Wondering how to pronunce a certain name?

[shootingstar]

Anyway, we still haven't helped Crazycanuck with her original question.

Maybe if one knew the original language of the name it would help immensely with the pronunciation.

By now, I have mastered for German that Joop, Joachim, Jurgen, ..is Y.. pretty small potatoes. And Jacob, would have been totally acceptable in English dialogue with this German firm, with "Y" instead of hard "J" pronounciation, where I was in the suburbs of Vancouver. 1/4 of business conversation was in German, no English translation going on. So the German "Georg" is not George. It is hard "G", followed by "airg". A very common German male name. I was embarrassed I said George for first few months to this one engineer who said nothing to correct me. (He was probably tired of correcting people.) Once, I did use his correct German name pronounciation, he seemed to instinctively respond more quickly to me in conversation.

[OakLeaf]

The website I linked to is specific to the individual, as I said, though a little dated. It explains the three different pronounciations of Ann Beattie, Bob Beattie and Robert Beattie, for example....

I think the one CC linked to has some specific names and some general rules for names of people who aren't famous or who haven't gone into the database yet.

I'm still trying to figure out whether Valentino Rossi meant a not-so-subtle dig at his teammate this weekend when he pronounced his name "YOR-gay." That's neither an Italian nor a Spanish pronounciation! They've been teammates long enough that Vale knows how to say Jorge, I'm sure...

[lph]

How you pronounce place names in a foreign country is interesting. Even 4 letter Oslo has an established pronounciation in English (Oz-low), that is quite different from the Norwegian (oosh-lou). Speaking English I use the English pronounciation, and yes, I'd think it a bit affected if English speakers used the Norwegian pronounciation. It would be like me talking about Paris as "Paree" because that's how the French say it.

But not many places in Norway have an established English pronounciation as far as I know, probably because we're a small country that doesn't figure much in the news or the history books And only a handful of towns that can pass for cities. For all these other place names I'd prefer English speakers to at least attempt the Norwegian pronounciation, because the on-the-spot Americanization sounds awful to my ears.

So for some reason that doesn't sound affected, just respectful. I have no idea why I sense a difference.

We also have some very heavy dialects here, which can lead to place names officially called one thing and locally called something almost completely different. Even I don't know if I should try to attempt the local dialect or not! Either way I'd be laughed at as a city girl...

[shootingstar]

Speaking English I use the English pronounciation, and yes, I'd think it a bit affected if English speakers used the Norwegian pronounciation. It would be like me talking about Paris as "Paree" because that's how the French say it.

But not many places in Norway have an established English pronounciation as far as I know, probably because we're a small country that doesn't figure much in the news or the history books And only a handful of towns that can pass for cities. For all these other place names I'd prefer English speakers to at least attempt the Norwegian pronounciation, because the on-the-spot Americanization sounds awful to my ears.

So for some reason that doesn't sound affected, just respectful. ...

It depends on which country and region of a country, plus audience if a person should speak primarily English but insert a foreign word.

LPH if you went to various parts of Canada to discuss in English about the "coureurs des bois" (no pronounciation of s) or the fur traders in Canadian history it would be entirely appropriate. The listener might have to know/be informed that use of coureurs des bois within a whole English conversation, is respectful because it is a respectful acknowledgement of the historical legacy of the fur traders from France that helped map and explore Canada in the 17th century onward. After all, Canada historically...was named "New France", thanks to Jacques Cartier (or maybe there was some other French dude) before "Canada" was constitutionally formed in 1876 (joining of Upper Canada now Ontario and Lower Canada, now Quebec, plus other provincial team members).

http://www.canadiana.org/hbc/stories/coureurs1_e.html

It would be a shame to refer to the Quebecois meat pie, as a "meat pie "instead of tourtiere in normal English language conversation. How boring. But agree, if use the original term, at least use it in a natural, unself conscious way and with correct pronunciation.

But then there are some of us who already get plopped into social situations who mix English with their 2nd/mother tongue in the whole dialogue simply because we are desperate to be understood.

My mother dislikes her English name, Susan. My father chose it for her when she first immigrated here. She prefers an English speaker refer to her Chinese first name: "So Chuk".

[malkin]

How you pronounce place names in a foreign country is interesting. Even 4 letter Oslo has an established pronounciation in English (Oz-low), that is quite different from the Norwegian (oosh-lou). Speaking English I use the English pronounciation, and yes, I'd think it a bit affected if English speakers used the Norwegian pronounciation. It would be like me talking about Paris as "Paree" because that's how the French say it.

But not many places in Norway have an established English pronounciation as far as I know, probably because we're a small country that doesn't figure much in the news or the history books And only a handful of towns that can pass for cities. For all these other place names I'd prefer English speakers to at least attempt the Norwegian pronounciation, because the on-the-spot Americanization sounds awful to my ears.

So for some reason that doesn't sound affected, just respectful. I have no idea why I sense a difference.

We also have some very heavy dialects here, which can lead to place names officially called one thing and locally called something almost completely different. Even I don't know if I should try to attempt the local dialect or not! Either way I'd be laughed at as a city girl...

HooooWee!
In the late 70s when I did study abroad in Norway, we foreign students were admonished by all the language teachers to avoid that palatalized "oosh-lou" even though we heard it everywhere.

Now I feel about as ancient as Ibsen.