PRONUNCIATION OF FOREIGN NAMES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 756, 15 January 1954, Page 11

PRONUNCIATION OF FOREIGN NAMES

_Sir.-Neither. C. Francis Thompson nor "R.F." appear to have read my letter carefully. First, I did not say how Los Angeles should be pronounced in English, but merely stated that the NZBS announcer did not give it a correct Spanish pronunciation as alleged by "Student." No criticism of the announcer was implied: I thought and said that the effort was a compromise. With regard to Mr. Thompson’s statement that it is left to the knowledge and ability of the individual I can only say that unless he is a Spanish scholar he would not know what place or person I was referring to if in conversation with him I discussed certain towns and people. Would he regard this as desirable? With regard to his statement about the form of words, how about ViennaWien, Livormo-Leghorn, Firenze-Flor-ence et al? I could be happily sidetracked for hours on the question of correct Spanish pronunciation, but having in mind your space will only say, without further comment, that Castilian is to Spanish as Oxford is to English. The number of people who speak Spanish is 180 millions; it is the second on the list of most spoken languages. Although there are variations, as in English, the vowels are always vowels. With "R.F." I will be as brief as: he deserves. I gave no example of how 1 instinctively pronounced Te Aro, as none was necessary. I said I pronounced the vowels as vowels: TAY contains a diphthong, both orthographically and phonetically. For "R.F.’s" enlightenment no movement of the vocal organs is possible in producing a vowel sound. I have yet to meet a New Zealand university graduate who has been taught and can precisely define what a vowel is.

I. R.

MAXWELL-STEWART

(Wellington).

Sir,-Replies. from I. R. MaxwellStewart and "Angeleno" disagree with each other on the correct pronunciation of "Angeles," and being peremptory in tone would lose points in a debating contest. My letter referred more particularly to the adjective "Los," and as on

I have had the opportunity of -visiting Valparaiso I. do know how the Chileans pronounce Los Angeles when referring to a town of that name in Southern Chile. The use’ of the long o produces a sound which rhymes with rose. This, I agree, is different from the pronunciation of the educated Spaniard; pure Spanish is the dialect of Castile and the s, proniounced with a lisp, becomes th; so that los becomes loth. rhyming with both. The reply to my question is contained in an unpublished comment by a German acauaintance: "The reluctance to learn or speak foreign languages is a trait of Britishers and North Americans; whether this is a fault I cannot say." It is one of the main reasons why the English language has developed such strength and motive force. There will be no need for Esperanto, as English is becoming the international language.

STUDENT

(Palmerston North).