Pronunciation of World Products

halvor, after re-reading the thread I tend to agree, however it was this statement that I most took issue with.

I apologize in failing to recognize today's shaving tribes embrace of studied mediocrity , xenophobia and parochial comfort zones and will refrain from posting beyond lists  of top five blades, why MWF is overrated, rumours of product discontinuance and  shave of the day.

Insinuating that just because somebody doesn't feel that pronouncing foreign words is as critical an issue as the OP does makes them a xenophobe, is quite ridiculous.

"Never condemn a man for mispronouncing a word. It means he learned it by reading..."

That's something I read in a book years ago. Can't remember the book nor the author, this no attribution. As I recall it was a lesson being handed down from old to young. I thought it a valuable and profound statement, and chose to use it here.

I didn't find the original post to be overtly arrogant, but it did come across to me as having an air of superior authority. I chose to to disclose my opinion of the concept of correcting non-native speech errors.

It wasn't until one of my posts elicited the response of "mediocrity" and "xenophobia" that it became attacking.

I never directly antagonized anyone in this thread, I merely stated an opposing position...a different perspective.

Unfortunately, KAV was not happy with my opposition to his instruction and decided it was due to a lack of aspiration on my part, and I must be a xenophobic for not caring about an accent as much as a concept. He had a minor tantrum that I found unnecessary.

In the end, this is a place designed to enhance the free exchange of ideas. Not everyone is going to agree on everything. A minor difference of opinion should not cause a tantrum and martyrdom. Referring to people as mediocre and xenophobic because they have little interest in whether the "n" in Plisson is silent or not is kind of silly and childish...


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I've seen some reasonable points on both sides, but I do have a question:

Is Merkur pronounced MUR-kur or mur-CORE? Or neither? I've heard those two on YouTube.


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Is Merkur pronounced MUR-kur or mur-CORE? Or neither? I've heard those two on YouTube.

As someone who speaks a North Germanic language (but not German itself), I would pronounce it something like: mare-COOR. Most English speakers seem to really butcher this one, but it’s understandable if you’ve never heard a native say it. (Difficult to guess from the spelling.)

Fantastic! Thank you so much, Matsilainen


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Growing up in Iowa with the name Paolo Francesco Licciardi, not speaking a word of Italian, currently living in the very deep south (where everything is pronounced funny) and now naming all of my own products precisely in the Italian I don't speak, I have to concur with hawns.  Say it however you see fit, as I'm sure to be butchering plenty myself.

Have you ever read a novel where many of the characters have foreign names that seem unpronounceable?  In my head, I just pronounce them as best I can and as long as I am consistent in that pronunciation then all is good for the flow of the story.  Should someone give me the correct pronunciation then it's easy enough to change how I read it.  

Having said that, I can appreciate KAV's point.  I go to Edinburgh, Scotland once a year and I cannot tell you how many different ways I have heard that beautiful  city's name butchered and I must admit it grates on my ears.  I will try to politely give the correct pronunciation.  Most of the time the correction is appreciated.

Have you ever read a novel where many of the characters have foreign names that seem unpronounceable?  In my head, I just pronounce them as best I can and as long as I am consistent in that pronunciation then all is good for the flow of the story.  Should someone give me the correct pronunciation then it's easy enough to change how I read it.  

Having said that, I can appreciate KAV's point.  I go to Edinburgh, Scotland once a year and I cannot tell you how many different ways I have heard that beautiful  city's name butchered and I must admit it grates on my ears.  I will try to politely give the correct pronunciation.  Most of the time the correction is appreciated.

When I first began reading Harry Potter books to my daughter, I pronounced Hermione: 'Her-mē-ōn.

Have you ever read a novel where many of the characters have foreign names that seem unpronounceable?  In my head, I just pronounce them as best I can and as long as I am consistent in that pronunciation then all is good for the flow of the story.  Should someone give me the correct pronunciation then it's easy enough to change how I read it.  

I know that all too well! I read the Three Musketeers whenever I was a young boy. Whenever I watched the movie and found out how D'Artagnan was pronounced, boy did I feel stupid, ha.

Have you ever read a novel where many of the characters have foreign names that seem unpronounceable?  In my head, I just pronounce them as best I can and as long as I am consistent in that pronunciation then all is good for the flow of the story.  Should someone give me the correct pronunciation then it's easy enough to change how I read it.  

Having said that, I can appreciate KAV's point.  I go to Edinburgh, Scotland once a year and I cannot tell you how many different ways I have heard that beautiful  city's name butchered and I must admit it grates on my ears.  I will try to politely give the correct pronunciation.  Most of the time the correction is appreciated.

When I first began reading Harry Potter books to my daughter, I pronounced Hermione: 'Her-mē-ōn.  

Love it - I did the same thing My favourite mispronounced name from something read was my younger sister's pronunciation of Socrates. Yup, So - Crates (like the wooden box) Many pronunciations have nothing to do with the rules of grammar or anything other than local custom - who would ever think that Worcestershire was pronounced Wooster? You've got to be told that one. The running joke with me and my wife is that when we encounter one of those long, multi-syllabic British names, no matter how long or complex or how many syllables it might have, its pronounced Smith.