Al la enhavo

Translation of Names

de Caledaravel, 2007-marto-20

Mesaĝoj: 42

Lingvo: English

pastorant (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-20 23:45:10

I have always had a gift for languages. For example, last week I went to my barber and he had a new Georgian barber working there.
So I belted out
Gamarjoba! Ragora khar? გამარჯობა! რაგორა ხარ?
But that's all I know, except maybe a couple of words.! (I'm a good mimic). He started speaking rapid fire Georgian! He sounded so excited that another native was there!
I told him that was all I knew, and he said I spoke Georgian with an Abkhaz accent. I came back the next day and brought him the CD's I learned Georgian from and he said the speaker was Abkhaz! I speak Spanish with a Peruvian accent (because my childhood friends were from Lima) and I learned Russian from a girl from Minsk, so I speak Russian with a Byelorussian accent. I can detect accents easily as well, and I can consciously switch accents if I try.
Foreigners tend to think I'm native when I'm not. Although I think French is easy to pronounce for me, I choose not to pronounce French with a Quebecois accent. Sorry, but I don't like it. I think it's too rough lango.gif

DesertNaiad (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-20 23:47:14

I too have trouble with the sound of c in Esperanto, and my rolling r trips my tongue a lot. I'll be reading a lesson aloud, run into a c and have to say "tsar, like in tsar!" a few times before I can pronounce the new word. H and ĥ are harder for me than either c or r though. I can't even hear the difference most of the time, yet.

Islander (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 00:01:14

Foreigners tend to think I'm native when I'm not.
I'm fluent enough now that I often get that too when I speak english. Native speaker will comment that I have an accent, but they rarely think it's french. I've heard I sounded spanish a lot, I even heard arabic once!
I choose not to pronounce French with a Quebecois accent.
As gifted as you may be, I'll guaranty you if you're not fully integrated into Québec's community, you just cannot fully grasp the dialect and the regional accents. Speaking an "international" french while here will work out much better in this case.
H and ĥ are harder for me than either c or r though. I can't even hear the difference most of the time, yet.
Well, since I can't even grasp the english H, you can imagine the fun I'm having here! And I was reading the comparative examples on how to pronouce it in the grammar here and it just confused me even more. The best way for me to reproduce the sound is to try to pronouce a K but inspiring instead of expiring air. It works for the letter alone, but it sure is hard to do a whole word after that!

pastorant (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 00:21:10

Islander: As gifted as you may be, I'll guaranty you if you're not fully integrated into Québec's community, you just cannot fully grasp the dialect and the regional accents. Speaking an "international" french while here will work out much better in this case.
That's absolutely true. I hear from most people that Parisian French is easily detected, and most non-Parisians don't like it. Would you agree?

Islander (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 00:25:40

I hear from most people that Parisian French is easily detected, and most non-Parisians don't like it. Would you agree?
That has nothing to do with an accent, it's an attitude. Social standing there is measured by one's wits and they will insult you as a chalenge. Do a quick wise crack and you'll gain respect. Don't try this outside of Paris, however.

Mendacapote (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 02:26:48

Pastorant your remark about your gift for languages has really triggered my curiosity. Could you, please, send me a record of your Spanish, and Esperanto pronunciation? I will send you a record of mine, if you want.

erinja (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 10:35:52

pastorant:
Foreigners tend to think I'm native when I'm not. Although I think French is easy to pronounce for me, I choose not to pronounce French with a Quebecois accent. Sorry, but I don't like it. I think it's too rough lango.gif
That's ok, not everyone is wonderful enough to be able to pass as Quebecois. We understand if you don't feel like you're up to snuff lango.gif

Haha I agree about the accent though. To me, it sounds like someone speaking English with a US southern accent.

Islander (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 15:03:18

That's ok, not everyone is wonderful enough to be able to pass as Quebecois.
Ohhh, thank you! rido.gif
To me, it sounds like someone speaking English with a US southern accent.
demando.gif Now that's puzzling. I don't see a resemblance there. In an overall colonial inspired attitude, maybe. But the accent...

erinja (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 15:20:46

DesertNaiad: H and ĥ are harder for me than either c or r though. I can't even hear the difference most of the time, yet.
Really? I find them quite different. The ĥ is like the ch in "Bach", which I don't think anyone would ever confuse for a plain h.

Islander (Montri la profilon) 2007-marto-21 15:30:15

The ĥ is like the ch in "Bach", which I don't think anyone would ever confuse for a plain h.
Well, take your example. For me (french guy), this is pronounced just the same as "Bak", with an accentuation of the "a" ("kind of "Baok"). If it was "Bah", then it would be pronounced "Ba".

The problem is more with words that start with these letters, such as horo and ĥoro. So I would be tempted to pronouce them "Oro" and "Koro", but I think neither are correct.

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