Has Everyone Been Mispronouncing "Leica" All These Years?

jbrianfoto said:
I've heard several people (including one who worked for Nikon in New York) - pronounce Nikon as Nee-kon. Always throws me. Addidas is also pronounced weird (Ah-De-Das).
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To be fair, Nikon spells their own name as ニコン, so I suppose that's technically correct. But their horribly obnoxious TV spots pronounce it either "Nikkon" or Naikon".

Anyway. Moving on.
 
A German immigrant here in NYC once corrected my E-NUN-C-A-tion of Leica (My version "Lie-Kaa). His version was more like "Lake-Ahh."

My girl, a PhD academic, states that I butcher the English language all the time, even though I have two graduate degrees. She really takes exception to my invented words that convey new meaning that is not in a dictionary.

At one point I state that I'm a person of color and it is my right to butcher the English language, and that inventing words with new meanings is part of immigrant culture (I'm first generation American, and my father was illiterate).

I even go so far as to say that correcting me is a form of oppression, and that I consider it rude and disrespectful when she corrects me. I also say that slang is culural as well as an art form. BTW I like jazz, but I understand others don't. LOL.

My gal thinks its vulgar.

Cal
 
Actually, Nick is right. I am German, I should know. Effective immediately (as of October 1st 2014) "ei" is always to be pronounced "ie" (as in Bruce Lee).

Don't laugh! This is not funny.
So: Meisenknödel, from now on: Miesenknödel.
Leitz is Lietz.
Leid is Lied.

And so on. Everybody get used to it. Also, as of next week, DUDEN will stop making the German letter "b". Better stock up while supply lasts! You heard it here first.

Greetings, Ljós
 
jbrianfoto said:
I've heard several people (including one who worked for Nikon in New York) - pronounce Nikon as Nee-kon. Always throws me. Addidas is also pronounced weird (Ah-De-Das).
Click to expand...

from the founders name Adi Dassler, not sure of spelling but pronounced as written.

how about the italian pronounciation: lay-i-ca? i like-a...):
 
Ljós said:
Actually, Nick is right. I am German, I should know. Effective immediately (as of October 1st 2014) "ei" is always to be pronounced "ie" (as in Bruce Lee).

Don't laugh! This is not funny.
So: Meisenknödel, from now on: Miesenknödel.
Leitz is Lietz.
Leid is Lied.

And so on. Everybody get used to it. Also, as of next week, DUDEN will stop making the German letter "b". Better stock up while supply lasts! You heard it here first.

Greetings, Ljós
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great laugh.

You make it sound like day-trading commodities. I'll have to start my usual hoarding.

Cal
 
Glad to know that we have always pronounced Nikon the right way in here in Denmark!

@ Ljós: So Leitz Weingut is now officially a beverage produced in Leeds, U.K:?
 
Cal, you are a butcher alright, but I know you would only use the finest cutlery.

There is a fine American tradition of mangling Germanic derived names. Wieners and Weiners, and Siegels and Seigels all tend to use the same ie (ee) pronunciation.

Consider the politician with the name Boehner who calls himself 'Baynor'. Presumably that would have been spelt Böhner.
I doubt he would have made it through highschool with that name with his ego in tact enough to have the self confidence to go into politics.
 
CNNY said:
Cal, you are a butcher alright, but I know you would only use the finest cutlery.

There is a fine American tradition of mangling Germanic derived names. Wieners and Weiners, and Siegels and Seigels all tend to use the same ie (ee) pronunciation.

Consider the politician with the name Boehner who calls himself 'Baynor'. Presumably that would have been spelt Böhner.
I doubt he would have made it through highschool with that name with his ego in tact enough to have the self confidence to go into politics.
Click to expand...

Christian,

I like German knives and use Henkels "Pro S." One of the problems I have with these expensive knives is "Woman Factor" where "Maggie" basically destoys them. I observed Maggie scoop up some chopped onions into a frying pan which wasn't bad, but next she kinda cleavered the blade on the edge of the frying pan making a once perfect blade into a serrated knife. Today this and other small knives do not resemble their orgiginal shape due to repeated sharpening to get rid of divits. Also Maggie likes to use our granite countertops as a cutting board which also kills knives.

Here is my clever solution to avoid wearing down my teeth, getting upset, and to avoid fighting... I buy extra-large knives which are too bulky and big for her to use. These "manly" knives remain deadly sharp because Maggie deems them too big for her.

By the way I call that politician "Bone-ERR."

Also know my name Calvin is kinda German, and my middle name is August, another German name.

Cal
 
DavidKKHansen said:
Uh, no. It's pronounced "la-i-tz", the beginning similar to Leica.

🙄
...nevermind. Germans: have at him.
Click to expand...

correct! pronounciation of letters in German, unlike in English, is consistent, 'ei' always is pronounced this way, and 'ie' always is pronounced as a long 'e'
 
This thread explains way some people think that Zeiss is written Ziess - to me it is a weird mistake but if you're used that ie and ei sond the same, it isn't. At least I learned something from this thread!
 
jsrockit said:
It's pronounced "Nee-kon" in Japan, and "Ni-kon" in the US... makes sense to me based on Japanese pronunciation.
Click to expand...

and so it is in many languages, btw. including German, my mother tongue. Even must admit that the English N{ai}kon always has sounded a bit weird to me.
 
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