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  7 0 A few years ago, my mom took a trip to Barcelona. After she got back she was telling people about her trip to "Barthelona" until someone asked her if she spoke Catalonian. Properly chagrined, she and I came up with a simple rule: if you speak the language fluently, you may pronounce words from that language with the native accent. Otherwise you're just the asshole telling everyone in coach about your last trip to "Pairee". Emily Steed answered in Jobs & Education about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 0 If you're speaking in Spanish and mention Puerto Rico, then it would be appropriate to pronounce it with a Spanish accent--doing otherwise is another kind of affectation. But if speaking in English, only adopt a Spsnish accent you don't have when speaking of Puerto Rico if you also propose to speak of Deutschland, Espana, and Fraunts. I recommend you also go on a campaign in other countries to not use the local name for our country (e.g., les Etas Unis). If someone gets on your case for using your own accent when speaking in your native tongue, you have my permission to roll your eyes at them. CleverScreenName answered in Jobs & Education about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  4 0 I think it is incredibly annoying when people use an accent that they do not naturally have (especially while ordering mexican food). But, I am also a white middle class amreican ashley.leigh answered in Jobs & Education about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 Pronouncing a foreign word perfectly with a flourish often comes off as pretentious, so I prefer to walk the line between correct pronunciation and the English-speaking American pronunciation. Ergo, I'm not going to roll my "r" when pronouncing "tortilla," but I'm also not going to pronounce "ll" as an "l," which I've heard some Americans do before. Tohr-tih-lah. *shudder* keshmeshi answered in Jobs & Education about 1 year ago | Report 3 comments by keshmeshi, Jon Morgan, and Gloria… 0 0 I also have massive pet peeves regarding Eye-rack and Ay-rab. But I think that has more to do with the inevitable hateful splurge that comes from the people who pronounce those words that way. keshmeshi commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 How do you say gyro? Jon Morgan commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 That's actually a pretty interesting question. How far do we go in pronouncing foreign words the "English" (e.g. incorrect) way? Tor-TEE-yah is acceptable, yet tor-TILL-ah is not. Close approximations are good, but not TOO close. Re: gyro, I say "hero." Gloria commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 There's a fine line to walk here between sounding horrendously pretentious (and potentially totally mispronouncing the words), or just...basically Americanizing (mispronouncing) the words. It drives me nuts when a non-Spanish speaker goes on about Hoo-ah-te-ma-la or May-hee-ko (do they pray to Haysoos?), but really egregious Americanizations are just as cringe-inducing. It's a balancing act. I asked an island native, when I was on Kauai, how he felt about people pronouncing Kauai as Kaua'i or Hawaii as Hawai'i (with the added syllable), and he said most people thought it was silly and pretentious. I don't pronounce Barcelona as Barthelona unless I'm in Spanish class. But I don't ask for "one of them there chimmy-changlies thingies" in a Mexican restaurant, either (yes, I was sitting next to a woman who did just that). Geni answered in Jobs & Education about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by "Cagey"… 0 0 Reminds me of a joke. A couple are on a flight to our 50th state, arguing whether to pronouce it Hawaii or HawVee... They decide to ask the airline hostess, who immediately says the proper way to say it is "Ha-VI-ee". "Thank you" says the man, "You see honey, I was right" he boasts to his wife. "Thank you maam." "Why, you're VEL-come" replied the sweedish stewardess... "Cagey" commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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