# How do you pronounce foreign words?



## Cracker Jack

How do you pronounce foreign words when you use it while you are talking in your native language?  Do you modify it according to the phonetics of your language or do you pronounce it correctly according to how the native speakers of the language where it originated do it?

The word internet for example is pronounced in French according to French phonetics.  Thank you.


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## 1234plet

To use you example:
Internet is also called internet in Danish. 
But when I'm talking English I don't pronounce it the Danish way. And I don't think I do that in French or Spanish either.


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## BlueWolf

In Italian, we try to respect the language rules and at the same time we don't use sounds which doesn't exist in our language. For example, computer is pronunced /kom'pjuter/ (so not respecting the Italian rules), but we never pronunce the h's, since they have no sound in Italian, so we pronunce hotel /'Otel/. But yatch is pronunce like in English (since it's absolutely alien for Italian, we don't have "y" or "tch").


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## fenixpollo

Most people, in most countries (especially in mine), do not make any attempt whatsoever to mimic the native pronunciation of foreign words. I think this is disrespectful and ignorant.

You can find more information in these threads: 
Geographical names - abuses; translating foreign names; pronunciation of foreign city names; geographical names in Slavic languages; and your own thread about Translating names.

Cheers.


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## Fernando

In Spain, we make a (very slight) attempt to pronounce it as in the original language... except if you want to show off. Then you stress the pronunciation.

Example: Spiderman.

Usual pronunciation: /es'piderman/
"English" pronunciation (I have heard it in America): /s'paidermen/
"Show off" pronunciation: /sssss'pejdeimean/


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## Riccardino

As an American, it seems French words get their french pronunciation, or at least a franglais pronunciation, while german, spanish, italian, japanese, etc get american prounciation. The worst of all is Latin probably, but thats becuase theres no speakers left.


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## Etcetera

fenixpollo said:


> Most people, in most countries (especially in mine), do not make any attempt whatsoever to mimic the native pronunciation of foreign words.


Same in Russia.


> I think this is disrespectful and ignorant.


Disrespectful and ignorant - yes. But if I, for example, would pronounce all the English words that have come into Russian over the last two decades, I simply won't be understood by most my compatriots! Or they would think I'm show-offing, and that's no good again. 
Besides, the English, French, Spanish pronunciations have their own peculiarities. People spend years at colleges and universities to learn to speak in these languages properly, and it's just impossible to demand from a person who's never done any French (like me! ) to pronounce the name 'Mulin Rouge' according to the rules of French.


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## maxiogee

BlueWolf said:


> But yatch is pronunce like in English (since it's absolutely alien for Italian, we don't have "y" or "tch").



I think you mean yacht —> yot.


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## BlueWolf

maxiogee said:


> I think you mean yacht —> yot.


 
Yeah, I meant that. Sorry, I don't have a yacht, I'm not used.


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## fenixpollo

Etcetera said:


> ... it's just impossible to demand from a person who's never done any French (like me!) to pronounce the name 'Mulin Rouge' according to the rules of French.


 You are correct that in reality, people who pronounce foreign words correctly are not understood or seen as pompous.  You are also correct that in reality, one must accept the local mispronunciation.  Another alternative is to misspell the word to account for local phonetics, in order to achieve the correct pronunciation.  

For example, you either put up with Americans saying "mow-lynn rooj", or you spell it Mowlawn Ruge -- so that Joe Sixpack will approximate a French pronunciation.

However, I am not content with the reality of the situation. I dream of, and work towards, a better world.  In my Utopia, people will have a desire to learn about the cultures where foreign words come from, and they will try their best to pronounce the words as they are pronounced in the native language -- out of respect, an appreciation for diversity and a love of learning.


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## Etcetera

fenixpollo said:


> However, I am not content with the reality of the situation. I dream of, and work towards, a better world.  In my Utopia, people will have a desire to learn about the cultures where foreign words come from, and they will try their best to pronounce the words as they are pronounced in the native language -- out of respect, an appreciation for diversity and a love of learning.


I like your dream. It's beautiful!
Let's hope we'll see the world changing for better!


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## Hakro

The pronunciation of foreign words depends on the situation and the people you're speaking to. You can pronounce the words properly (if both you and they know the language), or semi-properly (a Finn would understand but a foreign native probably wouldn't), or according to Finnish rules (only Finns, if any, would understand). We have many jokes about this but I can't tell them because it would be off topic.
It's also funny to listen to the Finnish radio speakers, disc-jockeys etc. Usually they pronounce the English song names very well but when it comes to French, German, Spanish or Italian names they have no idea of proper pronunciation. It sounds awful and I'm ashamed of them.


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## badgrammar

What I find tricky are English words that the french have adapted and have a special pronunciation for.  If I say it with an English accent, they laugh and correct me, if I attempt it with a French accent the laugh and don't get it.  Examples:  Punch (like punch at a party) and t-shirt.  Damned if you go for the accent, damned if you don't.


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## KateNicole

I know this won't make any sense, but I usually pronounce foreign words as they are to be pronounced (as opposed to pronouncing them as they are written, according to English language logic) but I do _not _attempt any sort of a foreign accent.  The only example that comes to mind is "filet mignon."  I say fi-LAY min-YAHN.  During my waitressing years, those uber-American customers that called it feeLEH meenYON really made me roll eyes.
I guess if the person in question is actually fluent in the foreign language, it's a little more tolerable.  I speak Spanish, but when I'm having a conversation in English, I'm not going to pronounce "Mexico" MEH-hee-koh nor will I usually pronounce Spanish last names in Spanish.  I don't have anything against people that do that, but I try to stick to one language and one accent per conversation.


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## fenixpollo

Good point, KN. 





KateNicole said:


> ... but I try to stick to one language and one accent per conversation.


 Unless you're code-switching.  Right?


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## geve

I think it depends on whether the word can look like a local one - I mean, if the combination of letters is common in the target language or not. "Internet" for instance, could very well be a French word, we have the word "interne" (intern) and the prefix "inter", we have the word "net" (neat, clean-looking), so logically we pronounce it as we would pronounce the different syllables of the word in French.

Other words are so different from any usual combination, that we _have_ to pronounce it like it is in the original language - or at least try to. "Week-end" for example, which has become a common term in French. Of course, native speakers might think that we don't pronounce it the right way... and I must say I'm surprised, badgrammar: except for the R that is obviously said the French way, what do we get wrong in "t-shirt"? We certainly don't say "téchirte"!! (rather "ticheurte")
As for "punch", we don't pronounce it the same way depending on the meaning: it will be "ponche" for the drink indeed, but "peun'che" if we mean kick/power.


fenixpollo said:


> You are correct that in reality, people who pronounce foreign words correctly are not understood or seen as pompous. You are also correct that in reality, one must accept the local mispronunciation. Another alternative is to misspell the word to account for local phonetics, in order to achieve the correct pronunciation.


This happens in French indeed: you can read in informal written communications "ouikènde" which would be the Frenchified form of "week-end". Also "ouèbe" for "web". But the (pseudo-)English pronounciation had already made it into the language.


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## Hakro

Maybe I should add that we have a habit to pronounce ordinary Finnish words according to English pronunciation rules. Just for the fun of it.


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## Tsoman

I used to think I was cool saying foreign words in the foreign accent, but I realize now that it borders on pedantry.

"Burrito" = buridoe


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## Daddyo

Sometimes it's a matter of reaching your interlocutor, who might not be too savvy about foreign words. For example, if in the States, among an average crowd, you were to pronounce the last name "Ramirez" as any hispanic would, many people would ask you to "can you please spell that?". But if you pronounce it "Rah-myrrh-sss" then they know who you mean. They can even spell it on their own.


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## panjabigator

I think words should be pronounced according to the phonetics of that language.  When I say doctor in Hindi and English, they sound very different.


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## cyanista

fenixpollo said:


> Most people, in most countries (especially in mine), do not make any attempt whatsoever to mimic the native pronunciation of foreign words. I think this is disrespectful and ignorant.



Why?  I think it's just sensible.

I don't think you pronounce 'cigarette' or 'commence' with a French accent? You'll probably say that's due to the fact that they have been long incorporated in the English vocabulary. But how could foreign words be absorbed by any language if everyone thought like you? And what about  synthetical languages that borrow from analytical ones (i.e. Russian from English)? You can't build a sentence in Russian without declining nouns and conjugating verbs and that means Russian inflexions. Am I supposed to pronounce the root with a foreign accent and the ending with a native accent? It'd be a great mess!


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## deadbattery13

I like to pronounce words that are associated with a specific language with the pronunciation of that language.  For example, I say "taco" like "ta-co" not in English like tah-coh.  I say jalapeño like "ha-la-pe-nio" and not one of like ten ways some folks pronounce it, LOL.


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## badgrammar

geve said:


> and I must say I'm surprised, badgrammar: except for the R that is obviously said the French way, what do we get wrong in "t-shirt"? We certainly don't say "téchirte"!! (rather "ticheurte")
> As for "punch", we don't pronounce it the same way depending on the meaning: it will be "ponche" for the drink indeed, but "peun'che" if we mean kick/power.



Right on for "punch", I think that I will just pronounce it as a I would in ENglish from now on, it goes with the whole American in Paris package.  As for t-shirt, the problem, I think, comes from the "r" sound.  If I go for the American r sound, it really sounds like I am dropping a very foreign word into my sentence (when it such a commonly used word in French).  If I use the French "r", it comes out like "t-chierte or "t-chirut" or something.  

I mean we've all seen the parodies of people speaking very neutral English and then dropping in foreign words with a native accent in that language.  It  looks silly.  That said, folks must make some effort to pronounce things correctly, or you'd hear things like "I'll have a tekwilla" or "I've got a rondezz-vousse" or "Would you like creepes or kweeche"?


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## maxiogee

KateNicole said:


> The only example that comes to mind is "filet mignon."  I say fi-LAY min-YAHN.  During my waitressing years, those uber-American customers that called it feeLEH meenYON really made me roll eyes.



I would be slow to criticise anyone who was making an effort. Surely they are to be nudged towards the correct pronunciation — they might be seeing the phrase for the first or second time, and may never have heard it pronounced correctly - we all make guesses at words we know to be foreign but which we have not encountered previously. At least they didn't call it fill-ett mig-non.


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## panjabigator

If we were to become anal about pronunciation, then most of English would sound different!  And what pronunciation is correct?  Many times, the word's pronunciation is maintained from the period it comes from.  IE, Urdu/Hindi has the word /dost/ from Persian.  Many moons ago, both Persian and Hindi/Urdu had the same pronunciation, but Persian has since had some phonetic changes.  So who has the right pronunciation then?


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## Frank06

Hi,



fenixpollo said:


> Most people, in most countries (especially in mine), do not make any attempt whatsoever to mimic the native pronunciation of foreign words. I think this is disrespectful and ignorant.


 
I see that you're English... i'd love to hear you say 'pronunciation', 'information', 'ignorant'.
A few questions:
1. What's disrespectful about pronouncing those words the English way, and not the French way (when speaking English). Do you produce the tones when saying Beijing (in English) and is that a matter of disrespect?
2. When do 'foreign words' cease to be 'foreign'?

Groetjes,

Frank


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## fenixpollo

cyanista said:


> I don't think you pronounce 'cigarette' or 'commence' with a French accent? You'll probably say that's due to the fact that they have been long incorporated in the English vocabulary.


 Yes, because the convention has always been to change the pronunciation to match English phonetics. Just because we've always done it that way doesn't make it right. 



> But how could foreign words be absorbed by any language if everyone thought like you? And what about  synthetical languages that borrow from analytical ones (i.e. Russian from English)?


 They would be absorbed exactly as they are absorbed now. The very same process. Only they would sound different than they do now, and we wouldn't be any the wiser. 

I'm not saying that we need to adopt all of the pronunciation and grammar rules of the other language. I'm also not trying to be "anal"about it. In most cases, it would take very little effort to pronounce the word in a more-authentic way. 





Frank06 said:


> I see that you're English... i'd love to hear you say 'pronunciation', 'information', 'ignorant'.
> A few questions:
> 1. What's disrespectful about pronouncing those words the English way, and not the French way (when speaking English). Do you produce the tones when saying Beijing (in English) and is that a matter of disrespect?
> 2. When do 'foreign words' cease to be 'foreign'?


 I'm American, not English. I'm not sure what my pronunciation of those words has to do with this discussion.

I don't say Beijing correctly, nor do I say the name of your city correctly, because the custom in English is to change the pronunciation. I have learned to say Peking and Antwerp just like other Americans.

If I were to pronounce Beijing and other foreign words in a way that was more like the pronunciation of that region, I would be saying, "Hey... I value you enough to say this word in the 'correct' way."  

Same thing if you say my name. Do you get irritated when people who are native speakers of your language mispronounce your name?  Why?  It shows a lack of respect for you.


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## Tsoman

fenixpollo said:


> Do you get irritated when people who are native speakers of your language mispronounce your name?  Why?  It shows a lack of respect for you.



it does?


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## Frank06

Hi,


fenixpollo said:


> I'm American, not English. I'm not sure what my pronunciation of those words has to do with this discussion.



We're talking about foreign words, no? Those words are of *French* descent. I coupled this to a second question: when do foreign words cease to be 'foreign'?



> I don't say Beijing correctly, nor do I say the name of your city correctly, because the custom in English is to change the pronunciation. I have learned to say Peking and Antwerp just like other Americans.
> If I were to pronounce Beijing and other foreign words in a way that was more like the pronunciation of that region, I would be saying, "Hey... I value you enough to say this word in the 'correct' way."


Nihil obstat, go ahead. But then, be consequent and pronounce 'information', 'discussion' etc. the French way.
On the other hand, if you do that, I doubt whether other speakers of English will understand you. 
But what has this to do with disrespect? Why do you think that the pronunciation of a particular (foreign) word is to be connected with (dis)respect?



> Same thing if you say my name. Do you get irritated when people who are native speakers of your language mispronounce your name?  Why?  It shows a lack of respect for you.


Same question, why would it be a sign of  disrespect?

Groetjes,

Frank


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## panjabigator

I also feel it depends on the company.  If I am with Indians, I will say Delhi and Calcutta correctly.  If I am with American friends, I certainly will not say Dilli and Kolkatta...it would be strange.

Cuando hablamos en Espanol, no se dice London sino Londres.  But that is my opinion on cities.


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## maxiogee

fenixpollo said:


> Do you get irritated when people who are native speakers of your language mispronounce your name?  Why?  It shows a lack of respect for you.



My name _was_ Anthony.
I had two parents, two brothers and a sister.
All of them pronounced it differently at different times
Ant'knee
AN-tunny
Ant-owe-knee
Antenny
An-thu-kne
Anny
I doubt that any of them were disrespecting me when they addressed me when they used those terms. Their disrespecting me showed itself in other ways! 
I don't know the correct pronunciation.


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## Brioche

Cracker Jack said:


> How do you pronounce foreign words when you use it while you are talking in your native language? Do you modify it according to the phonetics of your language or do you pronounce it correctly according to how the native speakers of the language where it originated do it?


 
When I speak English, I use English sounds. So foreign words are pronounced using the closest English sounds. I'm not into verbal gymnastics.

When I speak French, I say Paris in the French way, and I say Australia in the French way, and I even pronounce my home town in the French way. 

If I had a name like Thistlethwaite, I would not consider it insulting if a French person couldn't pronounce it properly.


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## Etcetera

Hakro said:


> Maybe I should add that we have a habit to pronounce ordinary Finnish words according to English pronunciation rules. Just for the fun of it.


I've noticed that that's what we used to do when we just started to learn Finnush: we pronounced the words according to the rules of the English pronunciation, and we didn't do it on purpose. 



> Do you get irritated when people who are native speakers of your language mispronounce your name? Why? It shows a lack of respect for you.


My name is really hard to mispronounce.  What can get me irritated is when a complete stranger or a person whom I dislike tries to call me Anya or even Anechka. How _dare _they?
When people mispronounce my surname (it happens), it doesn't get me irritated. I'm not that proud of my present surname. I would correct them, but very politely, and would take no offence at all.


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## fenixpollo

Frank06 said:


> We're talking about foreign words, no? Those words are of *French* descent. I coupled this to a second question: when do foreign words cease to be 'foreign'?


I see your point (now) about "information", etc.  My response is that if the first English-speakers to use the French word "information" had begun pronouncing it to approximate French pronunciation from the beginning, then we would all say in-fo-ma-sio' (or however it's pronounced in French), nobody would know the difference, and you and I would be discussing the price of tea in China.  Your second question is such a good one that it deserves it's own thread. 

Lest you all think I'm an anal-retentive pedant who has a psychological complex about people mispronouncing his name, I'll shut up now. I'm not expressing a passion for proscribing pronunciation rules that others consider arcane; I simply have a passion for the acceptance and celebration of cultural differences. For me, this is not an issue of pronunciation -- it's about interest in, respect for and celebration of other cultures and languages.


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## maxiogee

fenixpollo said:


> Lest you all think I'm an anal-retentive pedant who has a psychological complex about people mispronouncing his name,



Pol-low
Pol-yo
Poy-yo

? 
Enlighten us, O fiery chicken, we beseech you.


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## fenixpollo

........Mike.


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## duckie

It's damn near impossible to pronounce 'foreign' words in the foreign language when speaking a different language. The entire flow changes for each different language, and if we are to be 'true' to the origin of all these foreign words we'll be switching between a dozen different languages everytime we're trying to say something that was meant to be simple but would now have become an exercise in phonology


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## Setwale_Charm

It is sometimes diffcult for one who knows a foreign language to pronounce the words which come from this language in the way that is the adopted pronounciation in their own language.
 During the Middle Ages, the common practice for various scholars was to pronounce Latin and French words in the way they would be pronounced in the then-English. I was studying the Law when I was fluent in French already and it was tormenting to me to have to pronounce "autrefois convict" or "lien" as "oterfoyz convict" and "leen".


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## vince

When I'm with people who enjoy traveling and are open to other cultures, I tend to pronounce foreign words as close as possible to its original language. If I don't know the foreign language, I use a "generic foreign accent", i.e. use five pure vowels "a e i o u", trill my r's, etc. 19 times out of 20, it sounds closer to the original than pronouncing it in English would.

But with everyone else, I go with the flow and pronounce it the English way, even if I have to cringe inside. Cuz otherwise, people aren't going to understand what you're saying.
e.g. "Koll-OWN is a city in Germany" (ugh) I would prefer to say "Köln".
or "holla-pino peppers are great" (ugh) I would prefer to say "jalapeño".

I hate words that are half-anglicized, like fajita and creme brulee. I either pronounce them fully anglicized as fa-GEE-ta (GEE like the letter G) and cream broo-lee, or else I pronounce them as though they were Spanish and French respectively.

Interestingly, I pronounce names like "González", "Fernandez" as though they were in Spanish if I know the person speaks Spanish, but I pronounce them anglicized if I know the person identifies as Filipino.


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## fenixpollo

vince said:


> or "holla-pino peppers are great" (ugh) I would prefer to say "jalapeño".
> 
> I hate words that are half-anglicized, like fajita and creme brulee. I either pronounce them fully anglicized as fa-GEE-ta (GEE like the letter G) and cream broo-lee, or else I pronounce them as though they were Spanish and French respectively.


 I think you mean "canadicized" instead of "anglicized".  Everywhere that I have been in the US, fajita is pronounced /fa-HEE-tah/ and jalapeño is /hahl-ah-PEN-yo/.  It's not perfect Mexican Spanish pronunciation, but it's close enough for the American pronunciation to resemble the Spanish.

See?  How hard is that?


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## vince

actually people say "fa-hee-ta" in canada too. It's just that I feel obligated to either say it with the spanish "x" sound, or leave it completely anglicized as "fageeta", rather than the imitation: "fa-hee-ta".


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## Trina

Context is everything ...

Wine is a classic example (cabernet sauvignon, merlot,
1) Does one pronounce them as close to the French pronunciation as possible?  
2) Does one pronounce them as anglicised French?
3) or cab-er-net (rhymes with get), mer-lot (rhymes with got) -  and yes, this is heard in Australia (and not always as a joke!)

On the other hand, unless I was in a French-speaking country , I would be anglicising "croissant". If I were to pronounce it the French way in Australia, I would be considered pompous (to put it mildly)

Another example which comes to mind is "Moscow". For years I have heard people arguing whether it should be pronounced Moss-coe (rhymes with toe) or Moss-cow (rhymes with cow) which I consider to be a completely useless argument since Russians would pronounce it neither way (it would be pronounced similar to moskva)


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## badgrammar

vince said:


> actually people say "fa-hee-ta" in canada too. It's just that I feel obligated to either say it with the spanish "x" sound, or leave it completely anglicized as "fageeta", rather than the imitation: "fa-hee-ta".



To say "fageetah" in my neck of the woods wood be as strange as saying" ja-la-peen-oh pepper" or bottle of "tek-will-a".  It would be assumed either that 1) It' a joke, or 2) You're Canadian


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## Frank06

Hi,

Let's go all the way! A job half done is a job not done.

*تهران* --
The *président *of *جمهوری اسلامی ايران*, Mr. *محمود احمدی نژاد* claims that he never has drunk *водка*. Nevertheless he made yet another bad *impréssion* at the *مسجد* last Friday where he threatened *מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל* once again.
Next week, he will be on a *tour* to *भारत गणराज्य* where he will meet *représentati*ves of the *parliament* and to *中國* (*中国*), where he will *discuss* the *political* *status* of *臺灣* (*台湾*).



I *doubt*(e) if this is going to improve the *communication*.
And *adapt*ing your ways of *communication* to other people is also a matter of *respect*, n'est-ce pas?

Groetjes,

Frank


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## duckie

Right on Frank


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## fenixpollo

Frank06 said:


> *تهران* --
> The *président *of *جمهوری اسلامی ايران*, Mr. *محمود احمدی نژاد* claims that he never has drunk *водка*. Nevertheless he made yet another bad *impréssion* at the *مسجد* last Friday where he threatened *מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל* once again.
> Next week, he will be on a *tour* to *भारत गणराज्य* where he will meet *représentati*ves of the *parliament* and *中國* (*中国*), where he will *discuss* the *political* *status* of *臺灣* (*台湾*).


And a job very well done it was, too!  Frank, you just provided the answer to the question, "What will be the next 'universal' language?" 

Now, the next question is, What are you going to call your language?


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## duckie

According to fenixpollo it would be called English


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## Etcetera

Frank06 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Let's go all the way! A job half done is a job not done.
> 
> *تهران* --
> The *président *of *جمهوری اسلامی ايران*, Mr. *محمود احمدی نژاد* claims that he never has drunk *водка*. Nevertheless he made yet another bad *impréssion* at the *مسجد* last Friday where he threatened *מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל* once again.
> Next week, he will be on a *tour* to *भारत गणराज्य* where he will meet *représentati*ves of the *parliament* and *中國* (*中国*), where he will *discuss* the *political* *status* of *臺灣* (*台湾*).
> 
> 
> 
> I *doubt*(e) if this is going to improve the *communication*.
> And *adapt*ing your ways of *communication* to other people is also a matter of *respect*, n'est-ce pas?
> 
> Groetjes,
> 
> Frank


Oh dear! That's marvellous! Can't stop laughing. 
By the way, it's a pretty realistic model of the "next 'universal' language".


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## Cracker Jack

Thanks a lot for your replies.  I see that there are camps that favor original pronunciation and those who prefer ''stylized'' one according to what they find convenient for them.  The reason I asked this is that I am in favor of pronouncing a word according to how it should.  If 2 natives talk and discuss matters, no problems arise.

However, for learners of language, there is always the disadvantage of not being understood by native speakers because of mispronunciation.  Hence, I advise that for learners, it is best to do it the right way to enable themselves to convey their thoughts correctly.  On the other hand, if they are talking to their compatriots, they are free to ''murder'' the language.

In international conferences or conventions, it is best to stick to what is correct to be understood.  However, there are different accents that go with the words.  Therefore, it would be a great aid if foreign presentors use audio-visual aids like projections to resolve any problems that may arise from mispronunciation.  The audience will have a guide about what the speaker is talking about.


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## geve

badgrammar said:


> Right on for "punch", I think that I will just pronounce it as a I would in ENglish from now on, it goes with the whole American in Paris package. As for t-shirt, the problem, I think, comes from the "r" sound. If I go for the American r sound, it really sounds like I am dropping a very foreign word into my sentence (when it such a commonly used word in French). If I use the French "r", it comes out like "t-chierte or "t-chirut" or something.


_Tiche_ (as in the verb "enticher"), _heurte_ (as in the verb "heurter"). Now you can pronounce correctly the French word _T-shirt_! 

The name of my company is a combination of two English words. Often I go to meetings outside and have to say it to receptionists in order to get a badge. If I say it with a French accent, they don't get it. If I say it with an English accent, they don't get it. It's too long to be spelt out. So I usually say it half-way between English and French accent and put up with the incorrectly spelt badge. They never spell my first name right anyway so that's not a big deal really.


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## aslan

Telling the truth we do not make that much  attempt to pronounce the words in Turkish way.Words coming from other languages are pronounced as They are used on Tv or radio.I don t think Many  of us even try to pronounce in Turkish way.By the way I want to talk about something funny.I a not sure It is really true It can also be a hearsay But I just wanted to tell... The Language Istituon of Turkish rename the words coming from other languages to maintain the essence of the language.Sometimes, Some translations can be that enjoyable.Let me give an example.
For autobus, TDK(The Language Istituon of Turkish ) find a new word(s) something like, "carrier with many seats"Of course This is not used.


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## venenum

In Croatian, we tend to addapt the words to our phonetic system, and the latest fad is inserting English words where ever you can - establishment, celebrity, summit, event, make-up, catering... even though all of this words, and many more have their Croatian equivalents. And the Balcan pronunciation people attatch to these words (even when trying to "preserve" the original form) is killing me, and any other person who has a clue with a clue about English.

The other thing I wanted to mention: when I'm speaking English or German, and I use some specific Croatian word (usually name of a place, city, person...), first time I'll pronunce it the Croatian way, but as the conversation moves on and gets livelier, especially if the other side is a native and repeats the word once or twice, I'll unconsciously start applying the phonetic rules of the language I'm speaking on the afforementioned word. 
What's your experiance in similar situations?


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## ronanpoirier

Here in Brazil, I notice three groups of foreign words:

1. Foreign words that have a Portuguese form, trying to remember it's original form or sound. (There's no reason to discuss this one since the words are already in Portuguese form.)

2. Foreign words that are used in our days constantly:
These words always get a Portuguese pronunciation, except for vowels, which may have the original sound as long as it is in Portuguese (otherwise it is replaced for a similar sound. Ex.: French eu = Portuguese ê), according to the accent of the area. Ex.: *Internet* - in = nasal i, ter = like in Italian or Spanish, net = like "net" but the t sounds like ch. The exception here is the letter "h" which has no sound in Portuguese but pronounced as in English in foreign words of any language but Romance (excluding Romanian, but I guess there are no Romanian words in our daily vocabulary).

3. Foreign words that are rarely used (such as names or some trademarks):
Receive or it's original pronunciation or a Portuguese pronunciation. That is more used by well-informed people, who have some basics of the language of the foreign word. Ex.: *Jack *- pronounced like in English but with short /i/ in the end. However, some people may not pronounce the J as in English and pronounce it as in Portuguese (like the S in pleasure). And, unfortunally, some people who have no information at all about how "Jack" is spelt, registrate their kids as "Djéqui", because that's how a Portuguese person would write that name, according to its sound. 

But that's my personal opinion.


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## ronanpoirier

venenum said:
			
		

> when I'm speaking English or German, and I use some specific Croatian word (usually name of a place, city, person...), first time I'll pronunce it the Croatian way, but as the conversation moves on and gets livelier, especially if the other side is a native and repeats the word once or twice, I'll unconsciously start applying the phonetic rules of the language I'm speaking on the afforementioned word.
> What's your experiance in similar situations?


 
I always pronounce in the languages rule of the place of where the name is from when it doesn't have a Portuguese equivalent.  But sometimes I have to speak as a Portuguese speaker would, otherwise people don't understand me.


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## robbie_SWE

ronanpoirier said:


> ...but I guess there are no Romanian words in our daily vocabulary).


 
What about the word _pastrami, halvah, Dracula (maybe not daily language)_?? It's a Romanian/Yddish word borrowed by many languages. 

 robbie


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## Chazzwozzer

aslan said:


> For autobus, TDK(The Language Istituon of Turkish ) find a new word(s) something like, "carrier with many seats"Of course This is not used.


And of course, that is just a hoax to slander TDK. Those who cannot stand TDK's purpose of purifying language come up with ridiculous pure Turkish compound words and say those are coined by TDK. No, TDK has never never said "çok oturgaçlı götürgeç," and all those other idiotic terms either. Please see here.



Cracker Jack said:


> How do you pronounce foreign words when you use it while you are talking in your native language? Do you modify it according to the phonetics of your language or do you pronounce it correctly according to how the native speakers of the language where it originated do it?


Depends. You may hear "merci," and "pardon," are pronounced as if they were Turkish while a Turk's speaking, but you'll also notice that pronunciation of "walkman," is almost like English.


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## Outsider

vince said:


> actually people say "fa-hee-ta" in canada too. It's just that I feel obligated to either say it with the spanish "x" sound, or leave it completely anglicized as "fageeta", rather than the imitation: "fa-hee-ta".


I believe that in some countries the Spanish "j" is pronounced like an English "h", so "fah-hee-tah" would not be a bad approximation for _fajita_.
Still, if I were a native English speaker, I would probably say "fuh-jee-tuh", and be done with it.


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