PRONUNCIATION OF FOREIGN NAMES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 761, 19 February 1954, Page 5

PRONUNCIATION OF FOREIGN NAMES

Sir,-Some of your recent correspondents seem to assume that Esperanto is the only possible ‘auxiliary international language. I should like to advise those interested in the subject to read the relevant chapters in F. Bodmer’s The Loom of Language. The defects of Esperanto are here discussed and other artificial languages described. I was at one time interested in Hogben’s "Interglossa" and have wondered why nothing more was heard of it.

ELWYNNE

THOMAS

(Eastbourne).

Sir,-Your correspondent P.-S, Ardern is very much astray in his estimation of the mispronunciation of Maori place names; perhaps his ears are misleading him, Naturally there is a popular or common pronunciation, but Papper Newy, Teeker Wotter, and Motor Hee are not among them. This version of his is a pure fallacy and simply a joke, the popular names being Papanuewie, Tee Kawawtah and Motoehee. There is another he can add to his list, Myrighteye, which is simply another joke for Ma-ra-e-ta-i, We all know that Maori place names are badly mispronounced, but so are English and other place names. This is common to all countries. Here are bad examples: Tahrongah for Ta-u-ra-nga, Wonnganewie for Wa-nga-nu-i, Wonggaree for Wha-nga-re-i. Then there are the shorts like Paikok and Taitap. The usual name for Papeete here is Papeete in three syllables, and personaly I have never heard the name Pappeat. Goethe used to be pronounced Gee-te, now it may be Ger-te. Not many know the name Kung-Foo-Tzze, but nearly everyone knows his Latinised name as Confucius. If Mr. Ardern cares to study English place names, he will find that the English had no respect for them, but gave their nicknames, which they now defend as the correct pronunciation. When

a persona] name like Cholmondeley can be pronounced as Chumley, spelling is simply a farce. There is The Simplified Spelling Society in England, but before going on to simplify the spelling, agreement should be reached about pronunciation. Is it apparent or appairent, inherent or inheerant, obseinity or obscenity, curious or cawrious? Shall we say lurn, surten, with convursing, revurting? It is quite safe to say that New Zealand English, and what is called Standard English, will never meet. As for the other 80 per cent of English dialects, we could not. even if we would.

GRINIJ OF GREENWICH

(Te Awamutu).

Sir.-If the idea is to pronounce foreign names as "foreigners" pronounce them, perhaps I can make a very small contribution to this discussion. I have heard several announcers in this country attempt to pronounce the name of Robert Casadesus the pianist, but none of them has succeeded so far. The accent is on the fimal syllable, which is pronounced so as to rhyme with "puss." He does not call himself "Robair,’ but just Robert. While on the subject of pronunciation, one announcer pronounces the word "impromptu" as "aumpromptu," which is perhaps near enough to the French pronunciation to "get by," as New Zealanders say. I am not a New Zealander, nor am I English, but I think the English pronunciation of this word would be more acceptable in New Zealand, where the vast majority are surely English-speaking people.

A.E.

M.

(Lower Hutt).