The idiot's guide to pronouncing "nuclear" and other difficult words

Letum · 11-13-07, 04:39 PM

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

This makes my blood boil!

Why, oh, why can Americans not learn to speak like civilised people?!

Friedrich Nietzsche
Thats Fred-Rik Nie-tch-eer
NOT
Fred-Rik Nie-zee-he

and it's ael - ju'mrn - i - em
Not only do Americans pronounce this incorrectly, they also spell it a few letters short.

Skybird · 11-13-07, 05:10 PM

There is no letter K in Friedrich Nietzsche. CH is difficult to be imagined for Anglosaxons. I still wait for my first American or English pronouncing it correctly.

You kind of put the back part of your tongue upwards and press it slightly against your palate, then breath out through your mouth and the small slit between palate and tongue. the hissing sound resulting is how CH is pronounced. It is no "K"!

"ie" is spelled like the eeee in "eeeek".

And "tzsche" is pronounced like the first in Che Guevara, with a T put in front of it.

:p

Prof · 11-13-07, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

There is no letter K in Friedrich Nietzsche. CH is difficult to be imagined for Anglosaxons. I still wait for my first American or English pronouncing it correctly.

You kind of put the back part of your tongue upwards and press it slightly against your palate, then breath out through your mouth and the small slit between palate and tongue. the hissing sound resulting is how CH is pronounced. It is no "K"!

You might as well talk to a brick wall rather than try to teach the English how to pronounce the 'ch' in Friedrich. We Scots still haven't managed to get them to pronounce 'loch' (as in Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, etc...) correctly!

The WosMan · 11-13-07, 05:27 PM

Here is one thing that really grates my midwest non-accent nerves. I can't stand how New Englanders, New Yorkers, and the Brits always throw an "R" on the end of any word that ends in an "A" so they will say "encyclopediar, datar, Sodar, etc......" The funny thing is if I am talking to one of my good brit friends over teamspeak I will intentionally throw R's on words like that and they don't even notice it.

Skybird · 11-13-07, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prof

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

There is no letter K in Friedrich Nietzsche. CH is difficult to be imagined for Anglosaxons. I still wait for my first American or English pronouncing it correctly.

You kind of put the back part of your tongue upwards and press it slightly against your palate, then breath out through your mouth and the small slit between palate and tongue. the hissing sound resulting is how CH is pronounced. It is no "K"!

You might as well talk to a brick wall rather than try to teach the English how to pronounce the 'ch' in Friedrich. We Scots still haven't managed to get them to pronounce 'loch' (as in Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, etc...) correctly!

:rotfl:

Chock · 11-13-07, 05:31 PM

How to sound like you are from England:

Every American knows that there are only two English accents. They both appear in films frequently. First you have the peasantry, they say things like: 'Cor blimey guv'nor, it's a proper ow-dyer-do and no mistake'. In films, these will be butlers, chauffers, tommies that meet American soldiers on Omaha Beach in WW2 films , and thieves. Then you have the toffs. In films, these will be either posh people that swan about in Edwardian England quoting poetry and swooning over lost love whilst rowing up the river near Oxford University, or they will be playing German terrorists in the Die Hard movies, occasionally, they will play Spitfire pilots in WW2 films. You can recognise them by their common phraseology, they say things like: 'How do you do old chap, that's awfully decent of you old boy'.

To pass yourself off (or 'orf', if you are being one of the posh types), as one of these plucky Brits, here are some handy pronunciation tips:

Tomato: Tom-art-oh

Buoy: Boy

Semi: Sem-ee

Faucet: Tap

Truck: Lorry, Juggernaut, or pantechnicon if you are posh

Automobile: Car, or Motor-car if you are posh

Airplane: Aer-o-plane or aircraft if you are a posh Spitfire pilot

Sidewalk: Pavement or Kerb if you are posh

Irony: Eye-ron-ee

Median: Cent-ral res-er-va-tion

Drapes: Cur-tains

Leicestershire: Lest-er-sher

Paris, France: Paris - in England, nobody cares if there is a place in the US with the same name

Glasgow: Glaz-go, or Glaz-gee, if you are Scottish

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch: Llanfair PG, the full name of the town is only used by Welsh people to annoy their English neighbours

Motorcycle: Bike, or Mot-er-sigh-kul if you are posh

Double decaffeinated latte: Nice cup of tea, this is universal regardless of class

Freeway: Mot=er-way, or dual carriageway if you are posh

Union Jack: Union flag

European Union: Bloody com-mon mar-ket

Sub-altern: sub-ul-tun

Sgt Major: Sarn-may-jaw or Sarge if you are a peasant

The Royal family: The use-less in-breds, or mum and dad if you are posh

Submariner: Sub-ma-rin-er, and never how Bill Paxton pronounces it in U-571

Chock

Prof · 11-13-07, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chock

Freeway: Mot=er-way, or dual carriageway if you are posh

A motorway and a dual carriageway are completely different things! One has blue signs, one has green

Totally different!

Chock · 11-13-07, 05:42 PM

Quote:

A motorway and a dual carriageway are completely different things! One has blue signs, one has green

Totally different

Humour and factual accuracy are also totally different in many cases

Chock

Ducimus · 11-13-07, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Letum

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

This makes my blood boil!

Why, oh, why can Americans not learn to speak like civilised people?!

How do you define civilized?

Letum · 11-13-07, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Quote:

Originally Posted by Letum

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

This makes my blood boil!

Why, oh, why can Americans not learn to speak like civilised people?!

How do you define civilized?

It's a culturally relevant term.

In my sub-culture I am the definition of civilised.

Ducimus · 11-13-07, 07:43 PM

Ha! Okie dokey then. As the english language goes, i wonder which country has more dialects and accents, the UK or the US? I know we have a bunch, most of which im sure would have a Brit writhing in agony.

Reaves · 11-13-07, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Ha! Okie dokey then. As the english language goes, i wonder which country has more dialects and accents, the UK or the US? I know we have a bunch, most of which im sure would have a Brit writhing in agony.

Listen to a Northern Queenslanders accent vs a Victorians and you'll notice differant accents. It's probably not as bad as a New Yorkers compared to a Texan but the differance is there. I'd say most English speaking countries with a large landmass would have a variety of speaking styles.

I was watching a documentary on the typical Australian accent and it's origin is based on the 'cockney' accent iirc.

Ducimus · 11-13-07, 08:00 PM

And how dare i forget Australia. Personally i think the aussi accents are the coolest sounding. Meaning, some accents are just more asthetically pleasing to hear then others. Aussi's are up there.

bookworm_020 · 11-13-07, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

And how dare i forget Australia. Personally i think the aussi accents are the coolest sounding. Meaning, some accents are just more asthetically pleasing to hear then others. Aussi's are up there.

For that statement you get my thumbs up for the day

BTW I'm backing Penelope Grey with Aluminium.

Reaves · 11-13-07, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

And how dare i forget Australia. Personally i think the aussi accents are the coolest sounding. Meaning, some accents are just more asthetically pleasing to hear then others. Aussi's are up there.

Pitty the ladies over here don't think the same. I'd be much better off with a French or Irish accent.

11-13-07, 04:39 PM	#1
Letum Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: York - UK Posts: 6,079 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! This makes my blood boil! Why, oh, why can Americans not learn to speak like civilised people?! Friedrich Nietzsche Thats Fred-Rik Nie-tch-eer NOT Fred-Rik Nie-zee-he and it's ael - ju'mrn - i - em Not only do Americans pronounce this incorrectly, they also spell it a few letters short. __________________

11-13-07, 05:10 PM	#2
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,707 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	There is no letter K in Friedrich Nietzsche. CH is difficult to be imagined for Anglosaxons. I still wait for my first American or English pronouncing it correctly. You kind of put the back part of your tongue upwards and press it slightly against your palate, then breath out through your mouth and the small slit between palate and tongue. the hissing sound resulting is how CH is pronounced. It is no "K"! "ie" is spelled like the eeee in "eeeek". And "tzsche" is pronounced like the first in Che Guevara, with a T put in front of it. :p __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

11-13-07, 05:31 PM	#6
Chock Sea Lord Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a thermal layer in chilly Olde England Posts: 1,842 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How to sound like you are from England: Every American knows that there are only two English accents. They both appear in films frequently. First you have the peasantry, they say things like: 'Cor blimey guv'nor, it's a proper ow-dyer-do and no mistake'. In films, these will be butlers, chauffers, tommies that meet American soldiers on Omaha Beach in WW2 films , and thieves. Then you have the toffs. In films, these will be either posh people that swan about in Edwardian England quoting poetry and swooning over lost love whilst rowing up the river near Oxford University, or they will be playing German terrorists in the Die Hard movies, occasionally, they will play Spitfire pilots in WW2 films. You can recognise them by their common phraseology, they say things like: 'How do you do old chap, that's awfully decent of you old boy'. To pass yourself off (or 'orf', if you are being one of the posh types), as one of these plucky Brits, here are some handy pronunciation tips: Tomato: Tom-art-oh Buoy: Boy Semi: Sem-ee Faucet: Tap Truck: Lorry, Juggernaut, or pantechnicon if you are posh Automobile: Car, or Motor-car if you are posh Airplane: Aer-o-plane or aircraft if you are a posh Spitfire pilot Sidewalk: Pavement or Kerb if you are posh Irony: Eye-ron-ee Median: Cent-ral res-er-va-tion Drapes: Cur-tains Leicestershire: Lest-er-sher Paris, France: Paris - in England, nobody cares if there is a place in the US with the same name Glasgow: Glaz-go, or Glaz-gee, if you are Scottish Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch: Llanfair PG, the full name of the town is only used by Welsh people to annoy their English neighbours Motorcycle: Bike, or Mot-er-sigh-kul if you are posh Double decaffeinated latte: Nice cup of tea, this is universal regardless of class Freeway: Mot=er-way, or dual carriageway if you are posh Union Jack: Union flag European Union: Bloody com-mon mar-ket Sub-altern: sub-ul-tun Sgt Major: Sarn-may-jaw or Sarge if you are a peasant The Royal family: The use-less in-breds, or mum and dad if you are posh Submariner: Sub-ma-rin-er, and never how Bill Paxton pronounces it in U-571 Chock __________________

11-13-07, 05:27 PM	#4
The WosMan Watch Officer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: OH Posts: 332 Downloads: 88 Uploads: 0	Here is one thing that really grates my midwest non-accent nerves. I can't stand how New Englanders, New Yorkers, and the Brits always throw an "R" on the end of any word that ends in an "A" so they will say "encyclopediar, datar, Sodar, etc......" The funny thing is if I am talking to one of my good brit friends over teamspeak I will intentionally throw R's on words like that and they don't even notice it.

11-13-07, 07:43 PM	#11
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	Ha! Okie dokey then. As the english language goes, i wonder which country has more dialects and accents, the UK or the US? I know we have a bunch, most of which im sure would have a Brit writhing in agony.

11-13-07, 08:00 PM	#13
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	And how dare i forget Australia. Personally i think the aussi accents are the coolest sounding. Meaning, some accents are just more asthetically pleasing to hear then others. Aussi's are up there.