# Pronunciation of Górecki. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569 "2005-04-28T16:57:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/1 "2005-04-28T16:57:07Z")
Yes, as in the composer. Any Polish speakers out there? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/2 "2005-04-28T17:06:43Z")
IANOPS, but I believe it’s Goh-RETS-kee. ---
**Author:** ![Anaptyxis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anaptyxis/32/3171_2.png) [@Anaptyxis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaptyxis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/3 "2005-04-28T18:21:04Z")
**Biffy** , you’re almost 100% right - but the ó (that’s o with an acute accent) = English “oo” sound as in “mood”. So Goo-RETS-kee, stress on middle syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/4 "2005-04-28T18:56:44Z")
Thanks for your quick replies. I will now consider myself as having been enlightened. On this question, at least. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/5 "2005-04-28T20:51:23Z")
> [@Anaptyxis](#): > > **Biffy** , you’re almost 100% right - but the ó (that’s o with an acute accent) = English “oo” sound as in “mood”. So Goo-RETS-kee, stress on middle syllable. This is correct, although it may be easier to think of it as goo-RET-skee, or Gooretski. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/6 "2005-04-28T22:30:22Z")
Thanks, **Anaptyxis** - I can now sound like more of a muso smartarse than I normally do (even the BBC go for ‘ger-ett-ski’ most of the time) ---
**Author:** ![Anaptyxis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anaptyxis/32/3171_2.png) [@Anaptyxis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaptyxis)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/7 "2005-04-29T02:19:03Z")
My pleasure. I usually lurk, but for some reason today there are GQs I actually feel qualified to weigh in on. 🆒 As for the BBC, you can blame the fondness of our English language for slackin’ off on unstressed vowels… ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/8 "2005-04-29T09:54:06Z")
And to be even more picky, the Polish “r” is pronounced differently than the English. It’s a harder sound, pronounced with the tongue further forward. Kind of a cross between a rolled r and a d sound. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/9 "2005-04-29T12:37:36Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > And to be even more picky, the Polish “r” is pronounced differently than the English. It’s a harder sound, pronounced with the tongue further forward. Kind of a cross between a rolled r and a d sound. Yes, it’s an untrilled “r” sound. (Think of the untrilled single-r in Spanish, for example.) It’s made by flicking your tongue across the front of your palate. It shows up in a lot of languages, like Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, any Slavic language, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/10 "2005-04-29T13:08:25Z")
I don’t suppose there’s a pronunciation dictionary for names online somewhere? I’ll occasionally see the name of, say, an author or musician or someone, and wonder how it’s pronounced—or worse, I’ll have to refer to the person in conversation and I don’t want to look like an idiot who doesn’t even know how to say the person’s name. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/11 "2005-04-29T13:08:29Z")
Slight Hijack: There is a song called “ **Gorecki** ” by **Lamb** , which is amazingly beautiful. I recommend you all check it out. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/12 "2005-04-29T17:02:03Z")
Something that’s just come to mind, on the topic of Polish composers: Lutosławski? It’s another one which gets more than one mangling on the BBC - how should it be pronounced? ---
**Author:** ![Anaptyxis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anaptyxis/32/3171_2.png) [@Anaptyxis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaptyxis)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/13 "2005-04-29T20:46:07Z")
Lutos?awski: Loo-toe-SWAV-skee The “l” with a little bar through it is pronounced [w]. The “w” is pronounced [v]. Just to keep you on your toes! On preview, hm, I can’t get that special character to show up. Dagnabit. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/14 "2005-04-29T22:47:33Z")
> [@Anaptyxis](#): > > The “l” with a little bar through it is pronounced [w]. The “w” is pronounced [v]. Just to keep you on your toes! Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/15 "2005-05-01T17:59:29Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > I don’t suppose there’s a pronunciation dictionary for names online somewhere? I’ll occasionally see the name of, say, an author or musician or someone, and wonder how it’s pronounced—or worse, I’ll have to refer to the person in conversation and I don’t want to look like an idiot who doesn’t even know how to say the person’s name. That would be useful. I once had a native Norwegian speaker (who actually knew the guy) coach me repeatedly on how to pronounce Terje Rypdal’s name, and I still couldn’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/16 "2005-05-01T19:06:05Z")
Is Wayne Gretzky’s name an Americanized version of the same Polish name? Is Wayne Gretzky even Polish? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/17 "2005-05-01T19:37:17Z")
> [@iwakura43](#): > > Is Wayne Gretzky’s name an Americanized version of the same Polish name? > > Is Wayne Gretzky even Polish? It sounds (and looks) like a Romanized Russian name to me. Doing a search on immigrants at [http://www.ellisisland.org](http://www.ellisisland.org) with the last name “Gretzky” seems to confirm this. I don’t know anything about his ancestry. I assume the Polish name “Gorecki” comes from the Polish word “gora,” which means “mountain” or “hill,” depending on context. It’s quite possible the name “Gretzky” has the same Slavic root via Russian. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-gorecki/301569/18 "2005-05-01T19:40:33Z")
Goooooooo-retski, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain… And… what?