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Had this argument with family last summer, found myself outnumbered 5 to 1, they even asked a Frenchman but he got it wrong too. Still insist it’s pronounced Monaco.
Tanzania or Tanzania. I visited some of my former in-laws while they lived there, and apparently even in Tanzania/Tanzania they're not sure if it's pronounced Tanzania or Tanzania.
I find it confusing that some cities have English names that are different to the local names (eg Roma-Rome), while some places have multiple foreign names (Milano-Milan-Mailand). As simplification is a virtue, I propose that everywhere should be known by their Italian names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_exonyms Some are easy to get used to...Dublino, Berlino, Londra, LIsbona Some are a bit more creative...Edimburgo, Amburgo, Varsavia, Stoccolma Some are delightful. Germany, sorry Germania, will surely enjoy a surge in tourism if people could enjoy a Reno cruise, stroll around Francoforte, visit the site of the notorious Norimberga Rallies, or enjoy a lost weekend at the famous beer festival of Monaco di Baviera.
I find it confusing that some cities have English names that are different to the local names (eg Roma-Rome), while some places have multiple foreign names (Milano-Milan-Mailand). As simplification is a virtue, I propose that everywhere should be known by their Italian names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_exonyms Some are easy to get used to...Dublino, Berlino, Londra, LIsbona Some are a bit more creative...Edimburgo, Amburgo, Varsavia, Stoccolma Some are delightful. Germany, sorry Germania, will surely enjoy a surge in tourism if people could enjoy a Reno cruise, stroll around Francoforte, visit the site of the notorious Norimberga Rallies, or enjoy a lost weekend at the famous beer festival of Monaco di Baviera.
Not forgetting that Munich is Monaco in Italian...
I find it confusing that some cities have English names that are different to the local names (eg Roma-Rome), while some places have multiple foreign names (Milano-Milan-Mailand). As simplification is a virtue, I propose that everywhere should be known by their Italian names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_exonyms Some are easy to get used to...Dublino, Berlino, Londra, LIsbona Some are a bit more creative...Edimburgo, Amburgo, Varsavia, Stoccolma Some are delightful. Germany, sorry Germania, will surely enjoy a surge in tourism if people could enjoy a Reno cruise, stroll around Francoforte, visit the site of the notorious Norimberga Rallies, or enjoy a lost weekend at the famous beer festival of Monaco di Baviera.
Its interesting how people pronounce place names. Edinburgh gets pronounced Edinborough or Edinbrugh. Glasgow gets called Glarsgow [ only if you are Tory or toff] Middlesbrough gets mispronounced Middlesborough Lewes gets mispronounced Loos! Kenya used to be pronounced Keenya [ especially by the colonial types or Happy Valley crowd] Plaistow. Now this is interesting. Londoners pronounce it as Plarstow and this maybe correct, but there is a village in West Sussex of the same name and it's pronounced Plastow which could be correct too. You choose. Happisburgh on the north Norfolk coast gets prounounced Happysbrough but you'd get a good kicking by locals if you said that. It's pronounced Haysburgh
Here in Ireland outsiders pronounce the town Drogheda as Drogeeda or Drogayda when its actually Drohada.
There is so much more and I always find pronunciations of words and places really fascinating
I'm in the Scon camp not scone and always will be.
I joined a Government organisation working internationally in 1975 and my first posting was Kenya. A crusty old colonial-type Director asked me where I was being sent and I had to say Kenya (pronouncing it 'Kennya') 3 times before he professed to knowing which country I was referring to. "Oh, you mean Keeenya!"
I met several types like that during my time there.
The one which really annoys me at the moment is the car brand Dacia. no way should it be pronounced as they do in the TV ads, it should be pronounced /ˈdeɪʃə/ DAY-shə, like the Roman province from which its name comes. Grrrrrr
A mini quiz for you: Which of these UK place names is officially the hardest to pronounce? Ynysybwl Quernmore Omagh Beaulieu Frome
"Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1."
The one which really annoys me at the moment is the car brand Dacia. no way should it be pronounced as they do in the TV ads, it should be pronounced /ˈdeɪʃə/ DAY-shə, like the Roman province from which its name comes. Grrrrrr
A mini quiz for you: Which of these UK place names is officially the hardest to pronounce? Ynysybwl Quernmore Omagh Beaulieu Frome
Apparently that's how (modern) Romanians pronounce it. Barbarians.
The one which really annoys me at the moment is the car brand Dacia. no way should it be pronounced as they do in the TV ads, it should be pronounced /ˈdeɪʃə/ DAY-shə, like the Roman province from which its name comes. Grrrrrr
A mini quiz for you: Which of these UK place names is officially the hardest to pronounce? Ynysybwl Quernmore Omagh Beaulieu Frome
Tanzania or Tanzania. I visited some of my former in-laws while they lived there, and apparently even in Tanzania/Tanzania they're not sure if it's pronounced Tanzania or Tanzania.
Ya, I was there too and found the same. One man told me that it was because it's an amalgam of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, so the word has no meaning or history.
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
Ya, I was there too and found the same. One man told me that it was because it's an amalgam of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, so the word has no meaning or history.
Yup. I've worked in both Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania and agree the pronunciation doesn't have much provenance, but I can't recall anyone calling the country anything other than Tan zu knee ah.