Re: Pronunciation of "Helvetica"


"Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:448C0E5A.6413@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jukka K. Korpela wrote:

Farooq W <farooq.w@xxxxxxxxx> scripsit:

Helvetica Chimica Acta is a very famous Swiss chemistry journal (so
named in World War days to show neutrality). I used to pronouce this
"Hell-veti-ka Kemika Akta", until someone claimed that it is
"Hell-feti-ka Shemika Acta". He said a native German corrected him.

The name is neo-Latin, so everyone and his brother pronounces it in his
own
way, depending on one's cultural background (especially native language)
and
knowledge about Latin. Pronouncing the "v" as [f] is a striking
Germanism,
though, and suggests lack of understanding of Latin, or willingness to
please fellow citizens who know no Latin either. And I suppose by
"Shemika"
you refer to pronouncing the "ch" as in German (rather than as "sch" in
German, "sh" in English), which would also be a strong Germanism.

If he meand /x/ rather than /S/, why would he spell it with <sh>?

Well don't some Germans have an ich-laut that's very, very close to [S]?

Neeraj Mathur


.

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