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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Pronouncing your name in another language
Message-ID: <1995Jan13.033835.3299@midway.uchicago.edu>
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Reply-To: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
References: <J8yYBWU.padrote@delphi.com> <moose-1101951036570001@pacsci-28.pacsci.org>
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 03:38:35 GMT
Lines: 35

In article <moose-1101951036570001@pacsci-28.pacsci.org> moose@halcyon.com (Moosenose) writes:

>I also wonder what to do about the names of cities. I know a number of
>people who, speaking English, insist on saying "Budapesht" for the capital
>of Hungary. This seems odd to me, since the same people don't say "Moskva"
>for the capital of Russia, "Praha" for the capital of the Czech Republic,
>or "Veen" for the capital of Austria. English certainly has the right
>phonemes to approximate the native pronunciations of Vienna, Paris, Rome,
>Prague, and others. The use of "Budapesht" only comes across to me as an
>affectation. I note that all of my Hungarian relatives use the English
>pronunciation of Budapest when speaking English.

	I agree it's something of an affectation, but it doesn't 
bother that much--especially compared to "Barthelona" for "Barcelona"
(part of the reason that bothers me more is that I have more Catalan
friends than Castillian and I think of Barcelona as primarily a 
Catalan city; English-speakers who say "Barthelona" are really fixing
what ain't broke).

	I think the reason why people say "Budapesht," "Barthelona,"
"Madhreed" [Madrid], and "Paree," but not "Maskva," "Vien," or "Praha"
is quite simple:  "Budapesht" et al. are quite easily perceived as "native"
pronunciation of the names.  "Maskva," "Vien," etc. are different enough
from the common English forms to sound like entirely different names.
I'm reminded of the last time my grandparents were in German and couldn't
find Cologne.  As they told it, there were lots of exits for some 
place called "Koeln," but not one for "Cologne."

	(They also figured, from the number of exits for it, that
"Ausfahrt" must be the biggest city in Germany, just as I used to 
think that "Einbahnstrasse" snaked all over the city where I lived.)
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
