The newscasters in the L.A. area tend to speak unaccented English – except when they pronounce a Spanish name. Then they make a point to use “correct Spanish pronunciation”. The change from unaccented English to a Spanish accent is usually jarring. The rolling Rs are especially noticeable. “And now we turn to the L.A. political race and contender AnTONio ViaRRRRRRaGOsa.”
This morning, David Cruz – who is Hispanic – used the exaggerated rolling R when pronouncing something, obviously poking fun at the practice. Kelly Mack, his co-anchor, said it sounded as if he were growling.
(Seems to me I saw an SNL skit several years ago that had non-Hispanic newspeople speaking unaccented English until they mentioned an Hispanic name or ordered their Mexican lunch, using Spanish accents – and the Hispanic character couldn’t understand them.)
I remember that SNL skit - Jimmy Smits (I think) was the new guy in the office, and all the other co-workers were ordering Mexican for lunch, speaking in every exagerated and clipped Spanish - TA’-co, buRRRRRRR-REEEEET’—toh, en-chee-LAHHHHHHH’—dah.
Interesting sketch.
Our newscasters here pretty much use standard unaccented English for everything (with the exception of one morning newscaster at a conservative right-wing radio station - he’s sarcastic about everything and everyone’s name ends up with a strange enunciation - part Neil Boortz, part Mike Savage of “The Savage Nation”).
One of the reporters on a national show has the absolutely beautiful name Soledad. Soh-le-dod’. It means solitud. They pronounce it Soul-a-Dad. Probably something DesMond Wilson would have called Redd Foxx. One of the most annoying and destructive Anglicizations of an Spanish word or name that I can think of.
I’ve always made it a point to use the proper pronunciation of whatever language I happen to be speaking in. Makes more sense and people laugh at you less frequently.