Now he's with Wolf at CNN! Seriously, I know half the radio D
34 QANTASFOREVER: It was always "Eh-ruck". What I can't stand is when I hear "eye-rark". Yeeuck. QFF
35 Ren41: According to lonelyplanet.com its somewhere in between "cutter" and "gutter". I always thought it was KA-TAR (sort of like guitar). "Best known for b
36 Banco: I'd be a bit careful there. Many of the BBC's middle east correspondents are fluent in Arabic anyway, and one thing the Beeb have always had is huge
37 LO231: I've got two words for you: FLIED LICE. Mmm, yummy. Regards, LO231
38 Agill: Wasn't eye-rak considered sounding like an arabic cussword or something.
39 Braybuddy: There are some anomalies here: nobody in the English-speaking world says Paree for the capital of France or Berleen for the capital of Germany. Yet we
40 Komododx: Uh, I believe every English-speaker I've ever heard pronounce Berlin has said it right. Never heard Nice? Take a trip to the South (US). Stefano
41 NonRevKing: Hey douchebag, let me clue you in on something. This post is pure humor. I have to wonder who the "uneducated idiot" (that's redundant btw) is who ca
42 Kalakaua: I would like to hear someone pronounce Hawai`i "correctly" without saying it awkwardly. You're better off saying it the "wrong" way. Don't try impress
43 Komododx: I'm so offended Uneducated=Someone who lacks education Idiot=A person of subnormal intelligence I don't care if the thread is humorous or not, but pr
44 NonRevKing: No, it's not. It's how it was taught, and is still being taught in school. Just because someone says "I-RACK" does not qualify them as a dumbass. Thi
45 Komododx: Was it in the South? The deep South? I'm sorry but if you pronounce I-RACK you are very wrong. And you never answered my question: Do you say I-taly
47 NonRevKing: I've heard it both ways. Actually most people "up north" that I know say I-RACK. There's no right or wrong way, just the way each individual was taug
48 AsstChiefMark: Shall we discuss the correct way to pronounce "police?" It's not "PO-leese." It's "pol-EESE." The "O" is short and the accent is on the second syllabl
49 Flyer732: Hey B, Didn't we have this discussion one night while drinking? I remember complaining about "Qatar"
50 N200WN: NonRevKing I'm with you 120 percent on this. It has become out of control to the point where it's just rediculous. I've never seen it so bad as when I
51 Flyer732: The CEO of Qatar Airways (Akbar Al Baker) says "kuh-tar"
52 Komododx: No I actually didn't but by your post you seem like someone who could've been native of the hell hole I currently live in (TLH). I'm sorry, I'm not f
53 NonRevKing: Glad to hear it! I hope you're totally miserable there. Again, this is humor, I don't think anyone is terribly serious about this. You seem to be, so
54 Trident3: Yes, but the e on the end of tomate (it is a feminine word) affects the pronunciation of the t not the a. In French and English it is pronounced with
55 Komododx: Thanks but not really. I've managed to cope quite well with the rednecks and white trash. Nevermind, though, I'm in Ireland right now. But thanks for
56 AsstChiefMark: Then there's Bush yapping about Iran's NUCULAR program. I'm convinced that a 10 year old told him the correct pronunciation years ago. But to avoid ad
57 NonRevKing: Don't worry about trying to explain things rationally to this clown Trident, he's right and we're all wrong. Thanks for the input tho, both are corre
58 Komododx: http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~nunberg/iraq.html The Bush administration might at least remind officials that we are not invading Eye-rack, but Ee-rac
59 Komododx: I know that. Just like petite. But the point is the word tomato comes from tomate. This is from an Oxford graduate of linguistics when I asked him if
60 Banco: Wrong on so many levels. For one thing, there is no "grammatically correct" pronunciation of any particular word. Pronunciation has evolved over the
62 Banco: Which is the same as the English, not the American, which you claim to be "grammatically correct". So what are you saying?
63 NonRevKing: Took you long enough. However, dictionary.com has both as correct. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=iraq Further proving my point, both are c
64 Komododx: I'm saying I have no clue what a Tamoto is! Stefano
65 Gipper913: First of all, chill out! Oy vey! Second, as I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, our unabridged dictionaries show I-Rack as an acceptable,
66 SFOMEX: This a personal peeve too. As far as I know, Beijing is the Chinese name of China's capital city, which is OK. The issue is that China wants everybod
67 PA110: OK, I've held my tongue long enough. It's time to dive in on this. Having lived half my life overseas, I've dealt with this issue my entire childhood
68 N200WN: I find it hard to believe that only the Texans on base were having a hard time with this. In any case, what a great experience getting to live in Ira
69 Yhmfan: Christian Amanpur of CNN pronuces Iran as "Eeraan" which is, in fact, the correct pronounciation. To me she sounds more authorative when she gets it r
70 AM744: but it's because the word tomato comes from the French (where many English words come from) tomate The word, in fact, comes from nahuatl tomatl. Nothi
71 DL021: I speak French and I still pronounce most of the words in an Amer-English inflection. I think it's the height of pretension to spend any time pronounc
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