Foreign Place Names

[Auntie Helen]

If you visit Innsbruck in Austria, and want to visit the northern part of Italy, some towns have two names.

Bozen or Bolzano - ok

Vitipino has another name, does anyone know what it is? (I don't)

It's also called Sterzing. I once drove there (from Innsbruck) for a pizza as I'd never visited Italy before but wanted to go somewhere where I could communicate (in German).

 

[Speicher]

It's also called Sterzing. I once drove there (from Innsbruck) for a pizza as I'd never visited Italy before but wanted to go somewhere where I could communicate (in German).

I tried communicating in German in Bolzano - big mistake - they were extremely rude.

Thanks for telling me about Sterzing.

 

[Keith Oates]

Looks as if the signmaker was having an off day, it should have read Den Haag

It was a long time ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gbb]

Slightly OT, but the same principle...
We had a Yugoslav worker years ago...Dennis Krstonosic (phonetically Christonisick) AKA Curly to his friends...

Gateman was putting a call out for him..
'Will Dennis Krist...' ...then a pause...
'Will Dennis Kristan'....then another pause..
'Will Dennid K'............then another pause..

'Will Curly contact the gatehouse please'

 

[simoncc]

What about the inconsistency of TV and radio announcers when it comes to names of foreign cities? We get Barthelona, Valenthia, Mumbai and Bejing quite often these days but most other cities are still mentioned using their English pronunciations - for example Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Munich, Cologne, Lisbon, Seville, St Loueee, Rome, Naples etc, etc. And we always get New York too, never Noo York as the natives say.

So why have Barthelona and Valenthia especially been singled out for the foreign pronunciation?

 

[simoncc]

I think the Barthelona effect is an attempt to appear cultured, sophisticated and travelled, but if you aren't consistent it just makes you sound like you are trying to impress with what little knowledge you do have.

One strange pronunciation I really enjoy is Eye-beetha.

 

[Over The Hill]

One strange pronunciation I really enjoy is Eye-beetha.

You're posh! Around here its Eye-Beefa.


Off track a bit I went in a little fruit and and veg shop a while back.

The woman in front of me said to the assistant "Got any Batatoes?" gesturing towards the empty potato section.
The assistant then shouted out to the man in the back room "Have we got any Batatoes?"
I was just after some apples but really wanted to buy some spuds just to say it with a "p".

 

[Maz]

The woman in front of me said to the assistant "Got any Batatoes?" gesturing towards the empty potato section.
The assistant then shouted out to the man in the back room "Have we got any Batatoes?"

Sounds like the shop assistant was taking the P.

 

[Globalti]

Eyebeetha for Ibitha.

Eyerack for Irack.

Eyekea for Ikeah.

It's ignorance.

 

[Fnaar]

Eyebeetha for Ibitha.

Eyerack for Irack.

Eyekea for Ikeah.

It's ignorance.

Eye-gnorance, surely?

 

[Aperitif]

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