# Original pronounciation of names **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 1999, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176 "1999-12-04T20:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/1 "1999-12-05T06:50:00Z")
There are names, biblical ones especially, that are used in many different languagues. For example Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are found all over Europe. What I want to know is what did they originally sound like in the language they came from? For example the name Joseph is Jozef (pronounced Yoo-zef) in Polish and Giuseppe in Italian. (Or is Giovanni?) All three of these sound completely different. I’m guessing that most biblical names probably come from Hebrew or Greek, so would a speaker from one of these languages even recognize these names the way others pronounce them? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/2 "1999-12-04T20:01:00Z")
Include Aramaic in your list, & you got a good idea of where the names come from. * * * Save The Endangered Jackalope! Send Cash Now! If You Do This, I Will Use The Cash To Save Any Jackalope That I Happen To Find! Send Cash Now! Before It’s Too Late! My Bills, I Mean **The Jackalope’s Bills** Are Due The 15th Of The Month! _This has been a message from the Illuminated Committee To Save The Jackalope. Fnord._ ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/3 "1999-12-04T20:10:00Z")
I have a bible that includes pronunciation of the names along with a key for all the symbols etc. involved. I haven’t used that one so I can’t really comment on the correlation between the original and current pronouncing. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/4 "1999-12-04T20:21:00Z")
## As a Hebrew speaker (sort of…my level of Hebrew is recognized as “advanced intermediate”) I’d say yes to the Hebrew names. The general rule is that any “s” sound in an Anglicized Hebrew name is originally an “sh” sound, and a “j” is originally a “y” sound. For instance, Samuel is from Shmuel, Joshua is from Yoshua, Elizabeth is from Elisheva, Benjamin is from Benyamin, etc. See? Not a whole lot of difference. ~Kyla “You couldn’t fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life if you had an electrified fooling machine.” ---
**Author:** ![dlv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dlv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlv)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/5 "1999-12-05T16:10:00Z")
This thread reminded me of an incident that happened to me years ago in a public speaking course. I chose to read aloud a passage from the book of Esther (in English). However I pronounced the name of the Persian king “AhashvErosh” (Hebrew). The instructor pointed out that the traditional English pronunciation (A-hah-zoo-WEE-rus) is probably no further from the original Persian than the Hebrew one. (The traditional Russian pronunciation of this name is Agasfer - tat’s got to be further away from the original, passing through Greek.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/6 "1999-12-06T15:58:00Z")
Actually, the traditional English pronunciation of the name of that king is “ZURK-sees”. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 1999, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/7 "1999-12-07T20:55:00Z")
FWIW, Konrad, the Italian form of Joseph is Guiseppe. Giovanni is the Italian form of John. As Victor Borge put it, “Guieppe Verdi… or, Joe Green to you and me…” ---
**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/original-pronounciation-of-names/5176/8 "1999-12-08T04:07:00Z")
Most Jewish Aramaic speakers gave their kids Hebrew names.The names from the new testament are uually the Greek versions filtered through Latin by the time we get them in English. Jesus is the greek form of Joshua or Yoshua, I guess. I Think his name was Joshua bar Joseph, or Yoshua bar Yosef. The Romans invented the J.And I think Xerxes is the Greek form. In English I think it is Zerk the Jerk,inventer of the grease gun. ( Doin a lot of thinkin here,I just got slapped down in another board site for bein lighthearted and am feelin meek) * * * “Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx