Goethe (was: Which and Falaqa)

[Fritz Juengling]

I always cringe when I hear 'gur-tuh.'  The vowel of 'good' I think is a good
enough approximation for an English speaker.  I have also heard 'Getty.'  Did
the German writer have relatives who settled that little town in Penn that
gained fame in the CW?

As far as street names are concerned, 'Couch' street in Portland is 'Cooch,'
altho many people, esp out-of-towners, rhyme it with the piece of furniture.
Fritz

> << Unless they're pronouncing the name of the street in Chicago, which
> (I'm told) is something approximating "go-EE-thee", not "GUR-tuh".
>
> larry
> >>
>
> My father was a professor of German at the U. of Chicago. He didn't have a
> car, so once when he went to an event in the posh North Side neighborhood
> of
> Goethe St he took the bus. He was careful to give the bus driver the proper
> German pronunciation of the street name. It took considerable discussion
> before the driver comprehended that he wanted to get off at go-EE-thee
> street. - Allan Metcalf