Funny how the pronunciation changes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLPp-NFInXw

In the 60's it was sue BAR ooo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuWiun22FKs

By the early 80's it became Soo buh roo

I must say that I have always thought the 360 to be one of the ugliest and least desirable microcars but seeing the commercial and it on the road with big rigs makes me want one all of the sudden.

In Canada, Mazda is pronounced differently that in the US.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3E6uUnybLo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fcKmBL8jI

You want to hear some wonky pronunciation, listen to Dutch sometime. For the most part, the words are the same, but the pronunciation is totally wonky, and the spelling is just alien.

I'm guessing that has more to do with the fact that people starting pronouncing Japanese words correctly rather than trying to say them as if they were English.

Case in point: people who say "ray-men" instead of "rah-men"; "mayn-jah" or "mayn-gah" instead of "mon-guh"; or "he-rosh-uh-mah" instead of "he-ro-she-mah".

The vowel sounds in Japanese are the same as in spanish: a - ah, e - ay, i - eee, o - oh, u - ooo, and they only make those specific sounds (no long and short sounds like English). Syllables almost exlusively end with a vowel sound (the sole exception to that is the "n"/"ng" sound, though certain regional dialacts will drop the 'u' sound off of "-masu" and just say "-mahss").

jrw1621 wrote: In Canada, Mazda is pronounced differently that in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3E6uUnybLo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fcKmBL8jI

How is it pronounced in the US, like Mawzda?

Zomby woof wrote: How is it pronounced in the US, like Mawzda?

Yup.

Though this is a case where I don't think there's a right or wrong pronunciation... "Mazda" is not a Japanese word (the closest would be something like Masuda, Matsuda or Matsuta), and at least per the Forza Loading Screen Fun Facts, was chosen based both on similarity to the founder's name (Matsuda) and the Zorastrian good god (Ahura Mazda).

Zomby woof wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: In Canada, Mazda is pronounced differently that in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3E6uUnybLo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fcKmBL8jI

How is it pronounced in the US, like Mawzda?

More like "Mahzda".

16vCorey wrote:

Zomby woof wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: In Canada, Mazda is pronounced differently that in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3E6uUnybLo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fcKmBL8jI

How is it pronounced in the US, like Mawzda?

More like "Mahzda".

That is how I say it.

Hyundai used to have those commercials that say Hyundai rhymes with Sunday. Nobody seems to say it like that but me.

My FIL says Hun-die.

My boss says it like he is trying to say Honda but adds some weird bit to the end.

Otto Maddox wrote: Hyundai used to have those commercials that say Hyundai rhymes with Sunday. Nobody seems to say it like that but me.

I always make it sound like I'm about to perform a DragonBall Z attack: "Hyoooon-DIE!!!"

I always just like yelling

Hiii-YAWN-DIE!!!

or this

ReverendDexter wrote: I always make it sound like I'm about to perform a DragonBall Z attack: "Hyoooon-DIE!!!"

Otto Maddox wrote: My FIL says Hun-die. My boss says it like he is trying to say Honda but adds some weird bit to the end.

Everybody I know says it that way.

ReverendDexter wrote: I always make it sound like I'm about to perform a DragonBall Z attack: "Hyoooon-DIE!!!"

If memory serves, hoon-DIE is how I heard it pronounced in Korea.

Dangit, I can't find a clip on youtube, but this makes me think of that old Isuzu ad, wherein a company rep is trying to teach an American salesperson to pronounce Isuzu, and he just can't get it.

At the end of the ad, he's got his head on the table in despair and the Japanese instructor's telling him "It's okay. I still can't say Cheboray."

That would be the old Joe Isuzu commercials. It's not racist if it's comedy!

In reply to nderwater:

In my dream world we can all laugh about the differences between cultures and the difficulty of learning a new language without an implied pejorative tone. If only in dreams...

Though it did poke at the foreign origins of the make, I always felt like that ad was laughing more with both sides than at either one.

I don't think it was Joe Isuzu, though. Weren't his ads more focused on lying-salesman thing than any sort of origin-related stuff?

Zomby woof wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: In Canada, Mazda is pronounced differently that in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3E6uUnybLo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fcKmBL8jI

How is it pronounced in the US, like Mawzda?

Typical US Mazda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjz747ZyTQk

I can not find an example but I think in Canuck-land there may be a difference in Chrysler as well. The US is with an "s" and Canada a "z". Krysler vs Kryzler. (I am not good at this phonetic thing.)
Speaking of Chrysler, do you also get the "Imported from Detroit" ads in Canada. I ask because here it is a play on words but there, they are actually imported - sort of (except for the ones made in Canada.)

Dr. Hess wrote: You want to hear some wonky pronunciation, listen to Dutch sometime. For the most part, the words are the same, but the pronunciation is totally wonky, and the spelling is just alien.

Dutch is weird, I spent 2 years in the Flanders region of Belgium and took 2 semesters of Dutch. It's about as random with its rules and exceptions to the rules as English is. On top of that of the 10mil native Dutch speaking people there are 200+ dialects, made it really difficult to learn.

One of the best target rifles for rimfire silhouette competition is the Anschutz. I once heard a match director refer to his new "Ann shoots." Somebody smugly corrected him: "I believe that's 'AHN shoots'" The reply: "That's funny because when I picked up Dieter (the company owner) at the airport, he said his name was ANN shoots."

ransom wrote: In my dream world we can all laugh about the differences between cultures and the difficulty of learning a new language without an implied pejorative tone. If only in dreams... Though it did poke at the foreign origins of the make, I always felt like that ad was laughing more *with* both sides than at either one.

Sorry if I sounded too serious - and you're right. I think the ads were funny. I was just alluding to the fact that these days big would never think they could get away with that sort of comedy.

Otto Maddox wrote: Hyundai used to have those commercials that say Hyundai rhymes with Sunday. Nobody seems to say it like that but me.

I do. I saw the same commercials.

Friend of mine calls them Low-end-ays...

Sell ick ah=USA Sell eek ah= Canada.

I think.

brit friend of mine calls Dutch a Throat Disease

In reply to nderwater:

Sorry if I took your semiseriousness too seriously...