Buick Mispronounces its Own SUV's Name

Unless you live in the US, where Belanger is pronounced BELL-anne-jer (Bell-AWHN-zhay) and foyer is pronounced FOY-yur (foy-YAY). In Washington State, where Mt Rainier exists, it is, I regret, ray-NEER.

Whats that one car that they were gonna name up in canada and it meant to jerk off in french...

No. Proper names are pronounced the way the people who own them say they are. If the people of Montpelier, Vermont have decided by concensus that it's pronounced "Mont-peel-yer," then it is. That there may be some other place with a name that spelled the same but pronounced differently is irrelevant.

Thus, "Mount Rain-yeer."

Proper names may have specific ethnic and/or linguistic origins, but once they become proper names they are no longer common words in any one language. You can't tell someone how to pronounce his own name.

RichC

ruud wrote in rec.arts.tv:

It should b pronounced any way they feel they would like to have it pronounced. This is America and the pronounced it according to American English standards. Do you have a problem with that? How much of an accent do you put on your Taco Bell orders? Frankly, I suppose I could cop your attitude when it comes to the Jaguar. Apparently they want it spoken in that true goofy and incorrect British way, but damned if I'm going to call it a "jag-yoo-war."

Nope, it shouldn't. The vehicle is named for the mountain (volcano) in Washington State, and it's name is universally pronounced "rain-EER". That's the American pronounciation. If you want to hear it pronounced "ren-YAY" go to France.

Same deal with the beer.

Don't bet on it. The French call the US 'etats-unis' and abreviate it E-U.

On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 04:49:50 GMT, "Dr Music"

Actually, after having a few, it was collectively decided to call it reindeer beer.

That's "jag-you-wah".

-- GW - Conservational Ergonomist - note incorrect email address

--Snip--

Its just another troll, lets all ignore it and maybe it will go away.

;)

Don't be silly. I lived in Seattle for two years and every single person I met prounced it Mount Rain-eer. Not to mention Rain-eer ale, generally known as "green death" because of the funny green bottles it came in. Rain-eer is how everyone says it.

I wondar how dem good ol' Taxes boys who drive dem Shivey SilveRAYdoh's to the Rowdayo in ELdohRAYdoh, Taxes will pernounce that thar new Bruick RaynDeer name?

: - )

And you need no further proof beyond tonight's syndicated Frasier. the ultimate snob himself pronounced it Mt. "rain-EER." "On a clear day, you can even see Mt. Ranier." (speaking of the view from his apartment)

Sure you can, it's a free country.

Seriously, if the spelling supports the speaker's pronunciation in in neither the native language of original derivation nor the language of the speaker, then it's just plain wrong. As in cases like that you might as well decide the name Joe should be pronounced "Bruce".

However "Ranier" and "Montpelier", as used above, are not subject to that problem.

--Aardwolf.

Clear day in Seattle. Ha!

-- GW - Conservational Ergonomist - note incorrect email address

Uh! Huh! So who cares?

True. As another example, everyone knows how Houston should be pronounced. Unless you're in Manhattan, where a street with that very name is correctly pronounced Hows-ton, not Hyooston.

You're wrong, but it's nothing compared to a national radio ad for Mitsubishi cars. They use the (non-) word "orientated".