to point out that people who say "choritso" for chorizo...

[MardyBra]

... are assigning an Italian pronunciation to a Spanish word?

You don't need to do a Manuel-style "choreeeeetho" thing. Chorizo with a z sound is fine by me if you prefer, as it's a valid in many dialects.

[IslaValargeone]

proh-seh-koh

[IslaValargeone]

or your way really

[CrabbyBigBottom]

Ish she shaying proshecco cos she's a bit pished, Hes?

[LemonLies]

Is it Anna Friel on the M&S ad saying "choritzo?"

[MsFanackerPants]

MIL says hhur-itzo, a sort of Hebrew/Italian hybrid. It drives her Spanish speaking son (my DP) and daughter bonkers. She is very quick to correct French pronunciation though but always gets Moet wrong as she doesn't believe me.

[koalacube]

I like to say 'choreetho' and 'brusketta' as I like learning languages and once I know how to pronounce something I can't do it wrong on purpose IYSWIM.

(clearly a pretentious wanker)

[AveryJessup]

Don't worry, OP, the Spanish will be doing their bit to utterly murder the pronunciation of any English-language foodstuffs and brand names they use!

I have it on a good authority from a Spanish friend that in Spain pronouncing foreign words correctly will make people think you're a wanker so they just pronounce everything with a Spanish accent even if they speak good English and know the difference. Another friend who grew up in Southern Spain with an English father and Spanish mother was laughed at in school for pronouncing English words correctly

[angeltulips]

Am sure this has been covered, but you do realise the majority of Spanish speakers in the world (ie the whole of Latin America) don't use the th sound, and therefore choritzo is (broadly) correct?

And yes I do know what time it is :)

[MrsHelsBels74]

How are you supposed to pronounce pizza then?

My nan used to always say 'man-ghee toots' (mange touts)

[sashh]

Tres panini por favor


Tre panini per favore or maybe 'give us a few o'them forrin' butties'

[LyraSilvertongue]

Angel tulips, I imagine the Latin Americans say choriso, not choritso. The ts sound for z is uniquely Italian.

Pizza? Pronounced peetsa of course. It's Italian

[Parmarella]

Having lived all over Latin America, I can say that the pronunciation would indeed be cho-ree-zo, without the lisp.

I can also confidently say that apart from in Argentina, where they speak Spanish like Italians (! it is cute, but they get mixed up and call pizza "pisa" just to confuse everyone), chorizo is not widely eaten.

[PeriodFeatures]

my dm does this, it drives me insane. Next time she does it i shall say..are do you realise you are assigning an Italian pronunciation to a Spanish word?

are you manuel?

thanks op. :)

[CrabbyBigBottom]

Oblomov which words did you want?

[ringaringarosy]

i say it like choritso,so no eee sound.

[ballroomblitz]

Yanbu. I lived in Spain so it's the one pronounciation that bugs me here back in the UK. Saying that I always feel like a prat pronouncing it correctly here. Catch 22 really.

[Mimishimi]

It's strange but today, for the first time, I've seen an ad for Mad Mex (a chain of tex-mex style food here) and they said chawreezo - the z sound being a cross between an aspirated ts and a soft zz sound.

I've always said chor-rit-tso myself with a hard ts sound.

[MarjorieAntrobus]

Ringa and Mimi, you haven't read the thread, have you?!

[CrabbyBigBottom]

Ring then you're saying it completely wrong!

I've just discovered this morning that the word sauna (which I've always said 'saw-ner') should rhyme with downer, so 'sow' as in pig. Who knew!

[CrabbyBigBottom]

I also didn't know that it's the only imported Finnish word we have in English. You learn something every day.

[NotDead]

saah-oona

[Nocturtle]

So let's recap.

Foreign word has an English variation, use English when speaking English to an English-speaker.
Paris not Paree, Rome not Roma, New York not Noo Yoik.

Foreign word lacks an English version? It's not pretentious to use its original pronunciation.
Pee-tsa not pi-zah, hala-penyo not jala-peenoh. choh-reeso and choh-reetho are both acceptable due to regional Spanish differences, cho-fit so is for dummies.

Paella has no English equivalent or regional Spanish variance, so should be pronounced Pae-yeah-ya. Also, it's Hoo-garden, not Ho-garden for the lovely wheat beer.

We have enough inconsistencies in our own language due to its mongrel formation without introducing new ones.

All agreed? Good, let's move on.

[Nocturtle]

That's supposed to be "cho-ritso is for dummies".
Autocorrect on the iPad can take the blame.

[Tech]

M&S has gone to the dogs. I had to write to the chairman once because the branch in Gracechurch St had a "10 items or less" sign. I never went back. It was distressing.

[CrabbyBigBottom]

Tech how can they expect to remain a bastion of middle-classness when they display such an appalling lack of grammar! I think I would have fainted!