# Pronounce Joran van der Sloot **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 15, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247 "2010-06-15T02:45:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/1 "2010-06-15T02:45:17Z")
On TV I’ve heard the _Jor_ in Joran pronounced yore and yur while the surname has been pronounced and “van der SLOAT”, “van der SLUTE”, and even “van der Slot”. Out of curiosity, which if any is closest to the Dutch pronunciation? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/2 "2010-06-15T02:46:35Z")
IAN Dutch, but since the language is similar to German I’d say ‘Yor-ahn van der Sloat’. EDIT: IAN German, either. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/3 "2010-06-15T04:11:05Z")
“Scumbag.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/4 "2010-06-15T04:29:46Z")
I believe Dutch, like German, always treats the double O as a long O in English, so it would be “Sloat.” ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/5 "2010-06-15T04:48:27Z")
Ask Brett Favre how to pronounce it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/6 "2010-06-15T06:33:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > IAN Dutch, but since the language is similar to German I’d say ‘Yor-ahn van der Sloat’. > > EDIT: IAN German, either. My vote goes with this one. IA Polish, not Dutch, so take it for what that’s worth. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/7 "2010-06-15T10:52:23Z")
In Afrikaans, at least, the “oo” in “Sloot” is pronounced as the same as the “oo” in English “moor”. Might be a bit different in Dutch, though. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/8 "2010-06-15T11:41:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > IAN Dutch, but since the language is similar to German I’d say ‘Yor-ahn van der Sloat’. > > EDIT: IAN German, either. You’re right, but just note that the “a” in “van” is pronounced like the “a” in “car” not like the “a” in “can”. I am actually Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/9 "2010-06-15T11:58:40Z")
Question: would the “S” in Sloot sound more like an “Sh” than an “S”? Or is this just a German thing? (for S followed by a consonant of course, I know the “S-vowel” initial has a “z” sound in German.) ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/10 "2010-06-15T12:27:02Z")
No, the s is not palatalized. Also, speakers of English tend to stress the ‘van’ in Dutch names; but unless the name is spelled as one word (which is what the Flemish do, but which is not typically the case in The Netherlands), ‘van’, ‘der’, etc. are unstressed (which means that many pronounce ‘der’ as ‘duhr’). You stress the Sloot, which, incidentally, translates as irrigation ditch. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/11 "2010-06-15T15:35:24Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > You’re right, but just note that the “a” in “van” is pronounced like the “a” in “car” not like the “a” in “can”. > > I am actually Dutch. I was going to write it ‘vahn’ (similar to ‘car’, as you say), but I didn’t. Actually, now that I think of it, one set of grandparents had a Dutch name. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/12 "2010-06-15T18:44:53Z")
“Throatwobbler Mangrove.” ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/13 "2010-06-15T19:50:49Z")
I’d _like_ to pronounce Joran van der Sloot dead. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/14 "2010-06-15T20:15:13Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I’d _like_ to pronounce Joran van der Sloot dead. For $50,000 bucks wired to my PayPal I’ll send you a death certificate and tell you where I may or may not have helped him put Natalie Holloway’s body. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/15 "2010-06-18T15:23:14Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > You stress the Sloot, which, incidentally, translates as irrigation ditch. I just ran across the name _Desmet_ (smet means dirt), which got me thinking. How has such names emerged (other names: van de Kerkhof (churchyard), van Beethofen (beet field), etc)? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/16 "2010-06-18T15:25:22Z")
Appropriately enough, Joran rhymes with urine. At least, that’s how CNN says it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/17 "2010-06-18T15:28:04Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > I just ran across the name _Desmet_ (smet means dirt), which got me thinking. How has such names emerged (other names: van de Kerkhof (churchyard), van Beethofen (beet field), etc)? I associate that name with Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose family lived in De Smet, South Dakota for many years. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounce-joran-van-der-sloot/543247/18 "2010-06-18T18:56:55Z")
De Smet is a very common last name and is related to Smith, etymologically (I think there was a famous fleming missionary who headed west in N.A.-- there’s a De Smet in north ID or MT or something up that way, too). I don’t think Kerkhof’s any stranger than Churchill or Kirkland or Graves. People gotta live in _some_ neighborhood.