Why it is useful to learn a foreign language
I live in the West Country - my local Co-op used to be a cinema and is called Scala. When I say "I live near Scarla" the local straw-munchers say "oh you mean Scaler!". These are the kind of people that I meet down my local, ordering Becks Vyer instead of Becks Vier (it's 4% and vier, pronounced "fear", is the German word for four). *sigh*

And some more from my happy time as a QC technician in a factory in an obscure South Wales valley. My manager pointed out to me a box of foam pads that had been labelled "Form Pads". How we laughed! One of the line leaders also thought that Sorbet was pronounced Sore Bit. I'd have loved her to ask Gordon Ramsay for a Sore Bit :)
(biscuitsocks random gene expression, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 19:29, 9 replies)

Oh there are so many examples.
It doesn't help that English pronunciation rules are so obtuse.

Linguini Mare: "mair".

Szechuan: "...suh-zetch-ewan".

Montepulciano d'abruzzo. "..." *points at menu*
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 19:36, closed)

Szechuan: "...suh-zetch-ewan".
Isn't that in Canada?
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 19:42, closed)

That's Saskatchewan.
But close.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 19:44, closed)

Seeing as the adverts call it
Becks Vyer, I think they're well within their rights to do so themselves.
( evil_andy Stick stick stick stick sticky sticky stick stick, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 21:45, closed)

Oh god do they,
I guess it's no worse than Disney's own trailers for "The Hunchback of Noterdaim".
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Mon 12 Apr 2010, 21:49, closed)

That's how they say it in the US though
I know someone who works at Notre Dame university in Indiana. It's pronounced Noter Daim by everyone there. Like New Orleans, etc, American English uses Anglicised pronunciations for most foreign names.

At least they're consistent.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 13 Apr 2010, 8:30, closed)

You live in
Oldfield Park AICMFP!
( uncle bastard is twanging a dan moi, Tue 13 Apr 2010, 5:04, closed)

On a related note
Why does the smug bloke in the Stella Advert ask for "Stella Artois fort, s'il vous plâit?" 4% isn't that strong, is it?
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Tue 13 Apr 2010, 11:29, closed)

In a Lancashire town famous for Stanley...
there's a snooker club called 'The Elite', the locals call it the 'e-light'.

If you mention that it's actually pronounced 'eleet', they look at you like your some kind of loony. And chase you out of town with pitchforks.


I may have made some of that up...
( His Popiness the Hole Invaded Poland on, Tue 13 Apr 2010, 19:28, closed)