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

[unicorn]

11 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.

Still perfectly understandable, though.

When learning foreign languages, I often find that not enough emphasis is given to pronunciation, which is critical to understanding. During my last trip to Japan, I was on a guided tour of the Kochi area. I tried to ask our guide three times (using different words) in English for how long there'd been a bridge to Honshu. Although I'm sure her knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary was at least 100 times better than my knowledge of Japanese grammar and vocabulary, I finally just ended up asking her in Japanese and got the answer right away. I suspect that if I'd written down the question in English, she could have given me the answer. I enjoy learning foreign languages with the Pimsleur method, which puts 80% attention to pronunciation, 15% to grammar, and 5% to vocabulary (maybe I exaggerate a bit here). So even if I can't say much, when I do say something, people understand what I'm saying. 

Another time, I was visiting Ghent, Belgium, and learned some Dutch before the trip. I was trying to find the right tram to take me to the train station, so I asked a woman who was waiting for the tram "Pardon mevrouw, is dit wel de juiste tram voor het treinstation?". She said it was, then asked "Kommt U uit Nederland?" (Are you Dutch?), which I took as a sincere compliment! 😄

[a-447]

11 hours ago, vinapu said:

so where proper stress belongs? just curious

arigaTO gozaiMAS

It depends on where you live in Japan, as each region has its own dialect, which can affect the position of the stressed syllable.

As a general rule, just avoid adding any stress and pronounce the word flat, I.E. equal stress on each syllable.

Common words are pronounced with the same stress. If you get it wrong, you'll be understood from the context. E.G.:

SAke means rice wine, but saKE means salmon.

aME (a-may) means candy, but Ame means rain.

SHIro means white, but shiRO means castle.

HAshi means chopsticks, but haSHI means bridge or edge.

So if you are sitting on the edge of a bridge and eating with chopsticks, you'd say :

haSHI no haSHI de HAshi de tabete iru

 

 

[vinapu]

28 minutes ago, a-447 said:

It depends on where you live in Japan, as each region has its own dialect, which can affect the position of the stressed syllable.

As a general rule, just avoid adding any stress and pronounce the word flat, I.E. equal stress on each syllable.

Common words are pronounced with the same stress. If you get it wrong, you'll be understood from the context. E.G.:

SAke means rice wine, but saKE means salmon.

aME (a-may) means candy, but Ame means rain.

SHIro means white, but shiRO means castle.

HAshi means chopsticks, but haSHI means bridge or edge.

So if you are sitting on the edge of a bridge and eating with chopsticks, you'd say :

haSHI no haSHI de HAshi de tabete iru

 

 

arigato gozaimas for explanation

[a-447]

11 minutes ago, vinapu said:

arigato gozaimas for explanation

That's more like it! 😂

[Mavica]

Quote

I find such behavior disrespectful. Do you?

LOL!  No, I don't. 

[thaiophilus]

On 5/4/2025 at 5:06 AM, 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.

 

Another classic tale, probably apocryphal, is that the set for a Wagner opera was misrouted to Lebanon instead of Germany, because someone confused Bayreuth with Beirut...

 

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, thaiophilus said:

Another classic tale, probably apocryphal, is that the set for a Wagner opera was misrouted to Lebanon instead of Germany, because someone confused Bayreuth with Beirut...

 

is Beirut in Lebanon ? I thought is in Minnesota or upstate New York

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, thaiophilus said:

Another classic tale, probably apocryphal, is that the set for a Wagner opera was misrouted to Lebanon instead of Germany, because someone confused Bayreuth with Beirut...

Nice story but pretty certain it's apocryphal. The opera at Bayreuth builds its own scenery in Bavaria!

There is also the true story of London Bridge which was discovered to be sinking with one side sinking more than the other. Someone on the Council had the idea of trying to sell it. An American entrepreneur from Missouri decided to buy it, paying US$2,460,000 for it in 1968. It was reconstructed in Havasu Lake City. Arizona in 1971. Rumour at the time assumed the entrepreneur thought he was buying the more famous Tower Bridge and not any old common or garden bridge! 

3 minutes ago, vinapu said:

is Beirut in Lebanon ? I thought is in Minnesota or upstate New York

That's a small number! The Scottish city of Aberdeen has 29 city namesakes around the world including 18 in the USA, one in South Africa, one in Hong Kong and 2 in Jamaica. Confusing!

[vinapu]

2 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

 

That's a small number! The Scottish city of Aberdeen has 29 city namesakes around the world including 18 in the USA, one in South Africa, one in Hong Kong and 2 in Jamaica. Confusing!

it's whatpostal codes are for, to clear that confusion

[PeterRS]

5 minutes ago, vinapu said:

it's whatpostal codes are for, to clear that confusion

But Hong Kong has no postal codes!

[unicorn]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

... An American entrepreneur from Missouri decided to buy it, paying US$2,460,000 for it in 1968. It was reconstructed in Havasu Lake City. Arizona in 1971. Rumour at the time assumed the entrepreneur thought he was buying the more famous Tower Bridge and not any old common or garden bridge! ...

I doubt someone plunked down that kind of money (which was a tidy sum in 1968) without knowing what he was buying and for what reason. According to Wikipedia, the bridge is Arizona's 2nd biggest tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon. I'd have to assume, a distant second. 

[vinapu]

12 hours ago, PeterRS said:

But Hong Kong has no postal codes!

I know, they use something like " third house behind yellow supermarket across Shell gas station' instead. Just sent registered letter to Cox Bazaar , Bangladesh  and address was something to this tune.

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, unicorn said:

I doubt someone plunked down that kind of money (which was a tidy sum in 1968) without knowing what he was buying and for what reason. According to Wikipedia, the bridge is Arizona's 2nd biggest tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon. I'd have to assume, a distant second. 

I like all those skyscrapers above, real metropolitan feel

[Pete1111]

Where I come from "Aunt" is pronounce like the insect.  Where I live now I have been corrected.  Where I live now, many say "ont".   

I have also been corrected how to pronounce local cities, for not being accustomed enough how locals do.  For example, cities with French or Spanish origin are often mispronounced by locals.  I have to remember.  🙂

I would never bother to correct someone unless they seemed like the wanted help with pronunciation.

 

 

[unicorn]

2 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

Where I come from "Aunt" is pronounce like the insect.  Where I live now I have been corrected.  Where I live now, many say "ont".   

I have also been corrected how to pronounce local cities, for not being accustomed enough how locals do.  For example, cities with French or Spanish origin are often mispronounced by locals.  I have to remember.  🙂

I would never bother to correct someone unless they seemed like the wanted help with pronunciation.

 

Well, at least pronouncing aunt like the insect is acceptable in any dictionary, although certainly not preferred in some places. When I'm abroad (in non-English speaking countries), especially with friends/family, I specifically ask to be corrected if I mispronounce. Without learning, one will never get it right. I read that in Japan, it's considered very rude to correct someone. In the end, I suppose this leads to no one learning how to pronounce words properly. 

[vinapu]

12 minutes ago, unicorn said:

 I suppose this leads to no one learning how to pronounce words properly. 

If there is such thing at all

[bkkmfj2648]

3 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

I have also been corrected how to pronounce local cities, for not being accustomed enough how locals do

This is an interesting phenomena I have never understood.

Why do many cities around the world have several names. Why can't we be forced to call cities by their native names?

Rome = Roma

Milan = Milano

Florence = Firenze

etc.

[PeterRS]

On my first visit to Florence I was in the queue for the Accademia to see Michelangelo's statue of David. Behind me was a group of Australians who I expect had arrived in the city the previous evening. One said to the other -

"I thought we are supposed to be in Florence today. It's bloody Fie-renzee. Why are we queuing in the wrong city?" 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

 

Why do many cities around the world have several names. Why can't we be forced to call cities by their native names?

 

because we don't want to.

many names  are firmly entrenched in history and culture and such force probably wouldn't pork. Do you really want be forced to call Germany Deutschland ? or Hungary Magyarorszag? Tell Slovaks to switch to Venezia from Benatky or Hungarians to start calling Pozsony Bratislava and you looking at dark blue around your eyes 

[kokopelli3]

Why do the Brits pronounce Pattaya much differently than the Thais and the Americans and whoever else?

[Keithambrose]

9 hours ago, vinapu said:

because we don't want to.

many names  are firmly entrenched in history and culture and such force probably wouldn't pork. Do you really want be forced to call Germany Deutschland ? or Hungary Magyarorszag? Tell Slovaks to switch to Venezia from Benatky or Hungarians to start calling Pozsony Bratislava and you looking at dark blue around your eyes 

Indeed, and some Polish names are no easy matter! Wroclaw. Rzeszow, etc. Also I've always found Brits who call Budapest,  BudaPEST, somewhat  pretentious,  they don't  say Roma, or Milano.

[PeterRS]

33 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

Indeed, and some Polish names are no easy matter! Wroclaw. Rzeszow, etc. Also I've always found Brits who call Budapest,  BudaPEST, somewhat  pretentious,  they don't  say Roma, or Milano.

And try Lodz the movie capital of of Poland! That is pronounced Woodge!

[vinapu]

1 minute ago, PeterRS said:

And try Lodz the movie capital of of Poland! That is pronounced Woodge!

 

funny thing about that name is that " lodz"  in Polish means boat and there's no river in that city, it's like having city called 'Snow' in Thailand or Cambodia .

 

[Keithambrose]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

And try Lodz the movie capital of of Poland! That is pronounced Woodge!

 

I know, I have a relative who lived there! Strangely,  arguing against myself, as a result, I have always pronounced it as Woodge.

[captainmick]

20 hours ago, vinapu said:

funny thing about that name is that " lodz"  in Polish means boat and there's no river in that city, it's like having city called 'Snow' in Thailand or Cambodia .

 

Actually there are 18 rivers traversing Lodz totalling 123.9 km and it was very much a city on the water until it developed and the rivers were buried underground.  Gradually some of the rivers are being uncovered.  This link provides more info 

https://www.inyourpocket.com/lodz/Rivers-of-Lodz_70954f#google_v