Comments on: How do you say that? http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:57:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Martin Halligan http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-300 Martin Halligan Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:57:49 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-300 Bill shoud know that David Frost, explaining "Chumley" (Cholmondely)admitted that "if we had Niagra Falls we'd call it "Niffles." Bill shoud know that David Frost, explaining “Chumley” (Cholmondely)admitted that “if we had Niagra Falls we’d call it “Niffles.”

]]> By: Bill http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-297 Bill Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:37:46 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-297 I am one of a small but devoted group of Anthony Powell devotees. His 12-novel sequence, Dance to the Music of Time, remains one of my favorite reading experiences. I was thrilled recently to learn that the BBC Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Dance, never released in the U.S, is now available here on DVD. I've been slowing working my way through the 8-hour production(incredibly abbreviated for anyone who has read the novels), and I was shocked to discover that I had been mispronouncing a seemingly simply name. One of the minor characters is a middle-brow novelist named St. John Clark (based on John Galsworthy). Through 3 readings of the novels, I had been unthinkingly pronouncing the name Saint John. Imagine my surprise to learn that it's "Sinjin" Clark. Who knew? I suppose I shouldn't have been all that surprised since Americans have been mispronouncing Powell's name for years. It isn't Powell rhymes with vowell as we might suppose; it's Powell rhymes with Lowell, as in Robert Lowell. I am one of a small but devoted group of Anthony Powell devotees. His 12-novel sequence, Dance to the Music of Time, remains one of my favorite reading experiences. I was thrilled recently to learn that the BBC Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Dance, never released in the U.S, is now available here on DVD. I’ve been slowing working my way through the 8-hour production(incredibly abbreviated for anyone who has read the novels), and I was shocked to discover that I had been mispronouncing a seemingly simply name. One of the minor characters is a middle-brow novelist named St. John Clark (based on John Galsworthy). Through 3 readings of the novels, I had been unthinkingly pronouncing the name Saint John. Imagine my surprise to learn that it’s “Sinjin” Clark. Who knew? I suppose I shouldn’t have been all that surprised since Americans have been mispronouncing Powell’s name for years. It isn’t Powell rhymes with vowell as we might suppose; it’s Powell rhymes with Lowell, as in Robert Lowell.

]]> By: Martin Halligan http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-251 Martin Halligan Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:41:24 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-251 oops. LYra, I'm told. (just gave 2 volumes to a patron, who was happy to pronounce Lyra PROPERLY...) oops.
LYra, I’m told. (just gave 2 volumes to a patron, who was happy to pronounce Lyra PROPERLY…)

]]> By: Marty Halligan http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-249 Marty Halligan Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:32:01 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-249 Sara Kipp is good, in that you use the difficulty as a point of discussion. We always need these. In another career, I was a College teacher, and long ago, was told by another grad student "You wait till THEY say it- GAWain, eg, then you say the opposite- gaWAIN." I don't know how to say LARA, for instance,, the heroine of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, and I've seen the movie, but I forget. That has NEVER NEVER NEVER stopped me from recommending it, and book 2 (THE SUBTLE KNIFE) to anyone who will permit me . Book 3 is a different thing.... Anyway, something all can unthreateningly discuss, so good.... Sara Kipp is good, in that you use the difficulty as a point of discussion. We always need these.
In another career, I was a College teacher, and long ago, was told by another grad student “You wait till THEY say it- GAWain, eg, then you say the opposite- gaWAIN.”
I don’t know how to say LARA, for instance,, the heroine of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, and I’ve seen the movie, but I forget. That has NEVER NEVER NEVER stopped me from recommending it, and book 2 (THE SUBTLE KNIFE) to anyone who will permit me . Book 3 is a different thing….
Anyway, something all can unthreateningly discuss, so good….

]]> By: Sara Kipp http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-245 Sara Kipp Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:09:13 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-245 In our book group, we usually have a good laugh at how each one of us seems to speak the names differently. By the end, we are saying, "tomato - tomaato - whatever" and then moving into the meaty portion of the conversation. Sometimes we even resort to "the older sister" or "the crazy cousin"... It doesn't seem to me that pronunciation should impact the discussion. I do like the audiocast at the beginning though - interesting fix. In our book group, we usually have a good laugh at how each one of us seems to speak the names differently. By the end, we are saying, “tomato – tomaato – whatever” and then moving into the meaty portion of the conversation. Sometimes we even resort to “the older sister” or “the crazy cousin”…

It doesn’t seem to me that pronunciation should impact the discussion. I do like the audiocast at the beginning though – interesting fix.

]]> By: Ann http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/comment-page-1/#comment-237 Ann Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:47:42 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2008/01/29/how-do-you-say-that/#comment-237 I also look online for audio of book reviews and author interviews - NPR is a great source for this. At the beginning of each discussion I give a synopsis of the selected title and if there were names difficult to pronounce, I take care in reading the synopsis and pronouncing the names. I also sometimes make a comment on how I had no idea on how to pronounce the name until I actually heard it in an author interview. I also look online for audio of book reviews and author interviews – NPR is a great source for this. At the beginning of each discussion I give a synopsis of the selected title and if there were names difficult to pronounce, I take care in reading the synopsis and pronouncing the names. I also sometimes make a comment on how I had no idea on how to pronounce the name until I actually heard it in an author interview.

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