It is not a sodding 'Expresso'

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Oh this makes me irrationally angry.

OIS: I am spanish and I can assure you that Franco didn't imposse "z"'s that has always been a normal sound in spanish laguage. Paella is pronaunces pa- e (e as in earth )- ya (as in you)

a girl i knew who worked in costa coffee was half italian, and she used to have to bite her tongue everytime someone asked for a panini: mainly because the menu said panini, but she used to come over to us at the desk (costa in ottakar's) and grit her teeth and go "a panino, 2 panini!" then smile and walk back to costa!

wrt to the chorizo: i can understand the i-tho bit, but how is the ch pronounced in spanish? is it "tsch" like in english or "kh" like in italian?

TheDevilWearsPrimark et al - I'm sure your irrational anger is quickly overcome with 'smuggery'.

YABU

See, MumtoEliane - I have a feeling that I must actually dream these things. No wonder I got such crappy marks in History!

Just read that some people feel like a tit bad for saying chorizo properly? and that annoys you when people do? WHY??

nickelbabe: ch is pronounced as in "cheese" exactly the same ad in every word.

The ones that really annoy me are Ibiza and Tenerife. If anyone goes there on holiday they must hear the locals saying it so why not say it properly?? Ee-bi-za and TenerifE pronouncing the last E

But then again, I have heard spanish people pronouncing god knows what for foreign names so...

No, it's more like Shoo-marr-er.
Maybe I'm the one who's wrong though. I always thought it was Shuh-mach-er

Is Fan Hoch a dutch ladygarden?

It's not food related like most of this (very funny) thread, but WHY OH WHY OH WHY so people pronounce it 'eksetera'?

It started etc so logic dictates that's how it should be pronounced, surely??

GAH.

ahem, now has anyone mentioned Ikea?
I believe it should be pronounced Icky-a
(well that's what my FIL's finnish neighbour says anyway )
so now you know

but as an aside, who knew mispronouncing forrin words would arouse so much passion on MN?

actually i don't think i could bring myself to ask for two cappucini in this country, I just couldn't

though I can say choreetho and rio-ha without feeling like a tit...I'll put that down to being half-spanish...

Its a bit different with cappucini/o as the people in coffee places put capuccino and panini on their menus. I had no idea about those "o" and "i" for plurar and singular for example. I always ask for two cappucinos at the coffee place we always go and the owner never has corrected me! He is italian and we are friends

but expresso is just wrong. It's more than a mispronunciation. It's misreading. Its ES not EX. I can understand people's confusion with rioja and chorizo as they are pronouncing what they think is phonetic - but expresso is just plain wrong.

I'm not annoyed by proper pronounciations, I just think it's hard to carry off without looking smug. That may be because where I live we're all common as muck and proper pronounciations are rarely heard.

LOL gagamama at fadge-eaters for fajitas!

Star Expat, I agree with that. Misreading is bad, it happens ALL the time with my and DD's name.

And agree too with Rioja and chorizo, but Ibiza and Tenerife... people must hear it tens of times when they are there, they just don'y care!

lolol

Twats on Radio 1 or whatev who say Christina Ag-wil-er-a instead of A-gee-le-ra get on my tits.

Actually Christina Aguilera gets on my tits as well, the screeching banshee, but I wish they would pronounce her name right.

Ditto a hard g in tagliatelle.

Polly - the Porsche issue is annoying me at the moment. We are getting a puppy soon whom I initially wanted to call Portia but, of course, people will think I am calling her "Porsche" as in the car .

Does anyone listen to Absolute Radio? I'm so sick of hearing about all the gree-vee-ous bodily harm going on that I've emailed the newsreaders.

[Jumps down from high horse]

When I arrived here 14 years ago, I pronounced Slough, "Sloff" to the mirth of my colleagues. Shortly after, Reading was, well, what you do with books [cringe]

how is slough pronounced. I've never even tried. Because I quickly learned that I need to hear a place name in the UK before pronouncing it (i.e. never say "ham" in any place ending in ham ).
I do know about Reading as there was a Reading where I am from and it was pronounced the same way.

Slough is pronounced slow - not the opposite of fast, but what you say when you bang your elbow really hard on a sharp corner. Sorry, that's the best I can muster today :O)

Can anyone find me a link to a list of those names like........St-John (Sinjun), Mainwaring (Mannering), and Cockburn (Coburn). I want to see if my teenage sons know how to pronounce any of them. I've been trying but can't find one.

ooh ooh ooh. My parents live near Trottiscliffe.

Anyone want to guess at how to pronounce?

Oooh, I know, I know! Me me me!!
(Only 'cos I've been told, but I didn't believe her!)