How do you pronounce proper names in a foreign language?

[Drake Tungsten]

I'm surprised Sloww was smart enough to catch my completely unsubtle reference.

[notyoueither]

If it's a commonly known foreign language, like English, then I pronounce it in English. It would sound retarded if I tried to say George Bush using purely Swedish phonemes - JÃ¥rsj Bosj - when even my grandmother knows how it's said.

But it can be taxing when someone has an easy English name. Those situations usually result in inconsistency, like this girl I know Nicole, when I'm careful I say Nicole in the English way ("Nuh-coal"), but after a while, if I were talking about her for some reason, you get tired of 'switching' languages mid-sentence and tend to fall back on Swedicisms ("Nikåll").

For most languages I wouldn't bother, because chances are nobody would understand what I said. The "Paree" example is atrocious, like "Barthelona", "Balenthia", "Eebeetha"...



flip-flopped?

I don't say nuh-coal.

[Asher]

Nick! ol.

[Kitschum]

I don't say nuh-coal.

I've obviously never heard you speak, but I bet that you sound more like nuh-coal than I do if I make no effort to hide my accent. I exaggerated for contrast, but in general the English short i is more 'central' than the Swedish short i.

Click on the speaker:

http://www.answers.com/sill

Swedish sill:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Sv-sill.ogg

[Sir Og]

This thread "PHUN-knee"

[Dry]

If you are speaking a foreign language and have to mention a proper name from your own, do you say it in your own language or try to say it using the sounds of a foreign language?

Depends.
For persons, I will try to pronounce their names the way they are called in their own language.
Example, me (a french speaker) if I speak to a German (in German) about Victor Hugo and Somerset Maugham, I will pronounce Victor Hugo the french way and Somerset Maugham the english way (just because I happen to know the correct pronounciation).
If I have to tell the name of some Hungarian dude, from which I know nothing about the pronounciation, I will just try to say it the way the person I am speaking to might understand it. In the above example, I will try to say it with german sounds.

For cities, or countries, I will say their names in the language of the rest of the sentence.
That is, if I am speaking Dutch, I will say Brussel, Antwerpen and Luik, while if I am speaking english I will say Brussels, Antwerp and Liege (pronounce it the french way, because I do not know the english name).

[Dry]

I ****ing hate when my university profs pronounce cities or names of people from other countries with a foreign accent. For Christ's sake, just say Hugo, not ew-GO. Jesus Christ, you teach at the ****ing University of Regina, get over yourself, you're barely qualified to call yourself an academic.

This criticism doesn't apply to the profs that actually speak a second language and have spent time in another country. My World Politics prof spent a few years in Bolivia, so I guess if he takes on a Spanish accent thats okay. My econ prof on the other hand, is so annoying with all the pretend accents she uses when she describes foreign places.

I may agree on place names, I certainly disagree on persons names.
When it comes to persons, I find it respectfull to try to be as close as possible to the way their are really called. The accent is not necessary, but at least try to name them as they are called.
For example, Georges Bush is called Johr-jh bush in french and not djohr-djh bush, and not jorh-jh büsh either (french u, german ü).
That is because the name Georges exists in french and is pronounced the french way, but Bush is nevertheless written and pronounced the english way.
Same goes for Bill Clinton: I know no french person who pronounce his name with the french -in- and -on- sounds.
I find it a form of respect for the persons.

For places, I find it more respectfull to say them in the same language as the rest of the sentence.
In french, I will speak about La Nouvelle Orléans, while in english i'll say New Orleens (and I hope I'll never have to say Desmoines in english... )

[Ben Kenobi]

(Unless Ben is fluent in both Russian and French, which is possible)

I'm not fluent in either, although my french is passable. Usually, I'm talking in English with Russian people, and I use Ee-van. Same with talking in english to french people. I try to use the french pronounciation for French people names.

[Ben Kenobi]

WRT to liege - English takes the French name. Usually they take the french name, simply because of the former relationship of both languages.

[Dauphin]

The setup is perfect...

Thank you.

[germanos]

I once had a girlfriend whose mother was born and raised in Königsberg. I wonder what the entry of her place of birth is in her passport...

Similarly, quite a few obituaries in Dutch newspapers state place of birth 'Batavia' (nowadays Jakarta) wich I guess is correct, but a bit odd nevertheless.

[SpencerH]

I hate how some beautiful names are butchered by americans (mostly).

I would say it "ne-col"

[notyoueither]

I've obviously never heard you speak, but I bet that you sound more like nuh-coal than I do if I make no effort to hide my accent. I exaggerated for contrast, but in general the English short i is more 'central' than the Swedish short i.

Click on the speaker:

http://www.answers.com/sill

Swedish sill:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...d9/Sv-sill.ogg

That's a strange pronunciation for sill. I have never heard an English speaker, anywhere, pronounce the short i like that.

[Kitschum]

That's a strange pronunciation for sill. I have never heard an English speaker, anywhere, pronounce the short i like that.

Of course pronunciation varies (within limits) between individuals and regions, but no English speaker, anywhere, really?

Nevertheless, here's an American woman who claims to demonstrate North American English. Her short i is at about 0:30-



It's hard to find a perfect vowel map, but take a look at this, which is supposed to be the vowels of "BBC English". Observe the position of /I/:


Swedish /I/ is off to the left as seen here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_phonology#Vowels

More Swedish examples here (vitt has a short i):

http://person2.sol.lu.se/SusanneSchotz/teaching/taltrans05/link/ovn2.html