Pronunciation

[ragman1]

Oops, beg pardon :-)

I know one thing, the number of people in the world who speak better and more articulate English than vast swathes of the English populace themselves is, frankly, plain embarrassing.

[Doctor Jeff]

What’s The Most Difficult Word In The World To Pronounce?

I don't find those English words difficult at all. Maybe because I consciously learned to pronounce every consonant. Also, I don't find enunciating German hard, either, though my accent might leave a bit to be desired. I lived in the Rhineland-Pfalz, where people spoke Pfaelzisch and tended to slur consonants. Very hard for non-natives to understand.

Being from the South--the secret to my success when living outside Appalachia was to pronounce every consonant. Otherwise people thought I was a hillbilly. (Which I might be, just don't let on that I am.) People where I come from talk like Jeff Foxworthy. You might be a redneck if...you talk like Jeff Foxworthy.

[mr. beaumont]

I assume nothing with language...my grandmother's maiden name was Kowalawicz.

Pronounced "Ko-Va-Lev-Each."

This year I have a student named "Ma-Youngnai"

Pronuonced My-onna.

I've pretty much figured out words just are pictures of a sound, and people draw them differently

[RJVB]

Being from the South--the secret to my success when living outside Appalachia was to pronounce every consonant.

On a related note: what I appreciate in US (and apparently also UK) TV series and movies is that actors go that extra length to talk with (what at least appears to be) the appropriate dialect. That evidently gets lost completely in the dubbing, but in most native French productions that I can think of, one gets the impression that everyone speaks like they do in Paris. Or in the Parisian suburbs (roughly an algerian accent/slang) if the character is supposed to be of a North-African or suburban background.

[ragman1]

I don't find those English words difficult at all.

Ah, but how do we know?...

[citizenk74]

"Creek" NWPA "Crick"

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I'm from Toronto! (pronounced Torona or Torono)

(we still have ol' what's er name on our money)

Just saw a coin like this in my change (1940).

[ragman1]

I think it's high time Canada became its own place.

hope that's not controversial

[ragman1]

"Creek" NWPA "Crick"

I knew that, I watch cowboy films :-)

[A. Kingstone]

I think it's high time Canada became its own place.

hope that's not controversial

So do we!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

What’s The Most Difficult Word In The World To Pronounce?

On that English language list, my father would complain about "rural" -- because his family immigrated from Hungary and moved to ... Rural St.

Another word on the list: squirrel. My dog Harley would start barking as soon as you said squirrel, or square, for that matter. My young nephews thought this was hilarious and would try to set him off, but they were too young to have mastered the pronunciation, so they kept saying "tor-el", which didn't register with Harley.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I think it's high time Canada became its own place.

hope that's not controversial

Apron strings are hard to cut with blunt scissors.

[Jonah]

On a related note: what I appreciate in US (and apparently also UK) TV series and movies is that actors go that extra length to talk with (what at least appears to be) the appropriate dialect. That evidently gets lost completely in the dubbing, but in most native French productions that I can think of, one gets the impression that everyone speaks like they do in Paris. Or in the Parisian suburbs (roughly an algerian accent/slang) if the character is supposed to be of a North-African or suburban background.

In Italian films they speak as if they are all dubbed (and in most cases they are actually).

I grew up with Soviet/Russian movies - great artistic tradition.
But when I began watching English and American movies in original I noticed how much more casual and natural their speech was.
I think it is about theatrical tradition in Russian acting partly...

American actors are really good in movies and in casual scenes.

But on the other hand actors in America do not care about accent at all. I think it is partly because of the mixed origin of the nation.

[ragman1]

So do we!

Well, Canada isn't exactly Bongoland, is it?

I'm going to get myself into trouble soon!

[ragman1]

In Italian films they speak as if they are all dubbed (and in most cases they are actually).

I grew up with Soviet/Russian movies - great artistic tradition.

I can't stand dubbed stuff, I always want to hear the real people speak. Quite happy with subtitles. I also love Russian cinema. There's a lot of Tarkovsky on YouTube, Andrei Rublev (3 hrs) and Mirror. And Stalker.

Everything okay with you, Jonah? As far as it goes anyway. At least you can still post here.

[Jonah]

I can't stand dubbed stuff, I always want to hear the real people speak. Quite happy with subtitles. I also love Russian cinema. There's a lot of Tarkovsky on YouTube, Andrei Rublev (3 hrs) and Mirror. And Stalker.

In some countries dubbed films seem to be a tradition.
I can handle both (In Soviet times they dubbed everything), my elder daughter always prefer an original with subs if she canot the language.
In Sweden and Finland they always use subs only.

In Italy even original Italian movies were dubbed by substitute voice actors.

[RJVB]

In some countries dubbed films seem to be a tradition.

France has elevated it to "art" status, I recently learned there's even a periodical for those "voice actors". They'll also dub interviews, which I find borderline insulting (to the interviewee, and to the audience who can't listen to what the person actually has to say).

I hate it. If you have no other choice I can live with it if the movie is thrilling enough (I'll refuse to watch dubbed art cinema), but it gets really unbearable when you have to listen to it. Of course it's also quite disturbing when the same dubbing voice is used for 2 very different characters.

[sgosnell]

You'll probably say these guys don't live there so it doesn't count!

That's the usual pronunciation that I've heard. I don't live there either, so I can't claim to be an expert, just saying what I've always heard. I'm from a couple of thousand miles away.

[PMB]

Though the most inscrutable English place name might be Loughborough

That's a pretty fancy spelling for Low Brow.

[A. Kingstone]

Re: VIDEO

The skinny kid on guitar watching the enormous adult on guitar!

Roan - Oak sounds right.

Great video.

[ragman1]

That's the usual pronunciation that I've heard. I don't live there either, so I can't claim to be an expert, just saying what I've always heard. I'm from a couple of thousand miles away.

To be honest, I don't think Roanoke is that controversial :-)

[ragman1]

That's a pretty fancy spelling for Low Brow.

Nope... unless you meant it as a joke!

Anyone can google these...

[PMB]

Nope... unless you meant it as a joke!

Anyone can google these...

I was just havin' a laugh, bruh...

[ragman1]

Re: VIDEO

The skinny kid on guitar watching the enormous adult on guitar!

Roan - Oak sounds right.

Great video.

The enormous adult was playing Tony Rice style, especially those repeated Bb-A pull-offs at the end before the final G run. I'm an expert :-)

But he did do it well, it was quite fast. They didn't sound fully in sync at the beginning because the young kid, bless him, was trying to play along and not getting it. Luckily he stopped and thereafter it was okay.

Roanoke, Va, was/is the setting of a well-known bluegrass festival. As we're here, here's a short version of a relaxed Tony Rice doing his thing. Even his solo is unusually casual... but so good they all start grinning. At least, I think that's why!

[ragman1]

I was just havin' a laugh, bruh...

By jove, I think he's got it :-)