How do you pronounce ciabatta

[TrixieFranklin]

I've just realised my husband, mum and dad all pronounce Ciabatta completely differently.
Between them they say:
Key-a-bar-ter
Chee-bar-ter
Chee-a-bat-cha

Now I've been saying it, looking at it and thinking about it too much and the whole word looks ridiculous now!

How do you say it?

homemadecommunistrussia

Good point, I didn’t notice that. I think it’s fairly obvious what I meant though!

@lazylinguist it’s the same with Polish. Lots of the sounds are just so alien to people who don’t speak the language, some words are just near on impossible for them to pronounce!
I went through my whole life as the child of Polish immigrants, with the most Polish surname imaginable - literally no English person could ever pronounce my surname! I ended up going by a shortened, Nick-namey version of it at school!

Chee a barta

Chee a batta

@Melassa

I'm half Italian. A lot of British people try to correct my pronunciation of my own surname (its a food word - i'm definitely saying it correctly!)

Oh no - let's not get started on totally wrong pronunciation eg bruschetta (broo-sket-ta), espresso (there's no x), chorizo (it's Spanish not Italian so no Italian zz/ts sound. Cho-ree-tho).

Anyhow the Italians are equally guilty of hilarious pronunciations of English words.

Examples (my version of how they pronounce it):
Brendy (brandy)
Kleb (club)
Tin-ager with the emphasis on tin (teenager)
Mekkap (make up)

I love it though, and I love taking the piss (I'm English-Italian so can get away with it)

See a batta

Assistant: a tuna see ya batta?

Had a snooty waiter trying to tell me I don't want a glass of Riesling, I apparently want ray-sling.

Cha-batta

Tagliatelle is the one that winds me up. But I think i’ve completely lost that one now- even telly chefs are getting it wrong.

In our family it’s pronounced Chewbacca

@MelanieFrontage mine too

Cha-bat-ta. And while we're at it, broo-sket-ta. And nyocki.

Cha-Batta. My ex used to pronounce it chapata (like chapati) it really fucked me off for some reason.

Could an Italian speaker admire on tagliatelle please?

Er, advise, not admire!

Riesling's correct. Where TF did snooty waiter get Ray-sling from? Certainly not Germany.

To answer the OP, chabatta, emphasis on 'bat'.

Sha bar ta

The pronunciation of English words is an interesting one - it's often down to being taught an RP accent. I give you the KFC "Sandy" as an example which was sold in Spain when I lived there - it's an ice cream sundae.

“Could an Italian speaker admire on tagliatelle please?“
There’s no “g” sound in it. Sort of “tal-y-a tell-e”

But I do know that is my own particular hobby horse and “you don’t call Paris Paree, do you?”

Although that is interesting. Why do we translate foreign cities into English?

Why do we translate foreign cities into English?
Lots of reasons but one is because we can't necessarily pronounce them otherwise! It is very hard to pronounce sounds that you haven't learnt as a child.

Thank you! That is how I have always pronounced tagliatelle, but this thread made me panic a bit, and start thinking ‘spaghetti has a hard g in the middle...’

Could MN have an accurate pronunciation guide to all the Italian breads, coffees and pasta shapes?

And othe common foodstuffs (croissant, chorizo, quinoa etc) that are subject to confusion?

Well yes I know- but it’s a bit weird if someone says “welcome to Roma” and you think “Hmm- that’s a bit hard- I think I will call this city Rome”......

chorizo (it's Spanish not Italian so no Italian zz/ts sound. Cho-ree-tho).

Not quite correct there. There's no CH sound in Chorizo, it's more of a throaty huh sound

Hhor-ee-tho. If we're being pedantic!