Keskustelujen arkisto

Okay then, Freddy's family name is Larsen (which is one of the Scandinavian names English speakers CAN pronounce).

Quote from user: Robb_KDDDU-There are several Dutch sounds that just cannot be approximated by using English sounds. Even The Germans can't pronounce the Dutch "G" (soft gutteral) despite their having a soft gutteral "ch" that is close. They couldn't pronounce the Dutch "sch". That was used to determine the Gestapo spies during WWII. Gulien is pretty much not pronounceable by an Anglophone, or most other European language speakers. I think only The Germans (working hard), Arabs, Hebrew speakers and a few other languages with that particular gutteral sound could comfortably produce it.
Are there English sounds impossible to produce by Dutch? The TH in think is already quite hard.
Quote from user: Robb_KNo, the Dutch "R" in Nadorp can't be produced by English sounds. The Spanish (and a little less so Italian) "trilled r" is closer than most European Rs. The Germans can get close (but no cigar or Segar for that matter).
So, how about the long E than? The R can be found in Ludwig von Drake's spectrum song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dczpjt5HLo
Quote from user: Robb_KUb Iwerks couldn't be pronounced by English speakers.
But how DO you pronounce it in English?
Quote from user: Robb_KWould Jack Bradbury be pronounced the British way "Bradbuhree", or the American way "Bradberry"?
I use a mixture: Brad-burry, American speaking.
Quote from user: Robb_KJan Gulbransson would be pronounced "Yan" "Gooolbrahnssssohnn" using English sound/letter arrangement. Jan has a friend from New York, who has known him for about 40 years, who continues to pronounce Jan's first name with the hard American "J" (no matter how many times we correct him). They corresponded through the post for ten years before they met in person.
I'll have to admit: it even hard for Dutch to do. Up till this date I always pronounced the Gool as Gul (generous) in Dutch.
Quote from user: Robb_KPeople in USA hearing my name Klein, but not seeing it in print, invariably spell it "Cline" or "Kline". When they see it spelled correctly, they call me "Mr. CLEAN"!!!
:) This made my day, Mr. Clean. But again, the Dutch EI or IJ or even Y is impronouncable in English. But I think Kline (or Cline) is the right pronounciation. They used it in Back to the Future at least.
Quote from user: Robb_KGood thing for non Danes that there aren't a lot of Danish creators. Many of their sounds are almost IMPOSSIBLE for foreigners to make. They have 23 different vowels!
Right now I'm thinking of Arid Milthun and Don Rosa's Kalevala story. Wasn't there a Vannionimen or something like that in the story? Italians are easier to pronounce, but outright impossible to write. And how do you pronounce the Brazilian Ze in Ze Carioca? How do you pronounce Carioca on its own, I should say.
Quote from user: CoolwaterFor the "ue" of Carl Buettner there are probably also about half a dozen pronunciation variants circulating among Americans. I stick with the 'near-close near-front rounded vowel' here, even if probably exactly that one is not in the supply basket of Anglophones.
I always pronounce every single letter in his name, so that it may be clear who I am talking about: Carl Boo-wet-nerr.

"I pronounce Kari Korhonen "Kahree" and of his surname, I pronounce each letter..." - You must speak it very slowly!
Yes Klein the Dutch name also means "little" in Dutch. Maybe I had a short ancestor?
I've heard Americans pronounce Iwerks as : "I-works" (in English spelling with "long I". That is unspellable in Dutch letters and also difficult to pronounce similarly.
I would guess that the best approximation with Dutch lettering would be: "Ei-oewirkss". "Ij-oewirkss" would have the long I last (held) too long.

I always used to pronounce the name as "eye works"; I always believed it to be some sort of Anglo name. I just learned now that Ub Iwerks was born with the name Ubbe Ert Iwwerks and that still his father was born in East Frisia, from where he emigrated to America.
That is interesting. I wouldn't have thought it to be a German, or more precisely, a Frisian name. The Iwwerkses of this world still have there headquarters in the region of East Frisia, though (see here).
The name still sounds a bit strange, at least to me, sitting a bit far off from that area. My lexicon of the origin of German family names lists Iven(s), Iwen(s), Iben(s), Ibe, Iversen, Ivers, Iwersen, Iwers, Ibbeken, Ibbers and so on as typical Frisian names, derived from the given names Iv(e), Iver, Ivar, traditionally spreaded in East Frisia and northern Germany. Without doubt does "Iwwerks" belong to that group.

Disney's Eyeworks. :) Great name.