expresso and other Itaglish

[beth lee simon]

Uh, Dear A. Vine,

I think we're talking pronunciation, here, not fast coffee.

best,
beth

"A. Vine" wrote:

> "Dennis R. Preston" wrote:
> >
> > Well Beth, I reckon it ain't and looks like some folk hate you for thinking
> > it is!
> >
> > dInIs (who thought a skinny latte was a thin member of an ethnic group he
> > hadn't encountered before)
> >
> > >It's not "expresso"?
> > >
> > >
> > >beth simon
> > >
> > >
> > >> >You know what I hate? People who mispronounce words, like ...'expresso'
> > >> instead of 'espresso.'
>
> Oh boy!  A vent for my Itaglish beefs!
>
> "Espresso" is short for "caffe espresso", "caffe" meaning "coffee" and
> "espresso" referring to the method of making the coffee, the steam being
> expressed through the grounds - I think.
>
> Anyway, my beefs are the spelling of Italian words:
>
> cappuccino
> caffe latte
> macchiato
> parmigiano
> prosciutto (this one really bugs me when it's written "proscuitto" which would
> sound like "proskweeto")
> fettuccini
> mozzarella
> vermicelli
> pepperoncini - is plural! As are most Italian words ending in "i", with a few
> notable exceptions, e.g. days of the week.
>
> "x" is used in foreign spellings, and /ks/ is a foreign pronunciation, as is the
> French "j" usually transliterated as "zh".
>
> Whew!  I feel better now.
> Andrea
> --
> Andrea Vine
> Sun-Netscape Alliance messaging i18n architect
> avine at eng.sun.com
> I always wanted to be an architect. }sigh{  Of course, I _am_ an architect.