Do you "correct" locals' pronunciations of their own cities?

[unicorn]

My hubbie, along with some friends and myself, attended a Kylie Minogue concert in downtown Los Angeles last night. Opening for her prior to Kylie's performance was British singer Rita Ora. Rita began with greeting "Good evening, Los Angeles," which she pronounced "Los AngeLEEZE." I must admit that it pissed me off a bit. How would she like it if someone came to perform in Gloucester, England and said "Good evening, Glau-sister"? And it's not as if Los Angeles is a smaller town, either. I wouldn't go to Australia and ask to buy a plane ticket to "Brize-BANE." Nor would I go to Thailand and try to buy a ticket to "Fuck-it". Even when I take code-share British Airways flights into LA, the British crew manage to pronounce the name of the city correctly when we land, as they welcome us to the city. It also pisses me off when I hear people who should know better pronounce New Orleans as "New or-LEANS" instead of "New OR-lins." Personally, when I travel, I always try to learn how to correctly pronounce the cities I'm visiting, and I'm not speaking to the 20,000 people she was addressing at the Crypto Arena. 

I find such behavior disrespectful. Do you? For the record, Kylie pronounced the city correctly. And it's not as if LA or NO were formerly British cities, either, so there would be no reason to suspect they were supposed to be pronounced in a British manner. 

[floridarob]

Nah, I'm from Boston originally and no one can understand what a Bostonian is saying.....I've lost the accent but @reader on the other hand 🤷‍♂️😝

[vinapu]

where's that beautiful cathedral ? Gloucester UK or Gloucester Idaho ?

[PeterRS]

I was once accompanying a friend on a smallish cruise ship around the Caribbean and then up the Amazon to Manaus. For dinner we were always seated with 4 others, one of whom was an 81-year old who gave lectures every couple of days on the Royal Family. I was pretty sure she made most of it up. Then when she learned i was based in Bangkok, she waxed lyrical about a visit she had made to Phuket - and then I knew she had made much of her talk up. She pronounced the island Foo-kay and talked about having been a guest of the Sultan at his Palace! 

Frankly I just laugh off such wrong pronounciations. But then talking of America, I freeze every time I hear the US National Anthem mangled by some pop or other singer. It's the 'national' anthem for goodness sake. But if that's what Americans want . . . 

Incidentally, if anyone visits Manaus, do try and take in a short visit to the Opera House. It was built by the rubber barons at the end of the 19th century and was refurbished to its former glory not so long ago. Opera companies used to make the sea voyage for seasons in Buenos Aires. The intention was that the companies would then move north for seasons in Manaus. That rarely happened but some great singers did sing there including the great tenor Enrico Caruso. The relatively recent film "Pavarotti" opens with shots of the tenor visiting the theatre in 1997. 

[bkkmfj2648]

When I lived in Italy for 12 years, I found the pronunciation of foreign (non Italian) cities interesting - especially when it might involve booking an airline ticket.

For example:

Monaco - as in the country,

Monaco - as in the city in Germany known as Munich.

so, you want to be quite sure which one is your true destination.

 

[a-447]

When people tell me they've been to Japan and visited Kyoto (which they pronounce as 'kye - yoe-toe) and Tokyo (mins pronounced as 'toe-kee-yoe'), I just let it pass. Afterall, Japanese is not their language.

A numbet of years ago I found myself sitting next to a Japanese professor of English on the train. Seeing I was a foreigner he immediately started speaking to me in English, because as every Japanese person knows, all foreigners speak English!

We started talking about places I'd been to in Japan, when he suddenly switched to speaking to me in Japanese. 

I asked him his he knew I spoke Japanese and he said it was because I was the only foreigner he had ever heard pronouncing the place names correctly!

BTW, radio and T.V. announcers from the eastern states in Australia sometimes mispronounce place names here in Western Australia. I find it amusing but it doesn't bother me.

[unicorn]

1 hour ago, a-447 said:

...announcers from the eastern states in Australia sometimes mispronounce place names here in Western Australia...

I learned something new. I didn't know there were any cities other than Perth in Western Australia. 😄But, seriously, it's one thing to mispronounce a small town name from 2000 km away. It's quite another to be performing in person for a crowd of 20,000 in a city of over 3 million, and getting the name wrong. A performer should know her crowd. 

[Keithambrose]

3 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

When I lived in Italy for 12 years, I found the pronunciation of foreign (non Italian) cities interesting - especially when it might involve booking an airline ticket.

For example:

Monaco - as in the country,

Monaco - as in the city in Germany known as Munich.

so, you want to be quite sure which one is your true destination.

 

Yes, that's an easy one to be caught out by. I had to be careful when I was in Rome. 

[Keithambrose]

1 hour ago, a-447 said:

When people tell me they've been to Japan and visited Kyoto (which they pronounce as 'kye - yoe-toe) and Tokyo (mins pronounced as 'toe-kee-yoe'), I just let it pass. Afterall, Japanese is not their language.

A numbet of years ago I found myself sitting next to a Japanese professor of English on the train. Seeing I was a foreigner he immediately started speaking to me in English, because as every Japanese person knows, all foreigners speak English!

We started talking about places I'd been to in Japan, when he suddenly switched to speaking to me in Japanese. 

I asked him his he knew I spoke Japanese and he said it was because I was the only foreigner he had ever heard pronouncing the place names correctly!

BTW, radio and T.V. announcers from the eastern states in Australia sometimes mispronounce place names here in Western Australia. I find it amusing but it doesn't bother me.

I have always tried to get personal names right, as well as place names. My business,  international maritime law, involved many nationalities. When I was a trainee we lost a client,  as my boss consistently got his name wrong, and the name of his company! I still remember, Pollitti not Polloto, Efemar not Ermefer! Also, in Germany I was taken to a meeting by my client,  a senior German lawyer. She said that the meeting would be in German,  but that was OK, as I spoke German. I had to point out that I didn't speak German,  I just made sure I pronounced  the names, etc, correctly! The meeting went ahead, and I understood hardly anything! However, I kept the client!

[a-447]

2 hours ago, unicorn said:

I learned something new. I didn't know there were any cities other than Perth in Western Australia. 😄

!!!

[floridarob]

8 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

and I understood hardly anything!

Yes, we've met 😉

[Riobard]

The pronouncement now should optionally be hubbie and wife or hubbie and hubbie. 

[unicorn]

7 hours ago, a-447 said:

!!!

Well, according to Wikipedia, I'm not that far off, since 4/5 of the state's population lives there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australia#Demographics

"Western Australia's capital and largest city, Perth. Its metropolitan area is home to more than 80% of the state's population."

"...Perth's metropolitan area (including Mandurah) had an estimated population of 2,043,138[7] in June 2017 (79% of the state). Other significant population centres include Bunbury (73,989),[45] Geraldton (37,961),[45] Kalgoorlie-Boulder (30,420),[45] Albany (33,998),[45] Karratha (16,446),[45] Broome (14,501)[45] and Port Hedland (14,285)...".

Would I be guessing correctly that the frequently-mispronounced city is Mandurah? If I hadn't looked it up, I wouldn't have guessed that the "d" is pronounced like the letter "j" in this instance: MAN-jər-ə. Just looking at it, I might have tried Man-DUR-uh. 

Irish and Welsh names are often super-tough. I don't think anyone would guess that Dún Laoghaire is pronounced dun LEER-ee. Even without looking it up, though, I would hope that knowing Los Angeles used to be under Spanish and then Mexican rule would be a hint as to how to pronounce the city. Similarly, knowing that New Orleans was named when it was administered by the Kingdom of France (as La Nouvelle-Orléans) should also be a hint. No need to guess, though. Just as any talk show host should learn how to pronounce his guests' names, performers should learn how to pronounce the name of the city they're performing for. 

[vinapu]

11 hours ago, unicorn said:

 A performer should know her crowd. 

perhaps she knew and also knew they don't care 

[vinapu]

11 hours ago, unicorn said:

I learned something new. I didn't know there were any cities other than Perth in Western Australia.

brave to say it loudly

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Yes, that's an easy one to be caught out by. I had to be careful when I was in Rome. 

I got caught by it last year in Munich itself while on my way to Thailnd having  day long stopover . Perusing souvenir stand I saw the book with Italian tittle which I translated as " Illustrated guide to Monaco  " , picked a book to check it and then realised it's about city I'm actually in 

[PeterRS]

8 hours ago, unicorn said:

Irish and Welsh names are often super-tough

I think anyone barring a Welshman would have difficulty with the longest village name in the world - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!

Bear in mind that Scotland also has its own language and as you travel around you see many towns and cities with names in English and Gaelic. The capital city of Edinburgh is also known as Dùn Èideann. It's of little interest but New Zealand's similarly pronounced Dunedin was so named as its early settlers were mostly Scottish and felt it was the capital of the south!

In general though, I often find knowing a litte of a language - especially if your pronounciation is good - can lead to problems. My knowledge of Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Thai is very poor but I have quite a good ear and my pronounciation is generally similarly good. But this can lead to others in those countries who then think I can actually speak the language!

[Lucky]

I think you should just enjoy the concert.

[a-447]

8 hours ago, unicorn said:

Would I be guessing correctly that the frequently-mispronounced city is Mandurah? If I hadn't looked it up, I wouldn't have guessed that the "d" is pronounced like the letter "j" in this instance: MAN-jər-ə. Just looking at it, I might have tried Man-DUR-uh. 

Yes, you're spot on. It's often mispronouced.

 I've got a house in Mandurah so I definitely know how to pronounce it!

It's MAN -ju -ra.

It's great for a summer escape, but dead in winter.

[floridarob]

On 5/3/2025 at 6:02 PM, floridarob said:

Nah, I'm from Boston originally and no one can understand what a Bostonian is saying.....I've lost the accent but @reader on the other hand 🤷‍♂️😝

Here's an example....

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15geagymuM/

 

[unicorn]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

...In general though, I often find knowing a litte of a language - especially if your pronounciation is good - can lead to problems..

There are quite a few languages which I know poorly, but I still like to think my pronunciation is good. It takes time to learn vocabulary and grammar, but for me proper pronunciation is simply a matter of making the effort. I often get compliments specifically about my pronunciation even in countries whose language I can only say a few survival sentences. 

[Keithambrose]

15 hours ago, floridarob said:

Yes, we've met 😉

Well, you spoke heavily accented German, so not surprising!

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, unicorn said:

There are quite a few languages which I know poorly, but I still like to think my pronunciation is good. It takes time to learn vocabulary and grammar, but for me proper pronunciation is simply a matter of making the effort. I often get compliments specifically about my pronunciation even in countries whose language I can only say a few survival sentences. 

Making the effort is indeed the way forward! Its not difficult.  I dealt with a senior Japanese lawyer, called Hiratsuka. Pronounced Hiratska. Takes 20 seconds  to learn, but I saw saw many of my English colleagues  make no effort, and  pronounce his name as Hirat suka. Personally, I think it rude to make no effort.

[a-447]

Japanese is fairly easy to pronounce.

Most foreigners just put the stress on the wrong syllable, such as hiroSHIma, shinJUku or oSAka.

Still perfectly understandable, though.

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, a-447 said:

Japanese is fairly easy to pronounce.

Most foreigners just put the stress on the wrong syllable, such as hiroSHIma, shinJUku or oSAka.

 

so where proper stress belongs? just curious

arigaTO gozaiMAS