Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Talking Smart: Foreign Names

John O'Shea (Irl.)
This Irish surname should be pronounced as [o-shey].

Keogh (Irl.)
Another Irish surname which should be remembered: [kee-ou].

Kjetil Wæhler (Nor./Swed./Ger.)
In Norwegian and Swedish languages "kj" stands for [ch]. In German language the "h", if not at the beginning of a word, usually is mute. The letter "æ" denotes something between Latin [a] and [e] and should be rendered as [e]: [chetil veler].

Lukáš Brhlík (Czech.)
Another example of a Czech "h" which is always voiced and should be rendered in international transcription systems through [g]. Also there is a hidden syllable here among a heap of consonants: [lukash brglik].

Luke Chadwick (Eng.)
In English surnames with "-wick" suffix the last letter of a root is doubled while the "w" is not pronounced: [chaddik]. Although, in USA you may encounter a more predictable pronounciation.

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