Good link. I was actually thinking abour Rafael Bernardo's old site but you beat me to it...
Maybe one of these days I will do an updated version with NCs as well...
Cigar Pronunciation... a rant.
- Thread starter TreeFrog Frank
- Start date
Maybe one of these days I will do an updated version with NCs as well...
DevonS
Busted Mailbox
Resurrecting an old thread, sorry. I just found it entertaining that I am almost as far North as anyone can get from the Spanish speaking world and I actually nailed quite a few of the pronounciations. I know very little Spanish, or any other language for that matter, but I seem to have a gift for accents. I can roll my r's pretty well for a white guy. I was in Mexico last year and greeted one of the resort workers in Spanish and added in about 3 other words I knew and she started rattling off in Spanish until she saw the blank look on my face then appologized in English and complimented my Spanish accent! 
I've never had a conversation with anyone up here who knows cigars. I don't think it would bother me too much if someone blew pronounciation who is obviously not native to the languge. I'm in IT and I listen to about 10 different accents a day, so a little mangled Spanish is inconsequential when I compare it to all the busted-ass English I hear on a daily basis.
I'll continue to research and at least attempt the correct pronounciation. As for everyone else... meh... whatever. I'll help out when I can.
I've never had a conversation with anyone up here who knows cigars. I don't think it would bother me too much if someone blew pronounciation who is obviously not native to the languge. I'm in IT and I listen to about 10 different accents a day, so a little mangled Spanish is inconsequential when I compare it to all the busted-ass English I hear on a daily basis.
I'll continue to research and at least attempt the correct pronounciation. As for everyone else... meh... whatever. I'll help out when I can.
I agree 100%, Frank.....It's basically disrespectful to the hobby. Especially if you are in the industry (I.e. Turning a profit from cigars) you should make some attempt to learn the correct pronunciation within your trade.
No, this doesn't bother me...not sure why it would bother anyone. Pronunciation is quite often a cultural thing (rolling of "r's"), and it is very unnatural...or even impossible...for some people to perform the necessary movements to pronunciate a word "correctly." It's mostly a muscular issue.
Example: I've been in a spanish class since kindergarten (senior in college now) and can speak quite fluently...but for the life of me I can't roll my damn "r's."
Example: I've been in a spanish class since kindergarten (senior in college now) and can speak quite fluently...but for the life of me I can't roll my damn "r's."
I 100% agree with this! I will watch cooking shows with my girlfriend sometimes and I always complain about how American people try to sound french when saying french words.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Certainly there's got to be more important things to be irked about than the pronunciation of cigar names...let's not limit ourselves to just this when there are crazya$$ drivers who signal one way and then will turn in the opposite direction...or the ugly broad stopped in front of me at the stoplight fixing her makeup in the rear view while the light turns green...or the retard at the grocery store with a half full cart who waits til the last minute after the bill is rung up...takes out their coupons one by one...then brings out the checkbook...then asks for a pen...then takes their time to write the check out and gently taking 2 minutes to tear it our perfectly....they drags out their wallet/purse once more to get their ID...then wants to talk with the cashier about a recipe...by this time I've already gone into a grand mal seizure of sorts trying to find the meaning of life for this phucking idiot.
Ditto... For whatever the reason, Romeo Eee Hoo-lee-etta irks me the most.
This is a good point. I try to do my best to use the Spanish pronunciations in most cases (Soy de Nueva York, after all), but I anglicize the shit out of "robusto".
-Charles
Being from New England, the accent of one particular retailer drives me effin nuts. I usually just laugh at the mispronunciations, but for some reason this guy gets under my skin. The way he says robusto is what got me, he says rah-bust-o. Boston accents are probably the ugliest accents on the planet.
ciggy
"TommyBoy"
The only ones I really have trouble pronouncing are some of the CC's out there. If I've sounded like a fool talking about them to anybody I apologize. I do have a hard time with cigars I'm unfamiliar with too, including some NC's. it's nice when someone corrects you without making you sound stupid for getting it wrong.
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Agreed. I don't know if someone already posted this or not, but this can be a useful site for pronunciation (at least for Cubans):
http://www.mycigarsite.com/subopciones/opcion5a/opcion5aeng.html
I grew up around Spanish speakers, and while I don't speak Spanish I understand most of it. It annoys me to NO F'ING end when Americans try to put on a Spanish accent when they say the name of a cigar. It's like finger nails on chalk board or your teeth scraping across those little wooden spoons we got with ice cream as kids. I have no problem what so ever with people not pronouncing cigars correctly, it just doesn't bother me. If we looked at everything we mispronounce, I'm sure it would amaze us.
Lets try this - We've all seen pictures of these cars, maybe even had posters of them as a kid, so say the name of it out loud, even if you look dumb - Lamborghini
Did you know it's pronounced Lum-bor-G-nee, not Lam-bor-gee-nee. *Shurg* It doesn't matter, we live in the states and we speak American English, simple as that.
Lets try this - We've all seen pictures of these cars, maybe even had posters of them as a kid, so say the name of it out loud, even if you look dumb - Lamborghini
Did you know it's pronounced Lum-bor-G-nee, not Lam-bor-gee-nee. *Shurg* It doesn't matter, we live in the states and we speak American English, simple as that.
It really irritates me when someone interrupts me to bluntly correct me. Often if I'm not sure I'll ask. If I'm struggling with the word, go ahead.
Once at a herf with people we had just met, a friend of mine uses the word "ligero" in a sentence, pronouncing it with the G sound. Someone cut it with, "actually, it's li-HAIR-oh." My buddy looked at him blankly for a moment and shot back "Oh my bad, I didn't realize that we were speaking spanish." Really made the whole pronunciation thing seem silly, as long as all parties can understand what you're talking about.
Once at a herf with people we had just met, a friend of mine uses the word "ligero" in a sentence, pronouncing it with the G sound. Someone cut it with, "actually, it's li-HAIR-oh." My buddy looked at him blankly for a moment and shot back "Oh my bad, I didn't realize that we were speaking spanish." Really made the whole pronunciation thing seem silly, as long as all parties can understand what you're talking about.
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I don't really follow some of these posts...for those that have an issue with correct pronunciation how would you pronounce something like: Romeo Y Julieta? Roh-me-oh why Julie-tah?
I had a friend in school that was named Hannibal. Everyone called him Hannibal like in "Silence of the Lambs" ...that's not his name but at some point during his life he gave up correcting people, I always found that disrespectful to him.
...But I guess that's just coming from someone that once had to argue with his principal on how to pronounce my own last name.
I had a friend in school that was named Hannibal. Everyone called him Hannibal like in "Silence of the Lambs" ...that's not his name but at some point during his life he gave up correcting people, I always found that disrespectful to him.
...But I guess that's just coming from someone that once had to argue with his principal on how to pronounce my own last name.
I recently started working at Cigar Masters Providence and before I started, Ian (IPH) and I spent some time talking about correct pronunciation of some harder ones: Tatuaje, Cojonu, Viaje, Anejo so that when I worked I could sound like i knew what I was talking about with the experienced smokers that came in, however, i dont care how someone pronounces it when they come in asking for something, as long as I know what you are trying to say thats all that matters... For a while Robusto like english and I pronounced illusione like illiusion but now Ive adopted the "proper" pronucition mostly just because of the company I keep and I get paid for it.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Reminds me of the guy I was buying some spirits at a liquor store in LA....Total Wine...and the guys name tag was spelled....I kid you not...SHITEHEAD. I couldn't help myself and asked the guy while still giggling a little bit...."Dude...seriously, your name tag....really?" He said it's pronounced Shetayhahd....and it's a common name where he came from. Another time in Framingham, Ma. a guy who worked at the nearby grocery store STOP & SHOP....his name was ABEER...pronounced exactly as you read it.