Spanish or "American" pronunciation in restaurants?

[Kaitlin]

This is sort of a poll, but it's about language and restaurants. I think it goes in this forum, though.

So I was at a Mexican restaurant the other day, and I ordered the "Enchilada Mexicano." I pronounced it the way it looks in English, with a hard "x", even though I'm fairly certain the "x" in this case should have been pronounced with an "h" sound. The men who work at the restaurant are all Mexican and speak Spanish to each other. I am mostly of Irish descent and English is my first language.

I would have felt pretentious if I had pronounced it "Mehicanos" but I felt pretty hokey pronouncing it the way I did. I don't think I would have felt as pretentious if my waiter hadn't been Mexican, or any of my coworkers had made an attempt to pronounce their orders correctly.

What do you think? Should a person make an attempt to pronounce restaurant orders if he/she knows how they are supposed to be pronounced, or would that make that person seem like a know-it-all? What would you think if you were the waiter? My coworkers might have found it pretentious, but I don't know what the Spanish-speaking waiter might have felt about it.

[even sven]

I don't think it matters. The waiters are surely used to American pronouciations and I doubt they will think you're a rube.

[overlyverbose]

I think it depends on your familiarity with the language and your ability to pronounce it correctly when you attempt to use native pronunciation. A lot of pretension is also in attitude. I don't think that politely asking for "Enchiladas Mehicanos" wouldn't have been pretentious. However, if you were trying to pronounce something you'd never even seen without any familiarity with the language, but acting as though you were fluent, now that's pretentious.

For some reason, I'm reminded of this SNL clip I once saw with Victoria Jackson. In the clip, she had taken some Spanish classes and was in Nicaragua reporting on the Sandanistas. She pronounced every single Spanish word with very precise native Spanish pronunciation until finally the studio said, "Hey, so I see you've been taking some Spanish lessons there. They seem to be workin' out pretty well..." It was hysterical. Oh, well. Guess you had to be there.

[unclviny]

I had Mexican food for Lunch (Breakfast?, I hate this shift!) today and I was thinking about the old SNL skit with Jimmy Smits where everyone was overpronouncing everything in a PC clusterf*ck, Jimmy Smits wanted an Enchilda but the group acted like they didn't understand him until he asked for (WARNING, phonetic spelling!!) an Enhilada. It has been my experience that folks who attempt "proper" pronounciations like that are eyed suspiciously and often laughed at.

YMMV

Unclviny

[Motorgirl]

Reminds me of the time that a waitress & I got into a minor pissing match over the pronunciation of Bruschetta.

When I ordered I pronounced it Broosketta.

She smirked and said: "The brooshetta?"

me: "Yes, the broosketta."

she: "You mean the brooshetta."

me: "Right, the broosketta."

she: "It's pronounced brooshetta."

me: "You might want to ask the Italians about that."

She snorted derisively & moved on to taking another person's order.

[Bad News Baboon]

My rule of thumb:

If the waiter appears to be non-spanish speaking, I order in an American accent.

If the waiter appears to speak spanish, I order in Spanish.

You can almost always tell right off due to the accent when they say "chips and salsa"

For the record, I speak Spanish. When ordering in an American accent, I feel silly.

If you don't mind, can I hijack this thread for a mini rant?

If you are a waiter who has learned bad language from one of the bus boys (or whoever), please don't use that in the dinning area. You might think it's really funny to call the bus boy a 'pendejo' but it's not funny to me. Just because it's not your language doesn't make it less offensive - I don't want my daughter picking up those words. Don't think that because the people dinning look white that they are.

[overlyverbose]

Originally Posted by unclviny

It has been my experience that folks who attempt "proper" pronounciations like that are eyed suspiciously and often laughed at.

This has been my experience, too. Even though I speak Spanish and a few other languages, I rarely bother to pronounce things as though I were a native if I'm already speaking in English. I think that certain aspects of Spanish, such as the tilde and x/h sound, are wide-spread enough that no one will laugh at you if you pronounce it "Mehicanos" or "Mexicanos." But for most other things, it sounds so, I don't know, hokey to be speaking in regular English only to switch over. Perhaps it's because I have to think for just that fraction of a second before the proper word comes out in a fit of over-pronounced "native-ness." I think that's probably why the waiters laugh - it just sounds really contrived if you're not already speaking in that language. At least coming from me it does. It's like going to an Indian restaurant and asking for something in Hindi. I could probably do it correctly, but it would sound like I was trying really hard.

[Ephemera]

I'm an English speaker that only knows how to say "Hello, my name is Robert", "Where is the bathroom?", and "I have a cat in my trousers" but if I know how to pronounce it in Spanish, I will.

I try not to use that pretentious ennunciation when I do so though. It's like you're italicizing your words, for lack of a better way to explain it, and it annoys the hell out of me.

[Ashes, Ashes]

I'd say Me-jicano because Mex-icano just hurts my ears. You don't have to push the full out pronunciation, with trills and frills, but Mexicano just doesn't have an x sound in it, so why tack it on?

One of the many great things I love about Mexico is how thrilled everyone seems to be when a foreigner learns their language. Not once has anyone looked down at me when I needed help or made a mistake. This may not be true in every part of the U.S., but from baja california to oklahoma, no one's ever looked askance.

Not to hijack too much, but I was also wondering, since the menu specified mexican enchiladas, what other countries have enchiladas? Are they an import from Spain perhaps? Off to do a bit of research....

[Martha Medea]

Originally Posted by overlyverbose

For some reason, I'm reminded of this SNL clip I once saw with Victoria Jackson. In the clip, she had taken some Spanish classes and was in Nicaragua reporting on the Sandanistas. She pronounced every single Spanish word with very precise native Spanish pronunciation until finally the studio said, "Hey, so I see you've been taking some Spanish lessons there. They seem to be workin' out pretty well..." It was hysterical. Oh, well. Guess you had to be there.

When I worked in Nicaragua some foreigners really used to overdo that, as in "we live in Mawa" or "How long have you been in N'awa". It was the inspiration for many a pisstake.

As for the restaurants, when I worked in one I remember serving a couple who asked for the "kwitch". I was gracious, naturally.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

I'm with Bad News Baboon. If I know how to pronounce the word properly, why say it wrong unless I think the waiter won't understand?

If I don't know how to pronounce the word, I'll usually ask. How else do you learn?

[amarinth]

Originally Posted by Ashes, Ashes

I'd say Me-jicano because Mex-icano just hurts my ears.

It depends on the word. I can't think of an "American" way of saying Mexicanos that doesn't make my ears hurt, either (the accent is in the wrong place, that "x," the vowels. It's just an icky, icky sound). So that would have to be <<Mejicanos>>.
But with most words, it's the Americanized version.

[archmichael]

As a Korean-American living in Mississippi, this comedy sketch plays itself out very often.

I just went to Subway, where I asked for pepperoncini, instead of saying "banana peppers". Yes, I even go so far as to pronounce it "pep-per-on-chi-ni". They look at me crazy.

Partly because of it is the correct way to pronounce it, and partly out of pretension. Capisce?

Of course the best part is I tried to pronounce something in Korean at a Korean restaurant....

Me: (Mangled Korean)
Waiter: What???
Me: Just give me the number 3!!!

My wife loves telling that story to other people.

[Keapon Laffin]

Doubt that it matters.

For instance, I'm used to pronouncing it "fill-Ay O fish"
But here is Australia, most people say "fill-Et O fish"

In any case, the waitress at McDonalds understood me fine.

[TJdude825]

I'm a native English speaker, but I know enough Spanish that I could probably carry on a small conversation with the waiter if I had to. I would speak awkwardly and slowly, but I could do it. Here's what I'd do:

If I'm ordering in Spanish, I'll use the best Spanish pronunciation I can.

If I'm ordering in English, I'll pronounce things semi-correctly, but probably still use the English 'x'. Suddenly switching in the middle of a sentence is just too weird.

[MissGypsy]

Only two years of college Spanish here, not fluent by any stretch, yet I find it easy to slip into the correct Spanish pronunciation in the midst of an otherwise English sentence.

It grates on my nerves when people pronounce "tortillas" with an English "L" sound, for example. So I would tend to ask for "enchiladas Me-hicanos," from habit. I think it indicates a knowledge of the cuisine, and a respect for the language.

[Silver Fire]

Originally Posted by MissGypsy

It grates on my nerves when people pronounce "tortillas" with an English "L" sound, for example.

Who does that? I think I would slap somebody right in the face if they said that in front of me. WTH?

Anyway, I never order anything in a restaurant that I can't pronounce. Cuts down on looking stupid.

[MissGypsy]

Originally Posted by Silver Fire

Who does that? I think I would slap somebody right in the face if they said that in front of me. WTH?

Well, my ex-boyfriend, for one. And I felt like slapping him every time he said it. A person who grew up in a culturally diverse city like Chicago should know better.

[overlyverbose]

Originally Posted by Martha

When I worked in Nicaragua some foreigners really used to overdo that, as in "we live in Mawa" or "How long have you been in N'awa". It was the inspiration for many a pisstake.

As for the restaurants, when I worked in one I remember serving a couple who asked for the "kwitch". I was gracious, naturally.

I am very impressed by your patience. I worked in the natural history museum in Santiago, Chile, and attended one of the universities there, and never found such serenity. You must tell me your secret.

Or better yet, tell my husband's family your secret. They're in India - we're going to visit this year or next, and I'm sure they'll need all the patience they can get not to cringe at my mispronunciations of everything.

[Rufus Xavier]

Originally Posted by Aesiron

I'm an English speaker that only knows how to say "Hello, my name is Robert", "Where is the bathroom?", and "I have a cat in my trousers" but if I know how to pronounce it in Spanish, I will.

I try not to use that pretentious ennunciation when I do so though. It's like you're italicizing your words, for lack of a better way to explain it, and it annoys the hell out of me.

Ay! Tengo un gato en mi pantalones! No me gusta!


I usually don't even try to pronounce Spanish words properly around Spanish speakers. I can hardly keep my English straight. Anyway, if they think I don't understand Spanish, I might overhear something interesting.

[iggy popov]

My personal rule is as follows

real Mexican resturant(waitstaff does not speak english)-Spanish pronunciation plus try to use whatever other Spanish I know if applicable.

Waitstaff is Mexican but speaks English-Spanish pronunciation, use English when not ordering food.

Not so real Mexican resturant(Hacienda type places that are just a step above Taco Bell) - English.

God I hate the Hacieda

[LifeOnWry]

I immediately thought of the Jimmy Smits sketch on SNL, too. I speak passable Spanish - learned most of it in the restaurant business anyway, so the pronunication of food names come pretty easily to me. But I had a friend who mocked me for saying "mohv" (mauve). When I told her the word was French and that is how it is pronounced, she said, "Yeah, well, I'm not French, I'm an AMERICAN so I'll pronounce it the AMERICAN way!" So the next time we were out at a restaurant together I told the waiter she wanted the FILL-ett MIG-non.

[iggy popov]

I really need to start using preview post.
Sorry if my misspellings hurt anybody's eyes.

[LifeOnWry]

Originally Posted by iggy popov

I really need to start using preview post.
Sorry if my misspellings hurt anybody's eyes.

Don't feel bad, Iggy. I DID preview mine.

[jimpatro]

Hispanic native English speaker here. Don't work in a restaurant but anytime I here a non-Hispanic pronounce Spanish words correctly it impresses the heck out of me. I also speak German and if I'm speaking and a German word comes along(gesundheit, wunderkind etc.) the correct pronunciation just automatically kicks in. Same with other languages I've dabbled in.

[brad_d]

I'm a native English speaker, and I've studied enough Spanish to be dangerous; if forced to converse in it, there won't be much subtlety.

I tend to think of my approach as pronouncing foreign-language menu items "in that language, with my American accent." In Spanish: "x" will be pronounced like "h", "ll" like "y", that sort of thing. What I won't do is elaborately roll my "r" or "rr" sounds, for example - even when I manage to do it, it just sounds awkward in the middle of an English sentence. This seems to be in line with what several other folks have said.

One of my roommates in college was of Cuban descent, and had grown up in Miami speaking both English and Spanish - he spoke English with an American accent, and when I asked him he described his Spanish accent as "Caribbean."

When conversing in English, when he had reason to say a Spanish word or name, he'd do what I described above - say it more-or-less properly, but with an American accent. He told me that, even though he (of course) could say the word with a Spanish accent, he wouldn't because: (1) it just sounded weird; and (2) the Spanish accent tended to linger for a few words once he was back into English, giving his speaking a "straight-off-the-boat" flavor he preferred to avoid.

[Kaitlin]

Originally Posted by Ashes, Ashes

Not to hijack too much, but I was also wondering, since the menu specified mexican enchiladas, what other countries have enchiladas? Are they an import from Spain perhaps? Off to do a bit of research....

Yeah, I don't know about that, either. They also have "Enchiladas Ranch" which is too awkward-sounding for me to even attempt. I'll assume they're just playing to the southern Ohio crowd.

[Atrael]

Originally Posted by Motorgirl

Reminds me of the time that a waitress & I got into a minor pissing match over the pronunciation of Bruschetta.

When I ordered I pronounced it Broosketta.

She smirked and said: "The brooshetta?"

me: "Yes, the broosketta."

she: "You mean the brooshetta."

me: "Right, the broosketta."

she: "It's pronounced brooshetta."

me: "You might want to ask the Italians about that."

She snorted derisively & moved on to taking another person's order.

Actually as I've sort of studied this, I've come to the conclusion that both pronunciations must be correct. I lived in Sicily for about 3 years, and the way it was pronounced in every restaurant that I ever went into is "brooshetta" however I have many friends that lived in northern Italy, that pronounce it "broosketta". I'm more than positive that the little Sicilian family that I bought my food from wasn't changing the way the said it just because I was an American....so I think it's a regional thing.

[down by law]

i always like to order fuh-JIE-tuz and kway-SAD-juh-luhs.

yeah, i took 3 years of spanish, but it's funny.

i was at a french place and i kept saying buh-CHAM-uhl (and yes, i know how to pronounce ((and prepare)) bechamel) to my girlfriend, and i could hear the waiters making fun of us. they had a good laugh about it, and treated us like assholes, but i thought it was funny.

[Motorgirl]

Originally Posted by Atrael

Actually as I've sort of studied this, I've come to the conclusion that both pronunciations must be correct. I lived in Sicily for about 3 years, and the way it was pronounced in every restaurant that I ever went into is "brooshetta" however I have many friends that lived in northern Italy, that pronounce it "broosketta". I'm more than positive that the little Sicilian family that I bought my food from wasn't changing the way the said it just because I was an American....so I think it's a regional thing.

I guess I can give the waitress the benefit of the doubt and assume she was using the Sicilian pronunciation, though it still annoys the crap out of me that she was so supercilious about it. Her attitude did decrease her tip slightly.

For the record, I was taught Italian by a Roman. Who probably didn't think the language Sicilians speak qualifies as Italian. LOL

[down by law]

Originally Posted by Motorgirl

I guess I can give the waitress the benefit of the doubt and assume she was using the Sicilian pronunciation, though it still annoys the crap out of me that she was so supercilious about it. Her attitude did decrease her tip slightly.

For the record, I was taught Italian by a Roman. Who probably didn't think the language Sicilians speak qualifies as Italian. LOL

i learn my italian from tony soprano.

just give me some pasta fahzool and some gabbagool. madonn!

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

This all reminds me of a funny story. My brother studied Japanese language in high school and college, and one night my family (not a culinarily-adventurous bunch) all went out to a Japanese restaurant in Miami, FL. Josh ordered for all of us in Japanese, and the 'rents were suitably impressed.

Of course, the waiter responded with a simple, bemused "Que?"

[Katriona]

I mostly use the American pronounciation, but it depends on the word. I usually say the 'x' in 'Mexico' but I do know how to say tortilla and quesadilla (even if I probably can't spell them). I mostly just try not to sound like Peggy Hill.

[Trunk]

Originally Posted by Motorgirl

Reminds me of the time that a waitress & I got into a minor pissing match over the pronunciation of Bruschetta.

When I ordered I pronounced it Broosketta.

She smirked and said: "The brooshetta?"

me: "Yes, the broosketta."

she: "You mean the brooshetta."

me: "Right, the broosketta."

she: "It's pronounced brooshetta."

me: "You might want to ask the Italians about that."

She snorted derisively & moved on to taking another person's order.

I don't know if it applies to bruschetta, but italians seem to differ over the pronunciations of a lot of things. Some Italians swear manicotti is "man-uh-got" while others think that if they hear that, they're dealing with a South Philly Goomba.

Seems to me that "broo-ketta" might be more aptly spelled "bruchetta". Although, it seems to me that "broo-shetta" should probably be spelled "bruscietta".

Dunno where you were eating, but if you were at "Olive Garden" arguing over the way to pronounce "bruschetta", that's like going to Alabama and telling them it's pronounced "you all".

[jimpatro]

Originally posted by Trunk

Dunno where you were eating, but if you were at "Olive Garden" arguing over the way to pronounce "bruschetta", that's like going to Alabama and telling them it's pronounced "you all".

Don't get this. Olive Garden is the Taco Bell of Italian food.

[Trunk]

Originally Posted by jimpatro

Originally posted by Trunk


Don't get this. Olive Garden is the Taco Bell of Italian food.

I don't think that "crack" fully came together.

I just meant that at "Olive Garden", telling them it's Broo-ketta is going to be completely lost on them because of how ingrained it is.

And because, some waitress there couldn't possibly give a shit as to the "correct" way of saying it.

[Kyla]

I'm not saying I'd do a full on Spanish accent (which I can do quite well!), but I'd definitely say "mexicanos" with the Spanish sound for the x. It'd sound weird otherwise. If I'm talking about the country, in English ("Once in Mexico, I...") I'd pronounce it the English way, but if I'm ordering a meal and it's got the Spanish adjective-noun order and is clearly a Spanish word, I'd pronounce it the Spanish way.

I try not to exaggerate it, but yeah, when I order enchiladas in a Mexican restaurant, I'll pronounce it as "encheelathas".

FTR, I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I can hold a conversation pretty well. I took it all the way through high school, and since I have family in Mexico I have spent a lot of time there.

[Sharky]

At the (only) Mexican restaurant in Chipley, Florida (Cancun's Mexican Grill) I always order using (my version of) the proper Spanish pronunciation, as taught to me by a Mexican friend.

Invariably, it goes like this:

Sharky: I'll have the enchee-lah-das Mehi-cano.

Mexican Waiter: The number 42?

Sharky: Yup.

[Merkwurdigliebe]

Yeah, I know the feeling. I have the same problem too. I speak Spanish with a pretty good accent, but I feel like a jackass when I use it in front of people who don't understand it. Especially me since I speak Castillian spanish. I mean I want to say things like a Spaniard in Spanish, so its even worse if I did it in a Mexican restaurant. The answer is that there is no solution, I suppose. Just figure out which group of peers is more important to you and then you decide whether to appear pretentious or like a jackass who can't speak spanish. Neither is good, but I've found now way around this.

[Bad News Baboon]

I thought of another example of American vs Spanish accents.

In Austin, there is a street called Guadalupe.

It is pronounced "Goo-wah-da-loop" by the locals and that is what I would use when speaking in English.

When talking to my mom, I always call it "Wa-da-lu-peh".

I think it always comes down to "when in Rome..."

[Bridget Burke]

I'd use a Mexican accent in a Mexican restaurant. Living in Texas & eating out a lot, only an idiot would not pick up a bit of the language. And I've done some formal study as well.

The Spanish accent is not used in Latin America. In "Castilian" Spanish, for example, "s" is a soft "th" (as in "thin") & "z" is a hard "th" (as in "the"). I ordered churrascos at a nice Latin American (not "Mexican") restaurant & requested the sherry sauce--that's "jerez"--inadvertantly giving it the "Spanish" pronunciation. The waiter gave me a glance meaning "give me a break." To Latin American ears, that accent sounds like the "Oxbridge" accent sounds to Americans. (Actually, we're all Americans in the Western Hemisphere.)

Use the best pronunciation you can manage--the waitstaff will not be insulted. Ignorance is uncool.

[brad_d]

I draw a distinction between an American accent and anglicized pronunciation. There seems to be a split in this thread - some do and some don't.

To borrow the example provided by Bad News Baboon (Guadalupe):

• Wa-da-lu-peh - Spanish/Mexican/whatever accent & pronunciation
• Goo-wah-da-loop - anglicized pronunciation (application of English rules to Spanish spelling)
• Gwad-a-loo-pay - Spanish pronunciation, American accent

When ordering "Guadalupe tacos" (to just make up a convenient example), I do think it would be kind of odd to insert Wa-da-lu-peh in the middle of an English sentence. It seems to me akin to an Englishman eating at a restaurant in London, ordering a "Fort Worth pepper steak" (again, I'm making up a dish) and affecting an American accent when saying "Fort Worth." Gwad-a-loo-pay, to me, seems more appropriate in that context.

Ignorance is uncool, but so is pretentiousness. The region in between can be pretty tough to define sometimes.

[Merkwurdigliebe]

Okay Guadaloop is where I draw the line. That is ridiculous. Honestly, it reminds me of the time Zap Brannigan from Futurama calls Guacamole... Guacamol.

But anyways, Bridget, I am not going to use a Castilian accent in a Mexican Restaurant. Its just stupid, I'll either try to make it sound Mexican or American. I am exactly trying to avoid those "give me a break" type looks. Most people find it really easy to sense the pleasure someone gets from speaking another language, and its hard not to show it right when it comes in handy? But then a lot of people will think you are being pretentious. When I say the name of the places where I've been in Spain, I don't use a Spanish accent. Why? I think its inappropriate. I am speaking English, and there are English ways of saying things. I don't really like to mix languages, you know, and even when I do, I always align it with the accent of the language that I'm speaking. I say Bush with a Spanish accent when speaking Spanish and with an American accent when speaking English. I feel that it suits me the best

[Bad News Baboon]

I didn't think about it when I posted, but I wanted to clarify that when I spoke of Spanish Accents, I was referring to the language and not the country. To be more precise, I should have said Mexican accents.

To order Mexican food in a Castillian accent would just be wrong!

Unath enchiladath ethepecialeth (I assume is how it would sound instead of unas enchiladas especiales)



I agree with Brad_d about context.
To me it is all or nothing. If I order in English then I use American accents.
If I order in Spanish, I'll say the words correctly.

I find that mixing the two often confuses the person taking the order. It seems that whenever I have mixed the two, the waiter will say, "could you please repeat that?".

[Motorgirl]

Originally Posted by Trunk

I don't think that "crack" fully came together.

I just meant that at "Olive Garden", telling them it's Broo-ketta is going to be completely lost on them because of how ingrained it is.

And because, some waitress there couldn't possibly give a shit as to the "correct" way of saying it.

It wasn't the Olive Garden or any other Italian-esque chain.


And ya gotta put an "s" in it.
For me, and my Roman prof, Brus-chetta = broo-sketta

I agree with you that anything pronounced brooshetta oughta be spelled bruscietta.

But I'm a snob in all the wrong ways.


And to clarify, I wasn't arguing with the waitress so much as just resisting her attempts to "fix" my pronunciation. It's not like after the first time she said "Brooshetta" I responded with: "It's pronounced broosketta, you ignoramus."

[Spoke]

Originally Posted by LifeOnWry

...I had a friend who mocked me for saying "mohv" (mauve). When I told her the word was French and that is how it is pronounced, she said, "Yeah, well, I'm not French, I'm an AMERICAN so I'll pronounce it the AMERICAN way!" So the next time we were out at a restaurant together I told the waiter she wanted the FILL-ett MIG-non.

So how do you pronounce "Illinois?"

Or "turquois?"

Inquiring minds want to know.

[sjc]

Originally Posted by Motorgirl

Reminds me of the time that a waitress & I got into a minor pissing match over the pronunciation of Bruschetta.

When I ordered I pronounced it Broosketta.

She smirked and said: "The brooshetta?"

me: "Yes, the broosketta."

she: "You mean the brooshetta."

me: "Right, the broosketta."

she: "It's pronounced brooshetta."

me: "You might want to ask the Italians about that."

She snorted derisively & moved on to taking another person's order.

I'm no expert, but I did take Italian in college (and paid attention). What I can say is that the standard way of pronouncing bruschetta must be: "broo-ske-tta". the 'h' in front of the 'sc' keeps it from being pronounced like "sh" in English. Having said that, there is of course a fair amount of regional variation. Sicilian dialect is quite different. I don't know what those differences are, but they might include pronouncing the "-sche-" of standard Italian as "sheh".


[goes off to look up stuff on the Sicilian dialect]

OK, I've looked up the Sicilian dilaect online and I have found that bruschetta should be pronounced like the standard Italian, probably. This is based on the descriptions here: http://home.att.net/~ilsiciliano/ima...n_language.htm. Of course, this partticular description of Sicilian doesn't describe all the variations found on the island, so maybe you could hear "brooshetta" on Sicily.


As to the OP, I think it is fine ot do it either way. It really depends on the conventions of where you are ordering. If it feels too odd to try to pronounce the words right, just use an American accent. But I think one ought to try if one can.

[lel]

Originally Posted by Bad News Baboon

I find that mixing the two often confuses the person taking the order. It seems that whenever I have mixed the two, the waiter will say, "could you please repeat that?".

That's my worst habit -- I tend to mix the two up half the time and end up with some hodgepodge. I'll realize I'm pronouncing something in Spanish and then worry that I'm being pretentious (even with my thick accent and random tendency to forget words -- did I mention my lack of fluency too?), so I'll switch back to Americanizing things.

[pulykamell]

FWIW, in this article, the author makes it a point to emphasize the pronunciation of broo-SKET-uh in the restaurant La Bruschetta, and interviews the Sicilian owners of the restaurant in the article. I would have to assume that the Sicilian owners also used that pronunciation.

FWIW, I've never heard anything but the hard "k" pronunciation as being correct, but there may be regional variations I don't know about.

[Bridget Burke]

Originally Posted by Merkwurdigliebe

I don't really like to mix languages, you know

Lots of Spanglish is spoken here in Texas. It is not considered "pretentious" but does anger purists from both sides of the river. ¡Qué lástima!