hey Germans

[Wernazuma III]

Originally posted by Ecthy
Wernazuma? You're omitting 50% of all "-ch"s.

(or are you making a lame Sch joke?)

[Barnabas]

So It seems I was right and the ch in Kirchner is pronounced as the ch in "ich" , like the spanish "j" or at least very similar.

Now I can be pedant and correct my argentine friends whenever they pronounce the surname of their president as Kir + sh (and in she) + ner

[Alexander I]

Well, IIRC, in the Pfalz dialect "ch" is pronounced like "sch." So "Kirche" is pronounced "Kirsch." How they tell the difference between churches and cherries I don't know.

[Adalbertus]

In many German dialects the sound "ch" as "ich" does not exist. Around the Rhine, north of (say) Mainz, it is always replaced by "sh". In southern German dialects (Baden to Austria) it is usually replaced by K at the beginning of words, and "ch" as in Scottish "loch" inside. Under French influence, many German dialects abandoned the (similarly to Scottish) rolled "r" in favour of the French uvular "r" - this gives a funny effect of having the same sound first voided and then unvoiced in words like "durch" . In Dutch "Groningen" it is just the same revesred.

[Ecthy]

Are you guys aware of the difference between the "ch" in "Kuchen" (Spanish g/j) and the one in "ich"?

Unless we're talking about Chilean Spanish

[Nostromo]

Well, IIRC, in the Pfalz dialect "ch" is pronounced like "sch." So "Kirche" is pronounced "Kirsch." How they tell the difference between churches and cherries I don't know.

If the Smurfs can do it...