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From: "Paul J. Kriha" <kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz>
Subject: Re: Name pronunciation
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Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 11:00:10 GMT
References: <D3ADBC.9t8@indirect.com> <3go8uu$3nt@clarknet.clark.net> <3h8bso$kpl@condor.cs.jhu.edu>
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pjt@condor.cs.jhu.edu (Paul Tanenbaum) wrote:
>
> In article <3go8uu$3nt@clarknet.clark.net>,
> Harlan Messinger <gusty@clark.net> wrote:
> >Going off on a tangent, I was intrigued at one point by the name
> >Khrushchev (pronounced Kroosh-chev in the US and Kroosh-choff in the UK). 
> 
>      Off on my own tangent, I was fascinated (and sickened) to learn from
> a piece on local TV news about yesterday's rendez-vous of the U.S. space
> shuttle w/ the Russian space station, that the latter was named "Myrrh."
> 'Twas the first time I'd heard that particular mangle.  One might imagine
> that the blow-dried babblers who spew local news occasionally hear others
> speak.  If this one ever did, she certainly did not make note of the
> (reasonably good) English pronunciation of "Mir" that I've heard all over
> the place for years.
>      Paul

OL, airing-our-gripes-time.... 

The wallies on VOA are a reliable suppliers of myrrh over here.
The latest gem: "Borishelsin".

Their "Special English" is something unbelievable.
They hope that making wide gaps between the mangled,
mispronounced and slurred words makes the speach
easier to understand. Then it's broadcast to the
English speaking community where the last vino in the
street believes he can speak better English then they do.

What a disservice to the US PR.

I have heard many US radio, cultural, sport etc. commentators
speaking with excellent "international English".
Where do VOA get these people?  They must be scraping
the wrong barrel.

Paul JK
