How to pronounce these photography terms? (not right or wrong thread!)

coelacanth

coelacanth

Ride, dive, shoot.
Local time
4:04 PM
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
3,546
Now the "Bokeh" pronunciation debate cleared, I have some other non-northan-californian-american English (with Japanese accent :p) photography terminologies that I don't know the "actual" pronunciations. I have no intention of saying one way is right or wrong. Today, we adopt, arrange, and reinterpret many things. Different regions and languages say things differently. But I thought it would be nice to know the origin of those words that we use regular basis on RFF where people gather from all over the world.

My questions:

• Summicron/Summilux
• Voigtländer
• Ikon (ai-con? ekon?)
• Zeiss

in German?

One more that's been not clear to me: Youxin Ye's first name.
I've heard several different versions (and spellings) of his name. I'm not familiar with "xi" sound.
 
Last edited:
Sug, I always think of dictionaries for these things. You'll see multiple pronunciations given. Check herbs, basil, or tomato all have alternative pronunciations. I think the "language police" should be given some respect but don't go looking for an absolute in these English language paradoxes.

best, Jan
 
You are quite right. I'm NOT looking for absolute "answer" but I'd like to know how these are pronounced by the people who made the products in the first place. (and I understand it's pretty hard to discuss this on the web.)

Youxin's case is a bit different thought. This one I DO want to know the actual pronunciation so I can call him right. ;) I've heard all sorts of creative ways to pronounce my full name. :D
 
I'm no expert on the German Language but a few I can try to explain

"Voigtländer" I would think is said as "Voidlender"
"Zeiss" is German for "Scythe" I think, Pronunciation would be something close to "Z-eyes".
 
Last edited:
I had an old friend who spoke German fluently and he always pronounced Voigtlander as "Vo-landa."

Bob
 
For me it is: Ziys, and iKon, as in iPod.

Youxin is sounds similar to "You-shin", right?

Oh, yes, do people say Kiev as "Key-ev", or "Keev"?
 
Last edited:
sew-mah-con, sew-mah-lux
vote(gutteral "o")-lane-der
eye-con
zice (rhymes with rice)

But imagine a german accent.

I also would think it's you-shin, like the spicy pork dish. But depending on where in china he hails from, it could be you-ching.
 
My takes:

• Summicron/Summilux: with "Su", unless I talk to a Japanese person, then with Z which is more common there.

• Voigtländer: I try to avoid calling out because I'm too unsure and afraid of messing up. I usually get by with "CV" or "Cosina." :p If I write/say in Japanese, it's close to "Foktolender" because that how they write in Katakana including Cosina website.

• Ikon: Ikon as in iPod when speaking English, Ikon as in "In" when I'm speaking Japanese just because they write that way. I have no clue.

• Zeiss: for same reason as above, it's close to "tsaiss" (ahh it's hard to write this) in Jp speaking mode, but "Z-eyes" like Rick said otherwise.

• Youxin: I thought it was like "You-s(z)hin"

• Kiev: Key-eff?
 
Last edited:
I’m german, so I’ll have a try.

• Summicron/Summilux: Sew me kron; Sew me lewx; if you read it out the english way, it’s not perfect as there is no aquivalent english „u“ for the german „u"
• Voigtländer: Voo(long „o“)gt län da
• Ikon (ai-con? ekon?): Ekon is quite right ;)
• Zeiss: Ci(longer i)s
 
I once heard an American here in Australia say Carl Zeiss (relating to a rifle scope) like "Car-ul Zayysz" in a nice drawn out accent.

I giggled.
 
If Youxin Ye is in Pinyin (the official Chinese roman alphabet adaptation) it should sound like Yo(“long” O) Shin Ye(short e). In pinyin, X is "sh" as in ship. Ou is like "o" in "Oh!", and e is short e as in bet. I would venture this to be so, since my middle name is also Ye (叶） in mandarin.

Summi-kron, Summi-loox (Summa, root word, which is latin)

Fotlende'

Tsaiss (as in eye?) Eekon

I guess it is proper to pronounce names in the language they originated in, rather than in the context of the language these names are being used with.
 
Well I'm German, and I say that Kolame, Mablo and ZorkiKat each have it partially right.

However:
The s at the beginning of German words is a soft s (unless you're Bavarian).
Thus: Zummicron and Zummilooks

For Voigtländer I concur with Mablo:
fogtlender

For the Zeiss Ikon ZorkiKat has nailed it, but I prefer a different transscription:
Tsice Eekon

That being said for the correct German pronunciation, I think everybody should pronounce words as they see fit. I learned this after explaining to some Americans how the philosopher Kant is really pronounced in German... :D
 
Mr_Flibble said:
"Voigtländer" I would think is said as "Voidlender"
"Zeiss" is German for "Scythe" I think, Pronunciation would be something close to "Z-eyes".
Click to expand...

The "lender" is right. But "Voigt" is the outdated spelling of what had been modernized to Vogt by 1800 - the proper German pronunciation ranges from "vohdlender" to "vochtlender" (as in Scottish "loch"), depending on whether you're from the South or North. But I've heard uneducated Germans utter a "voidlender" on many a car boot sale...

"Zeiss" seems to have the same (Slavonic) roots as "Zeisig" (Greenfinch) - no Scythe in there.
 
sevo said:
The "lender" is right. But "Voigt" is the outdated spelling of what had been modernized to Vogt by 1800 - the proper German pronunciation ranges from "vohdlender" to "vochtlender" (as in Scottish "loch"), depending on whether you're from the South or North. But I've heard uneducated Germans utter a "voidlender" on many a car boot sale...

"Zeiss" seems to have the same (Slavonic) roots as "Zeisig" (Greenfinch) - no Scythe in there.
Click to expand...

Interesting, but isn't the initial "v" in Voigtländer pronounced as "f", as in the sound example in my previous post?
 
Rogrund said:
Interesting, but isn't the initial "v" in Voigtländer pronounced as "f", as in the sound example in my previous post?
Click to expand...

The hard pronunciation as used by the aged or in the north is better transcribed as a "f", but the majority will pronounce it softer now. F and v are converging in contemporary German (just like in English - there seems to be a global reduction of phonemes)...
 
sevo said:
The hard pronunciation as used by the aged or in the north is better transcribed as a "f", but the majority will pronounce it softer now. F and v are converging in contemporary German (just like in English - there seems to be a global reduction of phonemes)...
Click to expand...

OK, I see. Thanks! Are you perhaps a linguist by profession, by the way?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom