Pronunciation

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Now while we are the subject of pronunciation.... I wouldn't mind hearing how some people pronounce some of the cars and tuners.... (this should be interesting).....

For example, Steaga .... I say Stage-iah... but I've heard others say Stage A, stay-jah the list goes on... everyone I know seems to say it differently.
 
Syntax error
Now while we are the subject of pronunciation.... I wouldn't mind hearing how some people pronounce some of the cars and tuners.... (this should be interesting).....

For example, Steaga .... I say Stage-iah... but I've heard others say Stage A, stay-jah the list goes on... everyone I know seems to say it differently.
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Well, since it's a Japanese car, maybe we should just pronounce it the way they do...and that's "Stay-jah"... :)
 
Wolfe2x7
Well, since it's a Japanese car, maybe we should just pronounce it the way they do...and that's "Stay-jah"... :)
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Well in that case I would assume it would be more like stay-gee-ah.....

Apparently when written, Stegea in Japanese has a hyphen in it which elongates the gea bit. Well that’s what a mate of mine who spent some 5 years in Japan recons anyway...

Just curious on other people’s thoughts....

Edit: came across this japanese advert for Stagea M35
 
I say -Graun-tur-iz-mohh-

Sounds strange but I always have debates with my friends about the fact i've got short-tongue
 
GT4_Rule
G-ra-n Tu-ri-s-mo :lol:
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More than true in my case, our language just works like that. Practically everything is said as it's written. I guess the original (Italian) is pretty much the same way, but with the weight on the "ris" part and maybe the last "o" is elongated a bit.

Personally, I just use the Gee-Tee, I seldom even say the number. :)
 
Gee Tea, fer short.

Gran [rhymes with ran, past tense of run]
Ter-is-mo [because I've lived in the southeastern United States too long]

As for Stagea: It sounds like a made up word, but let's break down the Japanese rendering of the word.

stagea.jpg


"Su-tay-ji-a" is in brackets. Figuring that the first "u" is silent, since it isn't in the Romanized spelling of the car's name...the pronunciation is likely:

Stay-ji-a!
 
pupik
Gee Tea, fer short.

Gran [rhymes with ran, past tense of run]
Ter-is-mo [because I've lived in the southeastern United States too long]

As for Stagea: It sounds like a made up word, but let's break down the Japanese rendering of the word.

stagea.jpg


"Su-tay-ji-a" is in brackets. Figuring that the first "u" is silent, since it isn't in the Romanized spelling of the car's name...the pronunciation is likely:

Stay-ji-a!
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Correctish - though it's interesting it's in Katakana (and it's Su-Tee-Ji-A, but Te is pronounced Tay as you say, so it's just a slightly longer pause on the "ay" bit)... Got to wonder which language they adopted "Stagea" from...
 
Famine
Got to wonder which language they adopted "Stagea" from...
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I've been told that it's actually basterdised English... this was what a friend of mine who imports japanese cars had to say......

su-tae-gi-ya is how the japanese say it, but that's a japanisation of "Stage-A", which according to the original development and concept doco's is what it was derived from (apparently indicative of Advanced Stage or some thing like that). So to be correct to its origins it's a "stage-ay", but I always find myself calling it a "staaaaaygeeyah" or more often "stag" and "volvo".
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Famine
Got to wonder which language they adopted "Stagea" from...
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When this car was in GT2, it had a double horse-head logo; one a mirror image of the other, so it looked like an "S". From this, I think they thought a horse could be a "stag" (but, of course it isn't, a male deer is a stag).

"Starion" all over again? Or a fascination with that scene from The Godfather? You be the judge...
 
What about Nissan? I call It 'Knee-sahn' and 'Niss-ann' but I have a hunce that I should just call it the first one *damn you aussie videos*
 
If it was Ni-San (2, 3 - and oddly, Nissan works cars have 23 on their doors), it'd be knee-san ("We are the knights who say Ni! San"). But it isn't - it's Nissan, so niss-an.
 
Famine
If it was Ni-San (2, 3 - and oddly, Nissan works cars have 23 on their doors), it'd be knee-san ("We are the knights who say Ni! San"). But it isn't - it's Nissan, so niss-an.
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:lol: I remember that movie...

I pronounce it "niss-an" here, too.
 
Moloch_horridus
While I am definitely no expert I would have thought it would need to be Spanish to be pronounced Too-rees-moh while Italian would be Too-ris-moh
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nop...in spanish is the same as it is in italian, the correct pronunciation is : Gran Too-ris-mo (no u sound at the end);)
 
Famine
If it was Ni-San (2, 3 - and oddly, Nissan works cars have 23 on their doors), it'd be knee-san ("We are the knights who say Ni! San"). But it isn't - it's Nissan, so niss-an.
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Sorry Famine, but it's "Knee-sahn." (like 2, 3, as you said)

Nissan got its name from the popular short-hand version of its former name, which was Nihon Sangyo Co. Ltd. ("Japan Industry Co. Ltd.").

Since the "Ni" in "Nihon" is pronounced "knee," and the "san" in "Sangyo" is pronounced "sahn," the proper pronounciation of "Nissan" is "knee-sahn." ;)

Why they decided to spell it with two S's instead of one is beyond me, but that's the history, and that's the pronounciation...but I know you Brits will go on calling it "niss-ann" anyway. :lol:
 
Wolfe2x7
Sorry Famine, but it's "Knee-sahn." (like 2, 3, as you said)

Nissan got its name from the popular short-hand version of its former name, which was Nihon Sangyo Co. Ltd. ("Japan Industry Co. Ltd.").

Since the "Ni" in "Nihon" is pronounced "knee," and the "san" in "Sangyo" is pronounced "sahn," the proper pronounciation of "Nissan" is "knee-sahn." ;)

Why they decided to spell it with two S's instead of one is beyond me, but that's the history, and that's the pronounciation...but I know you Brits will go on calling it "niss-ann" anyway. :lol:
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Sounds and looks better with 2 S, probably.

Nisan?
 
Wolfe2x7
Sorry Famine, but it's "Knee-sahn." (like 2, 3, as you said)

Nissan got its name from the popular short-hand version of its former name, which was Nihon Sangyo Co. Ltd. ("Japan Industry Co. Ltd.").

Since the "Ni" in "Nihon" is pronounced "knee," and the "san" in "Sangyo" is pronounced "sahn," the proper pronounciation of "Nissan" is "knee-sahn." ;)

Why they decided to spell it with two S's instead of one is beyond me, but that's the history, and that's the pronounciation...but I know you Brits will go on calling it "niss-ann" anyway. :lol:
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The extra S changes the stress from the I to the S. It goes from Ni-San to Nis-san.
 
Famine
The extra S changes the stress from the I to the S. It goes from Ni-San to Nis-san.
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In English, yes, but not in american English or Japanese.

In Japanese, the only consonant that can be used without a vowel imediately following it is N. The first S in "Nissan" breaks this rule, obviously, so it's inapplicable to the Japanese pronunciation of the name, and is more than likely a slightly goofy result of romanization (kinda like the spelling "Mazda" -- the company's name is actually "Matsuda," but that was deemed "too hard" for westerners to understand, so the "Z" was substituted).

What you're left with is "Nisan," and since the Japanese "i" is pronounced like a long "e," and the Japanese "a" is pronounced like the "a" in "father," the Japanese pronunciation is "nee-sahn."

Similarly, the Japanese pronunciation for "NISMO" should follow the "long e" rule for the "i." What about the S without the vowel, you ask? Well, in this case the Japanese pronounce it with an ever-so-slight "u," which happens to be the weakest vowel in Japanese, and is often made (practically) silent. Thus, NISMO is pronounced, "nee-s(u)-moh," which ends up sounding like "nees-moh."

The american English pronunciation mirrors the Japanese one (I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true :lol: ) -- "Nissan" is pronounced "nee-sahn."

On the other hand, americans pronounce NISMO "niz-moh," and I often pronounce it that way myself out of habit. :crazy:
 
Not according to my (apparently near-perfect neutral, though admittedly still gaijin) Shizuoka accent it isn't.

The S isn't a solo character - as you point out, it cannot be. The doubling of a consonant is indicated by a small tsu before the next character (in this case "sa"). In Hiragana, Nissan would be written NI-tsu-SA-N. This does shift the stress onto the "sa" and off the "ni", so that the first syllable is a slur of ni into sa, and the second is a slur of sa into n. At best, with a Westerner's tongue, it'd be niece-anne (holding onto the sibilance for just a fraction of a second more).


Edit: This could get very old, very soon... :lol: Considering I'm from a country where the accepted pronunciation of grass/glass/bath is grarss/glarss/barth (bloody loonies). It's all in the accent... :D
 
Well, that explains the double consonant bit, and "niece" is what I should have been using for how americans pronounce the first vowel in the first place. :ouch: I didn't mean to imply a break with "nee-sahn." It's more of a "neess-ssahn," but that just looks silly typed out. :lol:

...but I'm still wondering where you're getting "anne" from. Japanese vowels are always pronounced the same, and "a" is pronounced like the "a" in "father." :odd: Or is this a case of an american and a Brit reading text differently?

I've always heard British folk pronounce "Nissan" as "Niss-san," with "niss" sounding like the english "miss," and "san" sounding like those grainy things you find at a beach. :lol: That's what I thought you were saying in Posts #43 and #49.
 
It's not an "a" on its own. It's part of "sa". If it were Sa-(horizontal line), it'd be saa, like the "a" in father (pr. farther... :D), but as it's just "sa" it's more like the "a" in batter.

(as far as I was taught, at least)
 
I suppose it's supposed to be Nis-san, as the Japanese word for "daily production" is composed of two kanji: Nitsu and San.

Rather than say Nitsusan, it's common to kill the middle "tsu" and repeat the letter sound of the next sylable: Nis-san.

Although in America-land, we say it almost as one sylable: Ni-san.

Then again, the made-up spelling of Nissan sort of blasts this theory out of the water.
 
Famine
It's not an "a" on its own. It's part of "sa". If it were Sa-(horizontal line), it'd be saa, like the "a" in father (pr. farther... :D), but as it's just "sa" it's more like the "a" in batter.

(as far as I was taught, at least)
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No offense, but that counters all of the Japanese I've ever heard in movies, videogames, internet videos, or on TV... :scared:

If you check out this short Best Motoring clip I have, the syllable "sa" can be heard twice -- at the beginning, where the announcer says (I believe) "SA STARTOH!!!", and, even more clearly, when the camera switches to the 911's wing and the 911 driver begins his sentence with the syllable.

http://media.putfile.com/Nissan-Skyline-GTR-R34-vs-Porsche-911-Turbo

(Feel free to remove the link after you've watched it, if you feel the need to -- if I recall correctly, Best Motoring links have been forbidden here at GTP, but I thought you might appreciate a little "evidence," if you will....)

Anyway, pronouncing "sa" like that may be an accent specific to a region of Japan, but I know that "sa" is (also) pronounced with the "father" "A." :) If so, we're both right. :sly:
 
So... how do you pronounce that winding, figure-8 race track in Japan they usually have the F1 at (until next year)?
 
Famine
So... how do you pronounce that winding, figure-8 race track in Japan they usually have the F1 at (until next year)?
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You mean Suzuka?

"soo-" (like the name Sue, and rhyming with the potty word "poo") "-zoo-" (like the place where you gawk at animals, also rhyming with the potty word "poo") "-kah" (like...well, I can't think of a good example, but it uses the same "A" as in "father.")

"Soo-zoo-kah." And I try my best, as a gaijin, to eliminate all emphasis.

Unless, of course, you mean "how do americans pronounce it?"

That's more like "soo-ZOO-kuh." :lol:
 
If it used the same "a" sound as "father" (which is pronounced exactly the same as "farther") it'd be su-zu-kar. I'd also like to reference the word "katakana" which utilises both forms - ka-ta-kar-na - as the second "ka" is elongated.

In the video you posted, the commentator says "Sa sutarto", but holds onto the "sa" for dramatic effect, like that idiot who does ITV F1 commentary and always starts a race with "nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!!!!!!!111!one".

Sa = sa
Saa = sar/saah
Ka = ka
Kaa = kar/kaah

The "a" in father = "ar" (or possibly "aah"), unless you actually pronounce it fa-tha.


Oh for a set of phonetic notations... :lol:
 
SportWagon
I was brought up to make a few phonetic distinctions others don't, but I don't make any distinction between the "T" in any of those words.

Now there is the question of whether you have a "y" sound before the first vowel sound (and whether that's a full "oo" or merely a schwa).

I.e., assuming you're using "oo", is it like tulip, or two lips? (Well, the way I pronounce "tulip" and "two lips", at least).

I.e like future and fusion, or like food?
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My oo is like food
My T is like Tulip

NO : gran twooreesmo
YES: gran tooreesmo

Also, the R of reesmo is not that overloaded R. It is a latin R, like the russians R. The tongue hits the back of front teeth, not the case of american R where you almost swallow your tongue :drool: :crazy: :yuck: :lol:
 
I am sure there are some other English speakers besides myself (English and Australian/NZ maybe) who, if they think about it honestly, realize that they actually do pronounce Gran Turismo with only three syllables; turning the "u" into a schwa, and then swallowing it completely, making the Tur into the simple Tr consonant blend.

"Gran Trizmo".
 

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