Nicaragua

[Paul Frank]

> Don't most English speakers pronounce "Kant" as though it were spelled
> "Kont," which is essentially the way that it's pronounced in German?
> Does anyone pronounce it like "can't"? And why would it be rude? My
> personal experience is that German-speakers - at least those in Germany
> - are flattered by the least attempt to use their language.

The closest English word I can think of in pronunciation to the German Kant is cunt. It's a short a
in German.


> The sound spelled "g" in Spanish somewhat resembles the sound spelled
> with the same letter in Dutch. Otherwise, the pronunciation of
> Nicaragua in English is only trivially distinct from its pronunciation
> in English. How does an English-speaker pronounce "Nicaragua" in such a
> way as to sound pretentious?

Spanish g as in gente perhaps but not Spanish g as in gua. The r was pronounced as it is in Spanish.

Paul
________________________
Paul Frank
Chinese-English translator
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu
http://languagejottings.blogspot.com