The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #124681   Message #2756747
Posted By: MGM·Lion
31-Oct-09 - 01:32 PM
Thread Name: BS: American English usages taking over Brit
Subject: RE: BS: American English usages taking over Brit
The pronunciation of foreign words or place names is something of a separate question. Why do some foreign words, like his example 'paella', become anglicised in pronunciation, others not?  Only a terrible snob, for instance, would order a bottle of 'shom-pan-ye';  only an ignoramus, on the other hand, would call for a bottle of 'bew-jo-laze'.  We put 'mayo-naze' on our salad, not 'my-o-nez'.  We used to travel to 'Lions', but now it is to 'Lee-õ'; but still nobody goes to 'Paree', or 'Moskva'. or 'Yerushalayim'. We travel to Florence, not Firenze. It used to be to Leghorn, but now it is more likely to be to Livorno. Why is this?