Pronunciations

[blueiris]

I was embarrassed once because I went into a pen store to buy a Lamy Safari, and I said La-mee, because I just assumed it'd be pronounced that way, and the seller kind of pretended he didn't know what I was talking about for a second, and then with a flourish said, "OH you must mean Lamb-ee!"  I felt like an idiot.  Nice to know that it should be pronounced how I thought...

Don't feel bad. I pronounced it as "Lay-mee". For quite some time, too. Embarrasing when it finally dawned on me...

 

I STILL didn't have it right, though. I'm glad I read this thread. Ok, so it's "Lah-mee". As in "I'll have a half-pound of salami," right

The pen seller described by J. John Harvey said "LAMB-ee" (as in the animal) and not LAH-mee. Sorry to be nitpicking here.

 

I first thought Lamy was LAMB-ee, but then BMWRT corrected me with "La-mee" (first page of this thread) so I've been saying LAH-mee in my head. So glad I can go back to LAMB-ee! I feel more comfortable with that pronunciation :meow:

 

Well, for what it's worth, the LAMY representative at the Philadelphia Pen Show pronounced it "LAH-mee" (sort of rhymes with "mommy").

 

This is after I apparently mis-pronounced it as "LAM-mee" (like the animal, rhyming with "Sammy"). I'm going to use the LAMY rep's pronunciation, because I figure he would know how to pronounce his own company's name (albeit in Americanized form). Either way, it doesn't really matter because people who know pens would recognize the name regardless.

Edited January 29, 2007 by blueiris

[EventHorizon]

I like to keep things simple so as for most pens I start with the following pronunciation

 

"I-Want-That-One" and then point

 

On a side note, I always say Lam-ee.

[bernardo]

Welcome to the board.

 

Shay-fer And La-mee

Is it really SHAY-fer? Man, then the 110 million Mexicans say it wrong. We always say SHEE-fer, and I grew up convinced of that.

[BillTheEditor]

Sales people who think it's more important to correct the customer's pronunciation than to help the customer find the right pen never seem to figure out why their commission checks are so small.

 

A good sales person never has a problem with any customer who can pronounce the phrase, "I am paying cash" correctly, no matter how they mangle the product name.

[MYU]

Hmmmmm.... http://www.planetsmilies.com/avatars/hpotter/hpotter0008.gif

 

One day in the distant future, the creatures we will have evolved into will communicate telepathically. No more accents to contend with. Thus, we will lose the highly reticulated control of our tongues, if we still have them at all (cow tongues?). Of course, there will be 'thought accents', but that's practically impossible to describe via traditional text.

 

And sadly, there will be little use for pens. Thoughts will be preserved in our vast brains or mentally interfaced with small densely constructed external memory cells.

 

 

In each era, human beings get to enjoy those things which make life comfortable, sometimes transcending eras, sometimes not. Today we enjoy fountain pens. And hopefully, many generations to come will appreciate them too, enough so that when that fateful day comes where their use is no longer needed, the memory of them will always remain. The fountain pen was a major tool of communication that faciliated the technological evolution that has led us to the inventions we have now. May it always be exhalted in our hearts. http://www.smileycollector.com/images/patriotic/itty1.gif

 

 

* Don't ask -- I've had a rough day *

:bonk:

[KingJoe]

No one will believe me after this, but really, I swear...I HATE digging up old topics. But curious minds need to know.

 

How DO you pronounce Diamine...properly? Even the three owners of the local pen shop disagree, and all deal with the company as a course of business.

 

 

And since we're on town names, too, I need to vent! When I moved to Lexington, I could not figure out why EVERY person in this town laughed at me every time I spoke (I mean, sure, I'm a Yank, but surely I wasn't the first Yank they ever heard, right?)

 

There's a town just outside Lexington named Versailles. The road between here and there is, aptly, also called Versailles (unless you're in Versailles, then it's called "Lexington"). Well, after several weeks of "mispronouncing" Versailles (you know, by saying it correctly :bonk: ), I was informed it is, in fact, "ver-SAY-uhlz". Try as I might, I just could not convince this town of several hundred thousand to change their ways. I eventually gave in, and did it "their way."

 

The only problem is....now whenever I travel and refer to my hosts' local "Ver-Sales," they all look at me like some kind of grade school dropout! :blink:

 

~~King

Edited February 1, 2008 by KingJoe

[penburg]

Back to Lamy... the person who sold me one called it, "LAMB-ee", with emphasis on the first syllable.

 

But a German friend said it should be "LAH-mee". (Which agrees with what was said by Lamy representative above).

 

I found it interesting, however, that the family is of Huguenot descent (French Protestants who fled to Germany in the 16th cent.), so I wonder if the original pronunciation was "lah-MEE"?

 

Of course, this and a dollar sixty something will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Edited February 1, 2008 by penburg

[donwinn]

Well my wife works in the town of Puyallup WA.

 

Takes about two years of living round here to figure out how to say that one.

 

John

 

Do they still have the commercials on KING Channel 5 with the spastic rooster, encouraging everyone to "Do the Puyallup"? I spent 22 months on the Kitsap Penninsula, across the sound from Seattle, but on the Hood Canal side, at the Bangor Submarine Base. It was just after the incident with the Hood Canal sinking bridge. We left about a week prior to the arrival of the first Trident submarine.

 

Donnie

[donwinn]

No one will believe me after this, but really, I swear...I HATE digging up old topics. But curious minds need to know.

 

How DO you pronounce Diamine...properly? Even the three owners of the local pen shop disagree, and all deal with the company as a course of business.

 

 

And since we're on town names, too, I need to vent! When I moved to Lexington, I could not figure out why EVERY person in this town laughed at me every time I spoke (I mean, sure, I'm a Yank, but surely I wasn't the first Yank they ever heard, right?)

 

There's a town just outside Lexington named Versailles. The road between here and there is, aptly, also called Versailles (unless you're in Versailles, then it's called "Lexington"). Well, after several weeks of "mispronouncing" Versailles (you know, by saying it correctly :bonk: ), I was informed it is, in fact, "ver-SAY-uhlz". Try as I might, I just could not convince this town of several hundred thousand to change their ways. I eventually gave in, and did it "their way."

 

The only problem is....now whenever I travel and refer to my hosts' local "Ver-Sales," they all look at me like some kind of grade school dropout! :blink:

 

~~King

 

I grew up in southern Illinois, which is sometimes called "Little Egypt" because of place names, e.g., Karnak, Thebes, and most of all, Cairo; however, it is prounounced KAY roh by the locals. It could be worse. Just across the river (Mississippi) in Missouri, there is a town, and a fault line, called New Madrid, but pronounced "New MAD rid". And just east of my home town is a little town called Vienna, like in Austria, but, unlike in Austria, it is pronounced Vye Anna. It even has a westerly outcropping with a truck stop, West Vye Anna (Viennna). Up the Mississippi from New Madrid is the lead belt town of Bonne Terre (Bone Tear). There is also a town called Eldorado (pronounced El do RAY do)

 

Even in such an enlightened, multicultural place as San Diego, where I lived for 30 years, Kearney Villa Road is pronounced (improperly) as Kurnee Villla, when proper pronunciation should be Karnee Viya Road.

 

Donnie

[Shangas]

Sheaffer is pronounced 'SHAY-FUR' (or SHAY-FER, depending on how you wanna spell it).

 

I must admit that Lamy was a brand that ALWAYS threw me off, until I heard a store-clerk pronounce it as 'Lah-mee' (Which I assume is correct?)

 

And the Waterman Phileas is named after Phileas Fogg of "Around the world in 80 Days". It's (correct me if I'm wrong) Phil-e-us.

 

On the subject of Diamine, I thought it was something like Dia'mine (like "Diamond mine" without the "mond").

 

 

Edited February 1, 2008 by Shangas

[scribe75]

No one will believe me after this, but really, I swear...I HATE digging up old topics. But curious minds need to know.

 

How DO you pronounce Diamine...properly? Even the three owners of the local pen shop disagree, and all deal with the company as a course of business.

 

 

And since we're on town names, too, I need to vent! When I moved to Lexington, I could not figure out why EVERY person in this town laughed at me every time I spoke (I mean, sure, I'm a Yank, but surely I wasn't the first Yank they ever heard, right?)

 

There's a town just outside Lexington named Versailles. The road between here and there is, aptly, also called Versailles (unless you're in Versailles, then it's called "Lexington"). Well, after several weeks of "mispronouncing" Versailles (you know, by saying it correctly :bonk: ), I was informed it is, in fact, "ver-SAY-uhlz". Try as I might, I just could not convince this town of several hundred thousand to change their ways. I eventually gave in, and did it "their way."

 

The only problem is....now whenever I travel and refer to my hosts' local "Ver-Sales," they all look at me like some kind of grade school dropout! :blink:

 

~~King

 

I grew up in southern Illinois, which is sometimes called "Little Egypt" because of place names, e.g., Karnak, Thebes, and most of all, Cairo; however, it is prounounced KAY roh by the locals. It could be worse. Just across the river (Mississippi) in Missouri, there is a town, and a fault line, called New Madrid, but pronounced "New MAD rid". And just east of my home town is a little town called Vienna, like in Austria, but, unlike in Austria, it is pronounced Vye Anna. It even has a westerly outcropping with a truck stop, West Vye Anna (Viennna). Up the Mississippi from New Madrid is the lead belt town of Bonne Terre (Bone Tear). There is also a town called Eldorado (pronounced El do RAY do)

 

Even in such an enlightened, multicultural place as San Diego, where I lived for 30 years, Kearney Villa Road is pronounced (improperly) as Kurnee Villla, when proper pronunciation should be Karnee Viya Road.

 

Donnie

Yup, Mississippi and west its Vye-anna, as in them lil sausages you wrap in a blanket for a party and dip in mustard. YEEEHAAA!

 

Try figuring out the pronunciation of Pedruxella, unless your of Spanish speaking origin. My Yank tongue got laughed out of Mallorca, or is it Majorca. prn. = pedruSHAYa. OOF, I missed that one by a mile. Round two: Pollenca (cedilla on the c). The Yank was wrong again. "Poyensa." I need language lessons big time.

[scribe75]

I still say DI-a-mine (as in coal mine). How is it pronounced in the UK? Conway Stewart I think I got.

[Goodwhiskers]

The Brits here have previously posted notes about "Diamine" to the effect that scribe75 and Shangas got it right. Shangas, I like the way you explain it!

[Shangas]

Thankyou very much, Goodwhiskers.

[Romagno]

Houston: HYOU-ston, Texas, HOW-ston Street, New York

 

Tremont: TREH-mont Street, Boston, TREE-mont Avenue, The Bronx

[Shangas]

If we've wandered off into the pronunciation of cities and streets...

 

It's Mel'burn, not Melbourne, even though it is spelt that way. Pronounce it rhyming with Jason Bourne and you're going to get a LOT of weird looks from the locals, including me.

[Hélène]

the s in Paris is not pronounced, actually final consenents in French are rarely pronounced and Paris is no exception.

[KingJoe]

After my earlier post, I vented to a coworker about the Versailles thing, and was advised that Kentuckians are the only ones that say it right, and the world would do well to learn it their way. Hmmm...

 

She also advised me of a town in KY called Yosemite. Think you know how to say it? I bet not. Here, it's YO-zah-might. Fascinating folks in these here parts...lol.

 

~~King

[Hans-Peter Ording]

the s in Paris is not pronounced

And I guess it's the same with "Philéas"?

[jthole]

Is Sheaffer pronounced SHAY-fer? I have a feeling it is not SHEE-fer.

 

And it is LAM-ee? Or la-MY? When I say it in my head, it's the former.

 

Sorry if my question sounds pathetic, but it would be more pathetic if I was asking for a specific ink cartridge at a FP shop and I mispronounded the name

 

Oh well, I probably still pronounce Sheaffer the wrong way (Shay-fer sounds like Schäfer, which is something completely different ). No problems with Lamy here, of course. It's LAH-mee, by the way.

 

Edit: and the "e" in Pelikan is pronounce like the "a" in "acre", and not like the "a" in "apple".

Edited February 2, 2008 by jthole