Sur le Pong......

Well how do you pronounce Dvorak?

I'm not sure there is a correct way to pronounce foreign words - would you say 'Paree' or 'Mosc-vah'?

Ah- perhaps she learnt her French in Marseilles or Toulouse - where they put 'g' at the end of most words.

Channel 4 newsreader a while back informed us that strikes were heading for Amiens A-means.

There’s a Sky newsreader who couldn’t pronounce President Hollande’s surname. She always, always sounded the H. I couldn’t understand why she was never taught the correct pronunciation.

Riverwalk

Well how do you pronounce Dvorak?

I'm not sure there is a correct way to pronounce foreign words - would you say 'Paree' or 'Mosc-vah'?

Well, this is name, not a place such as Par-ee etc.
We would say "Vourjzac" certainly without the D
But perhaps any Czech speakers might confirm?

I'm not sure there is a correct way to pronounce foreign words

Isn't the correct way to pronounce foreign words the way that the foreigner whose words they are pronounce them?

Seems you're wrong!

The D is there in this entertaining piece...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fRu6zAIbAo

CountessFosco

If Elizabeth Alker on Saturday mornings mispronounces yet another foreign word or name, we shall throw the radio out the window. Not content with Duh-voor-jack, this morning's effort elicited Sur le Pong d'Avignong.

Oh what a shame,news reader pronouncing an unusual name. 1st world problems, and waste of a good radio.

Should read mis pronouncing, oh dear.

I’ve always heard it pronounced Dvorzhak - the ‘d’ pronounced and the ‘zh’ like the ‘s’ in leisure. That’s how I say it, too.
I’m not sure why you’d not pronounce the ‘d’.

I did once study the Czech language for a year, but aeons ago and I’ve forgotten just about all of it, except the word for butcher, which begins with an ‘r’ pronounced like the R in Dvorak.

My understanding of the pronunciation too Witzend, but I have no special knowledge. ‘Duh’ just doesn’t sound right to me and it’s not what I would say.

MaizieD

^I'm not sure there is a correct way to pronounce foreign words ^

Isn't the correct way to pronounce foreign words the way that the foreigner whose words they are pronounce them?

Well, in this country or if I was reading the news in the UK I'd pronounce Paris Parriss.
If in France, I'd pronounce it Paree.

We've all learnt how to pronounce Kyiv now!
Haven't we?

Not like the chicken dish.

Patronising or what OP?
FP makes a good (native speaker) point 👏👏

CountessFosco

Riverwalk

Well how do you pronounce Dvorak?

I'm not sure there is a correct way to pronounce foreign words - would you say 'Paree' or 'Mosc-vah'?

Well, this is name, not a place such as Par-ee etc.
We would say "Vourjzac" certainly without the D
But perhaps any Czech speakers might confirm?

I also did a year of Czech - and I would always have pronounced the D running it into the V so Dv so a bit like “div”not Duh Vuh
However I admit tho driving a Skoda NOT a Shkoda

So hard to come up with a phonetic version - on reflection maybe D’vorzhak

It's when English words are pronounced incorrectly that I get cross.
Research is a case in point! 😬

Freya5

CountessFosco

If Elizabeth Alker on Saturday mornings mispronounces yet another foreign word or name, we shall throw the radio out the window. Not content with Duh-voor-jack, this morning's effort elicited Sur le Pong d'Avignong.

Oh what a shame,news reader pronouncing an unusual name. 1st world problems, and waste of a good radio.

This is Pedants' Corner. The whole purpose of it is to complain about such things which doesn't, of course, prevent anyone from being aware, or caring about, serious problems outside the first-world. Or even within it.

Germanshepherdsmum

There’s a Sky newsreader who couldn’t pronounce President Hollande’s surname. She always, always sounded the H. I couldn’t understand why she was never taught the correct pronunciation.

You've just made the same point my OH was agitating about this morning!

We frequently listen to Classic FM and he's puzzled why those chosen to continually announce the names of foreign composers don't appear to have been taught the correct pronunciation. His 'pet' peeve is the same as the OP's, but also "Mowsart" ().

Many geographical names are pronounced differently by locals and non locals- in France as well as UK.

Like ChamoniX or Chamoni, or Stifkey or Stukey, etc, etc.

Joanna Lumley advertises the Norwegian mini-cruise, 'Hurtigruten'. Pronounced as one word.

Hurtig means "quick" and ruten means "the route".

However, JL splits it in two - "hurti-gruten" with the accent on the wrong letter (g). Which makes my Scandinavian OH fizzle with indignation.

However, I doubt most people even listen to the advert - but he thinks that's irrelevant.

Most people don’t even try with Welsh words.

Fleurpepper

Many geographical names are pronounced differently by locals and non locals- in France as well as UK.

Like ChamoniX or Chamoni, or Stifkey or Stukey, etc, etc.

Good point.

Our satnav woman cannot pronounce our town's name!
I always shout at her.

MrsKen33

Most people don’t even try with Welsh words.

😂😂😂

Now, what are the Brecon Beacons now?

Elizabeth Alker

I shall ask quietly - who is she?
And is her surname pronounced Al ker or All ker?
Or even Al Keer with the emphasis on the Keer?