Quick poll: pronounce me Kraftwerk

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Last night I was laughed at for suggesting that some British people insist on pronouncing Kraftwerk 'Kraftverk'. Not so long ago I was laughed at for suggesting that most people (inc. myself) anglicise it to an ordinary w sound.

What do you say?

What are your rules for saying words like the locals or not? Do you pronounce Paris with a silent s?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

where were you last night?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I always pronounce Kraftwerk with a 'v', but that's because there is no English equivalent as it doesn't mean craftwork.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Crarftwork, sez I, and I've got a German degree ner ner-ner.

I find it immensely pretentious (and thus sometimes hugely gratifying) to adopt the pronunciation of words' original countries on occasion, but in this case you just sound like a bit of a ninny.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Due to reading most words before hearing them, I tend to stick with the literal pronunciation. So craft-werk then.

I always assumed that Paris was like the Munchen/Munich thing, except the foreign and native names are spelled the same. In other words, I say the s with a clear conscience.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Oddly me and Tracer were talking about the exact same thing. I saw Craft Work, only because it is impossible to pronounce 11100101001010100111010 in humang language.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

the fact that Brits refer to the football team as Bayern Munich is weird. Either say Bayern München or Bavarian Munich! Make up yr mind!

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Craft work. Not crarft work. you southerners...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Laboratwarrrrr Garnier Paris VERSUS lab-o-ra-to-ree pa-ree

"work"

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you pronounce 'Newcastle' with a comedy Geordie accent? No.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

YES

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i pronounce it 'Krarfwork' cos that's how i tork innit

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Nookassel?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Why-aye

― Ricardo (RickyT), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

You wanna get me pissed and talking proper Devonion.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

spuggie!

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

new cassle. What's comedy about it? (like)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

it's all in the high-pitched-ness

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:34 (twenty-two years ago)

a Geordie setence is like a rollercoaster of cadence - beautiful

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

krafft-vairk.

For heaven's sake. Don't you laugh when Germans say 'Lime ale' instead of Limahl? Do you say "nee-ooh' instead of 'Neu'? Exactly. Pronounce it properly.

Or maybe you're one of those people who can't pronounce Einsturzende Neubauten properly. I laugh at you.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

The Lido just made me spit my tea!

How Spuggie, how often do yer clean yer windas a week?

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Juff ya too hevvy mun!

― frazier (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

hahaha neeoooh

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

if only Kraftwerk were Geordies

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I've often wondered about LUSENET. Is it "lose net" or "loser net"?

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

three long times spuggie!

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Pronounced the former. Actually the latter.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

no charlton, noooooooooo

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:47 (twenty-two years ago)

We're fahn fahn fahn doon de autobarn like

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I did hear once upon, the accents Kraftwerk sing in are the german equivalent of brummie...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

auf wiedersehen, meine calculatoren

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I always pronounced it "Kraftverk" because that's the way I heard their name pronounced on the radio and assumed it was the correct pronounciation. However, I've gotten a couple of funny looks when I have said their name that way so maybe everyone else pronounces their name the other way.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 11:52 (twenty-two years ago)

My sister-in-law got laughed at by some snob for pronouncing Noilly Prat as though it was English. I think pronouncing it Nwah Yee Prrghaah would be the height of pretension.

― Sam (chirombo), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I have no idea what Noilly Prat is.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Nougat.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.stoogeworld.com/_Videography/Editing/05-14/Oily%20to%20Bed.jpg

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a type of Vermouth Mark iirc, or is it Pernod? eek my mind has gone, I really do have brain-knack

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I say Krarft Verk, even though I am not southern and think that whole 'pronouncing a as ah' thing is the spawn of hell.

People should shout NOO! whenever they want to talk about Neu!. Or NOY!, whatever. It's the shouting that matters.

― F. Anthony O'Reilly (Ferg), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

NEIN

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

nee-inn.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

drossel gasse

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I am also not German.

― F. Anthony O'Reilly (Ferg), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I pronounce it the way I think a German would.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is making me want to speak in a German accent all day! Now all I need is an excuse to say "I'm the operator with my pocket caculator".

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Cr-ah-ffft-werk.

TS: Kraaaaaarrft vs Krahft?

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I'm so learning German now

― F. Anthony O'Reilly (Ferg), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

deutsch, please.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

My dad insists on asking for Lervenbroy (Lowenbrau) and has been known to shout BROWN! at the telly when they show an advert for a Braun (Brawn) electrical appliance.

I say crarftwork.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I wonder if they play Mergs.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

we'll find out soon enough buddy boy

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Madchen - do you pronounce your name with the umlaut on the a?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't like being called Mad Chen. Somebody on this board does it when I see him - I don't know if it's deliberate. Yahoo doesn't accept umlauts in their email addresses. I left it off my user name for consistency.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

if you are unable or unwilling to call yrself Mädchen, then you should really call yrself Maedchen, as the letters with umlauts on them were originally the letter followed by an 'e' and still are in those places where it is not possible to have an umlaut, e.g. on some airport destination boards Zürich becomes Zuerich.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought it was 'mad chen', should it be 'madgen'?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

or 'mashen'?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

deutsch, please.
http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/deutsch.gif

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I know it's proper, but substituting ae for ä is one of my pet hates. It just doesn't look right. I know plenty Germans (and Scandinavians for that matter) who substitute an accented letter for that letter without the accent so I don't care if I'm technically wrong - I have them on my side.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

bwahahaha sean

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

the Germans themselves keep changing the rules on when to use ss and when to use ß

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

i pronounce it "pah-nodd"

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I love the way foreign languages have people who are in charge of them. No one runs English.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

if they did they'd have gone over and sorted that pesky Noah Webster out!

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

No one runs English

Willam Safire does!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

It's Maria McKee "Ohh Woooh, Pronounce me Kraftwerk"

(She does it with a V, I admit)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I love the way foreign languages have people who are in charge of them
Hmm, not sure about the Academie Francaise and their desire to fixer la langue.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

yes, they don't like le weekend or le football.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I say "Craft Work." But in this case, I think it's a matter of the Anglicized pronunciation being so widespread, that it sounds pretentious to pronounce it otherwise. (Cf. Diane Keaton in Manhattan saying "Van Gochh" instead of "Van Go") For this same reason, I also pronounce "Bjork" to rhyme with pork, not (the correct) work.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, the correct pronunciation is Van Goff.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Bit like a question on "Question of Sport" once,

Who is "Yan Barry"

ans: the correct pronunciation of Bjorn Borg

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I pronounce it Kuh-raff-t W-eh-rk.

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Van Goff

I think it's actually fun CHHHHHHHoff

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

haha i like pronouncing dutch when dr vick is in the the vic(k)inity: "Sparky, it is NOT Broigl, it's [sound of vast extra-dimensional mucous structure invading our time and space continuum]"

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not much of a Dutch fan. Sounds much too German for my liking - though strangely I DO quite like German. I wuv Flemish (think French sound+Dutch content).

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

incidentally, why do Americans pronounce Van Gogh as "Van Go"? It's only in Irish that following a G with a H makes it silent (or transforms it into a H, e.g. Haughey, a simple two syllable word which no English person has ever been able to pronounce properly).

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

b-but Flemish and Dutch are virtually the same language, whereas German is quite different - it shares quite a bit of its vocab, but the grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not like Dutch.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Fiddle di dee!

― Saragh (starry), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I pronounce it 'Power Station.' Then I am usually beaten.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Uh maybe you don't have the exact same sound in English. (I only recently discovered the right way to pronounce "the.")
Mark, I was talking about the spoken languages, they sound vvvvery different (to my ears anyway).

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

10 different pronunciations of 'ough' to thread!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

cough
through
bough
rough
though
borough

There are four more?

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

ought

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never heard bough pronounced - is it the same as plough?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Kraftwerk.

― reverend nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

off
oo
uff
oh
uh
or

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

van goch, like loch, please. pretty much how woody allen says turks speak.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

or was it arabs?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

8. hiccough

― slb, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

wolx vagen?

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Hiccough! That's a good one.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never heard bough pronounced - is it the same as plough?

This seems v.odd to me. Did your mother never sing 'Rock-a-bye-baby' to you?

the Germans themselves keep changing the rules on when to use ss

Achtung Hester!

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:25 (twenty-two years ago)

ghoti to thread!

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

FISH!

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I always found that kind of annoying, because 'gh' is never 'f' at the start of a word, and ''ti' never 'sh' at the end.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

This should be the oughotial spelling of "official".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

katzenjammer

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread hurts me brane twice as bad as the yiddishe Shatner thread. Ach Kinder.

(colin OTM up there; also take yr tongue back half an inch for the 'r' in 'Kraft')

― Wintermuté (Wintermute), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

peter schilling

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

KrAAAAWWW-fft VAAAIRK!

But never in a normal voice, only in the best imitation of "Dieter" from Sprockets voice I can do.

― sucka (sucka), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

MENNNNSSSSCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

ICE-bear

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, so the consensus seems to be 'Craft-work' like they're a bunch of basket weavers rather than four tidy futurists, one of whom looks increasingly like Colonel Klink. And, thanks for educating me, Van Gogh should be pronounced Van Go rather than Varrn Chocccchhh. And no doubt we should say 'erbs' instead of 'herbs'. What's with that one, America? You guys are insane.

Now, let's talk about the individual members of this basket weaving group, Craftwork. Ralph Hutter's surname should be pronounced to rhyme with 'butter'. And Wolfgang Fluhr's surname should rhyme with 'duuuuh'.

Come to think of it, any German band beginning with 'Der' should now have the indignity of this treatment. "Duuuh Plan" etc. And any German band beginning with 'Die'... well, "Die Todliche Doris" makes semantic sense when the 'Die' rhymes with 'Sigh' I suppose...

btw my outrage is completely affected, for the sake of enhancing the fun of this thread.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

arschloch

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

schweinhund

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

hubert kah

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

hubert being pronounced oo bear of course.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Krahft vehrk (w/German gutteral r's)

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I pronounce it 'crarft fverk' like them 'doitch landers' do.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Commen sie bitter, und listen to Kraftwerk!

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~levett/images/imalan/imalan.jpg

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Sekt? Korrect! Let's get pissed on schnapps and forget our differences.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't say 'Catalonia' - I use the native 'Catalunya' instead. I JUST CAN'T SAY IT I TELL YOU.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I lived in Germany for a few years when I was little, so I use that as an excuse to pronounce it "Kroftverk".

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 01:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Barcelona or Barfth-a-loner?

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 04:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I say Ibiza as "eebeetha" (thats right isnt it?) and it jars when I hear a someone say "Ibeeza".

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 04:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, Trayce. Likewise. I only say 'Eyebeeza' when I'm implying that it's full of pissed pommy ravers.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 04:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I say Kraftwerk with the 'v'...haven't read this whole thread yet so I don't know if this has been covered or something like it but it can be difficult to use the correct pronunciations for things when the vast majority of people around you do not - my biggest problem like this is w/ "sauna" - I believe it is pronounced like "soun-a" (as in 'sound' or 'gown') but I tend to still say "sawn-a" to avoid people getting confused.

― cuspidorian (cuspidorian), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 04:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I also say 'krafft-vairk-esque'...

Now you may think that's a little pretentious. And you would be right.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:24 (twenty-two years ago)

do any non-krauts do the guturral "r"? i do -- I AM THE MOST PRETENTIOUS NON-TEUTONIC KRAFTWERK PRONOUNCER OF 'EM ALL MOTHERFUCKERS!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I once did a parody German accent at school, just to get a laugh really, straight out of 'Allo Allo' - and the German teacher congratulated me for finally getting the accent right. That was a lesson for me.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:34 (twenty-two years ago)

if i'm not mistaken, not all german-speakers do the guturral r. i'm pretty sure that viennese german-speakers roll their r's. my high-school german teacher -- Frau Goldstein! -- was born in Hamburg, she pronounced the "r" guturally (like the French), and that's why i do it too.

wintermute and mr. meeder to thread!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:41 (twenty-two years ago)

sie ist Hamburgerin!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoah! We're Going To Abeeeza
Whoah! Back To The Island
Whoah! We're Going To Abeeeza
Whoah! We're Gonna Have A Party
Whoah! In The Mediterranean Sea

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 06:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Its eivissa. That's how it's spelled if you're there.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 09:57 (twenty-two years ago)

why do so many ppl call it "eye beeth a" then?

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 09:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Barfthelona is no way to say it at all, for the locals it's Bars-elona or just barsa, pronouncing it barfth is pronouncing it in Castillian iirc

Calling PJ to come shoot me down in flames

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 10:03 (twenty-two years ago)

PSEUD-SPOTTING 101:

Ask your 'suspected pseud' the name of the theme music from '2001'.

If your suspicions are right, will probably try to Germanify the pronunciation, to something like, 'Toos Spark Zarathusteera', which of course is incorrect.

Then ask who composed it. He will probably answer, Richard (not Ri-kard) Strauss, which would be almost as ridiculous as referring to the other Strauss as 'John'.

There may well be similarities ib the 'Kraft-veerk/Craftwork' debate.

I also have suspicions that there should be a silent p in Kraftwerk, like there is in 'Knopfler' (and if not there should be).

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 10:11 (twenty-two years ago)

When I was in a zoo in Basel, I discovered that Strauss means ostrich.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 10:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Also Sprach Zarathustra, you mean?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 11:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Sure you don't mean 'Aalzo Spark Zara.....'

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 11:08 (twenty-two years ago)

"Also Sprach Zara" is a piece of music about a Hollyoaks character.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

why do so many ppl call it "eye beeth a" then?

There are regional diffences in Spanish. In mainland Spain at least, "z" is pronounced kinda like the English "th", but I don't about Ibizans themselves. The i's in Ibiza are definitely pronounced "ee", not "eye" - Spanish vocals are always pronounced the same way, I think.

Who is "Yan Barry"

ans: the correct pronunciation of Bjorn Borg

Er, that's not correct. The "ö" in Björn Borg is pronounced like the "i" in "girl", and the "rg" ending in Swedish turns into "ry", so the name is pronounced like this: Bj-er-n B-oh-ry.

my biggest problem like this is w/ "sauna" - I believe it is pronounced like "soun-a" (as in 'sound' or 'gown') but I tend to still say "sawn-a" to avoid people getting confused.

You're right, it is soun-a, but I guess no one expects you to know Finnish pronounciation (it might be easier than one thinks, however, since there is only one way of pronouncing any letter in Finnish).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Who of the Kraftverkers says "Hoo-harden" when asking bar staff for a popular wheat beer?

I tried a halfway house of 'Hoogarden' for a while but was never understood, so I conceded defeat.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

That reminds me...

I'd been working in Germany at a famous Video Duplication plant with a crew of like souls, evenings nothing else to do but visit various bars/restaurants.

Anyhow, meeting up with most of the crew back in england, off to the bar to get the round in, I order in perfect german. Habit formed, you see. Bemused stares from all.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"Perhaps I can help? Nobody says my name right either!" *sobs*

http://moogarchives.com/moog.jpg

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Armand Assante? A difficult name indeed.

― Wintermuté (Wintermute), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Armand Assumthin'

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Krafweyrk mun

― faux-geordie stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Craft Work. It's like you are audtioning for 'Allo 'Allo if you go around saying Verk.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

They're holding auditions for 'Allo 'Allo?

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Thursday, 4 December 2003 01:10 (twenty-two years ago)

nobody cares about my sauna problem

― cuspidorian (cuspidorian), Thursday, 4 December 2003 07:41 (twenty-two years ago)

A German friend of mine insists on calling Kraftwerk "Craft-work" in impeccable Southern British English. I tell him this is ridiculous, like me going to Germany and pronouncing a British band's name with a German accent, such as "Preemal Scream" with full-on gutteral German R sounds.

― Daniel (dancity), Thursday, 4 December 2003 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Tuomas, are these Finnish names real, or is he just messing about, like? I am particularly taken with "Mr and Mrs Burnt land of engagement".

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 4 December 2003 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I tell him this is ridiculous, like me going to Germany and pronouncing a British band's name with a German accent, such as "Preemal Scream" with full-on gutteral German R sounds.
Mi piaciono i rem. U due pero...

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 4 December 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Tuomas, are these Finnish names real, or is he just messing about, like? I am particularly taken with "Mr and Mrs Burnt land of engagement".

I haven't heard all of those names, but most of them are familiar, so they're probably all for real. Finns have lots of names that "mean" something, but exactly because they're so popular, people don't tend to think the literal meaning of a surname, so the English translations sound a lot funnier than the actual names do to Finns. For example, if you'd meet a Mr. Smith, you wouldn't crack a joke about him hammering iron...

But some rarer names are indeed funny to Finns also. For example, during my life I've come across with "Mr. Bourgeois", "Mr. Tobacco" and "Mrs. Blood-Head", which made at least smile. Back in the olden days, when most people didn't have surnames and you could pick anything you want, some folks in North Finland used to have even funnier names, such as "Big Dick" or "Hairy Arse". But almost all of these were changed in the late 19th and the early 20th century, for chastity's sake. There are still some place-names is North Finland which recall those days, such as "Lake Pussy" or "Dick Hill".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 4 December 2003 12:42 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

I say Craft-work out loud, but Kraftverk in my head. I'm always a little unsure when it comes to localizing foreign words. For example, I almost always pronounce Shanghai as Shong (rhymes with wrong) Hai, because I lived there all last year, and that's how it's pronounced in China. I remember we had a few Canadian friends who would always anglicise the road names, so that Long Dong Lu, which should be with long O's (as in 'oh') became Long Dong (rhymes with Wrong Wrong), and the cab drivers would crack up laughing at them. But then again, when I say Mexico, I don't say "Meh-Hee-Co", because I don't want to get my ass kicked.

Also, can we all get on the same page with Iraq and Iran? It's always distracting when you're listening to an interview and one side is saying "eye-rack" while the other is saying "ee-rawk".

And finally, Pinochet is "Pee-no-shay", right? Because occasionally, I hear "Pee-no-chet" (rhymes with wet). I remember a sort of funny Morning Edition where Steve Inskeep got all insecure about it during an interview and said he had heard it pronounced both ways.

― Z S, Saturday, 14 July 2007 04:04 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.