by Mike –
Does it make your ears hurt when you hear someone mispronounce a car name?
One of the most popular sports cars in history, Porsche, has suffered from years of having its name mispronounced. This is perpetuated by movies and TV shows where Porsche is a one syllable word and pronounced like porch.
It is really a two syllable word – hear how it is pronounced properly in the Porsche made video below. Turn on the volume.
You know it is a serious problem when the company makes a video to teach people how to pronounce their name.
Other makes I hear mispronounced are Abarth, Citroen and Cisitalia. Click on the link in the previous sentence and then click the small triangle next to the name. I could not find a pronunciation for Cisitalia.
Are there others?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Porsche 904 Carrera GTS
Porsche 914
1967 Porsche 911
1996 Porsche 911
Porsche 901 Prototype
A version of this was first posted in December 2016.
Janis Joplin didn’t do such a bad job ….
Americans say Marzda for Mazda & Kiwis say Sue bar roo for Subaru making a two syllable word into three . Mazda’s little sports car is called Eunos roadster in Japan , a Miata in America and an MX5 elsewhere . You say tomatoes …… we say tomartoes .
Go to 2 1/2 men porsche on you tube –Alan and Charlie arguing about how to pronoun Porsche.
Thanks Lennox – it is at this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDvPeBGFVZw
I entered the Mille Miglia as the navigator with the late Bill Serri in his magnificent 250 Monza scaglietti spyder ..
We had brake problems and we only completed 200 miles which cost me $100 a mile…actually more than Bill paid for the car..I digress ..the night before we got underway Bill took me aside and told me that Italians, as his heritage was Italian, do not pronounce the “g” so could I please say Mille Milia not Miglia.
Despite the cost of the short ride and embarrassment of my mispronunciation it was all worth it.
Lennox,
Thanks for the story and another word we Americans may mispronounce.
Hi.
Do not pronounce the “g” is more correct for Americans trying to pronounce the Italian word “miglia”. However, the Italians do pronounce the “gl” sound differently that just the “l” sound. IOW, the pronunciation of “milia” is different to the pronunciation of the world, “milgia”
“Milia” sounds like, “Me lee ah”. “Milglia” sounds like, “Me llee ah”. The sound difference is the single sound that the letter “L” makes compared to sound the letters “gl” make in Italian. When pronouncing the “L” sound, we put the tip of our tongue to the back of our center front teeth, like in the words, “Like” or “Love”. It Italian you do the same when pronouncing the “L” sound, like in the word, “Linguine”. To make the correct sound when pronouncing “gl” in Italian, you press the tip of your tongue to behind your center front teeth and also push the middle of your tongue into the front part of the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth. It is subtle, but to pronounce “Miglia” correctly, that’s what one needs to do.
So, for Americans it’s easier to “leave out” the “g” sound. But in Italian the “g” and the “l” make their own sound, and the “g” is not left out.
What’s a Niece-awn?
Cisitalia “CheeseItalya” is the phonetic translation.
If you own a “Porshuh” and pronounce it Porssh or Porch I will personally come and retrieve your keys.
What about all the Spanish names that adorn the Lamborghini range
Gallardo = Gahyardo
Aventador = AbentadOr
Murcielago= MoorsyelagO’
Jalpa = Halpa
Jarama = Harama
Ferrari does well sticking broadly with model numbers but even they have a huge nomenclature to master if you are not a native speaker
Barchetta = Barketta
Modena = Modehna
Maranello =Maranello (the o is flat not an “oh”)
Fiorano= Fyorano
Portofino = Portofeeno
Enjoy!
Interesting article Mike! The issue most American born people have is with the “rolling r” us western Europeans have. I remember a comic we had in the Dutch language that depicted an American speaking sailor whose “r” got written as ” ‘ ” (apostrophe). So “remember” would be written down as ’emembe’. Meaning the American “r” is very silent while our Dutch (and German, French) is harsh and rolls sharp. Porrrsche would be Po’sche. That’s also why I have a hard time getting the ‘ right. 😎
What’s in a name?
Mau’ice Mentens
With an accent it could sound like poor sure, or simply porch. There’s an old joke about a guy painting a woman’s 911 green when he was supposed to paint the porch on her house.
MY TEN YEAR OLD SON HAS ALWAYS BEN A GO GETTER. SO, WHEN HE SAID HE WANTED TO PAINT THE PORCH, I MISUNDERSTOOD, UNTIL I SAW MY 911. BUT IN HIS DEFENSE THE BRUSH STROKES WERE QUIT GOOD. IT’S A JOKE.