# British English pronunciation of foreign vowels **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 16, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828 "2006-02-16T17:21:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/21 "2006-02-16T23:20:27Z")
> [@Daithi Lacha](#): > > As in Byoo-fert, South Carolina? 😃 That’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/22 "2006-02-17T02:24:38Z")
I also noticed this when living in Japan
 Japanese words are among the easiest on earth to pronounce, as they consist of consonants that are all found in English as well as 5 pure vowels in very clearly defined syllables. The Brits had this way of pronouncing it that sounded like fingernails on glass. Ka-na-ga-wa became “k’NAG-wah.” After I noticed this it soon occurred to me that James Bond always seemed to favor murder over negotiation, probably because the foreign bad guys always made fun of his accent. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/23 "2006-02-17T04:56:20Z")
This has bothered me before, but the answer seems obvious now. Americans use a broad A in foreign-derived words because in most American accents, it only occurs in foreign words, and we incorrectly extend it to almost any foreign or foreign-sounding word. Most common British accents (my Scottish-born mother does this too) rarely use the flat A, so they only notice when it occurs in foreign words–and they make the same error Americans do by using it all foreign-sounding words. What bugs me most, though, is how Brits pronounce “jalapeno”. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/24 "2006-02-17T07:23:22Z")
I don’t know if its a foreign word but the way Brits pronounce condom bugs the hell out of me. In America its **con** -dom, accent on the first syllable. In the UK they seem to say **con-dom** , that is they accent _both_ syllables. Why would you accent both with any word? Can’t think of a US example of that. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/25 "2006-02-17T07:27:05Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > I’ve heard some older English people say plaah-stic for plastic, and from time to time you hear people referring to ‘Saawlsuh’ dancing (Salsa). > > An English friend who knows Spanish once went into an off-licence in London and asked for a bottle of Cava, pronouncing Cava the Spanish way, and was ‘corrected’ by the chinless wonder behind the counter - “It’s Caahr-va, actually”. > > Err, no. I had the same thing happen in a cafĂ© the other day . I asked for two “lattes” and the waitress pronounced it “laht-haze” . ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/26 "2006-02-17T07:37:41Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Don’t the Malagasy themselves drop the initial and final syllables in the word “Antanarivo,” making “Tennereef” a not-too-bad approximation? The French name of Antananarivo is Tananarive, not Tenerife. Tenerife is a part of the Canary Islands (Called “Las Canarias”). If you know ASCII pronunciation, it should be /tene’rife/, or in an Anglicized American pronunciation (specifically Californian): teh-neh-ree-feh, with a tap of the r, and the vowels pronounced like, well, Spanish. I will admit with bias that I do live in California with a high population of Mexican (and other Latino immigrants), and we English speakers do tend to pronounce the formerly Spanish towns with an Anglicized pronunciation, but the names have come into general parlance. So, for instance: Salinas, which means “Salt Pools”, should be pronounced as /sa’linas/ - sah-lee-nahss, but gets pronounced as /s@lijn@s/ - suh-lee-nuhss, or /s@lijnIss/ - suh-lee-niss. Monterey (after the Viceroy of New Spain, Gaspar de ZĂșñiga, Comte de Monterrey), should be pronounced /monte’r:ej/ - mohn-teh-rei, but gets pronounced as /mant@'rej/ - mahn-tuh-ray, or /man@rej/ - mah-nuh-rei Pajaro, after the former abundance of birds there (pajaro means bird in Spanish), should be /paxaro/ - pah-cha-ro (the ch is like the ch in German) or permissably, /paharo/ - pah-hah-ro, but is pronounced as /pah@row/ - pah-huh-row. So, while in English conversation (and I’ve heard native Spanish speakers switch into English mode when saying town names), the pronunciation isn’t exact, but it’s better than saying things like "suh-lye-nuhss’ , as my mom’s uncles did when they came from Kansas (there’s a town called “Salina” there pronounced something like suh-lye-nuh), or “san-joe-zee” as they called San JosĂ©. I do speak Spanish, but when speaking English and pronouncing the town names as they should be pronounced, it comes across as stilted. However, saying “tennereef” is just going too far :). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/27 "2006-02-17T08:24:09Z")
> [@Alan Smithee](#): > > What bugs me most, though, is how Brits pronounce “jalapeno”. Which way? I’ve heard many varieties ---
**Author:** ![mlai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@mlai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlai)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/28 "2006-02-17T09:19:41Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > I don’t know if its a foreign word but the way Brits pronounce condom bugs the hell out of me. In America its **con** -dom, accent on the first syllable. In the UK they seem to say **con-dom** , that is they accent _both_ syllables. > > Why would you accent both with any word? Can’t think of a US example of that. I can think of a few: Streetlight! Spotlight! Flashlight! Ha da da dee da hada hada da da! I had a similar bruschetta incident when I went to this froo-froo Chinese French fusion restaurant and ordered the Szechuan (sih-chwahn) something-or-other. My pasty Caucasian waiter cocked his eyebrow and hastily corrected me: You mean SESH WAHN? Is this commonly mispronounced on both sides of the Atlantic? ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/29 "2006-02-17T10:01:05Z")
I mentioned this in a recent thread but Hopkins himself claimed that his accent was meant to evoke an American anglophile. > **[What Are The Best Paying Online Slots? | Planet Hopkins Investigates](https://planethopkins.co.uk/)** > > Planet Hopkins takes a deep dive in the history of the gambling machine to find the best paying online slots for our readers! Click to read more. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/30 "2006-02-17T12:43:24Z")
> [@Alan Smithee](#): > > What bugs me most, though, is how Brits pronounce “jalapeno”. This Brit says something like Halapeenyo. Is that wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/31 "2006-02-17T13:20:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Most common British accents (my Scottish-born mother does this too) rarely use the flat A, so they only notice when it occurs in foreign words–and they make the same error Americans do by using it all foreign-sounding words. The whole of the north of England uses the “flat A” sound _a lot_. Bath, for instance, is pronounced correctly in the north ( 😃 ), not like barth. Past and pasta also have the same “A” sound. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/32 "2006-02-17T13:24:22Z")
> [@Dominic Mulligan](#): > > The whole of the north of England uses the “flat A” sound _a lot_. Bath, for instance, is pronounced correctly in the north ( 😃 ), not like barth. Past and pasta also have the same “A” sound. The short ‘A’ in pasta is used in the south, too. Unlike ‘bath’, which we certainly pronounce the correct way 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/33 "2006-02-17T13:35:24Z")
Jaguar is one I like. Most people in this part of the USA will say some variant of “Jag-war” or “Jag-wah.” The British pronunciations in commercials for the vehicle tend toward “Jag-you-er” or “Jag-you-wuh.” And why is lieutenant “lef-ten-ant”? It may not be just Brits who say Nicaragua as “Nick-uh-rag-you-uh” but they seem not to vary much from that. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/34 "2006-02-17T18:06:57Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > This Brit says something like Halapeenyo. Is that wrong? I say hal-a-PEN-yo. But I was at a sandwich shop the other day in the Oxford covered market (god I love that place) and the woman asked the customer in front of me if she wanted “jew-LA-pee-noss”. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/35 "2006-02-17T18:32:43Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > And why is lieutenant “lef-ten-ant”? It appears the appropriate answer is ‘why not?’ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant#Pronunciation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant#Pronunciation) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/36 "2006-02-17T18:36:06Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > It appears the appropriate answer is ‘why not?’ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant#Pronunciation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant#Pronunciation) I’m putting this down as “the thing I learned today.” Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/37 "2006-02-17T20:23:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I’m putting this down as “the thing I learned today.” Likewise - the incentvie to go on random google-hunts is often a good thing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/38 "2006-02-18T05:46:56Z")
THAT’S what I’m talking about. **No one** on this side of the Atlantic would say it that way. Last time I was there, I heard it said that way multiple times, and never heard it said hal-a-PEEN-yo. Of course, I wasn’t in the most urbane places. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/39 "2006-02-18T05:48:07Z")
Damn! Forgot to quote. > [@jjimm](#): > > I say hal-a-PEN-yo. But I was at a sandwich shop the other day in the Oxford covered market (god I love that place) and the woman asked the customer in front of me if she wanted “jew-LA-pee-noss”. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828/40 "2006-02-18T06:29:07Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I think this may be one for IMHO, but it seems to me it’s a class thing. My mother, who I suspect would like to be posher than she is, says “AWN-velope”, which is a reasonably common “pseudo-French” pronunciation. I think it has fallen out of favour somewhat in recent times. > > So, chalk it down to “wanting to sound cultured”, I guess. AWN-velopes for envelopes is an issue? Seems to be a common Canadian pronunciation. And **Alan Smithee** there are quite a few Canadians this side of the Atlantic who could be hear to say hal-a-PEN-yo. Not that everyone does by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve heard quite often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-pronunciation-of-foreign-vowels/344828.md?page=3)