DeadSkunk wrote: Since moving to Michigan from Ontario I get called out for saying "proa-cess" rather than "praw-cess". Zed vs zee has already been mentioned, I think. There are more because I get identified as Canadian by store clerks fairly often, and I refuse to drop the "u" when spelling words!
I'm all American and put "U" in words to spell them properly because I am not a savage. I also spell it "centre" and my Zees and 7s have lines in them.
So what's the word on Nissan?
I piss people off when I call it Niss-ann. I hear people say Nee-sawn, and I heard in a local commercial today, Nee-sann.
It was so much easier when it was Datsun.
mtn wrote: When did Jag go from "Jag-war" to "Jag-you-are"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaCoqXM4XTk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8k_nbw8F90&feature=related
I just say Jaaaag. 
ThePhranc wrote:DeadSkunk wrote: Since moving to Michigan from Ontario I get called out for saying "proa-cess" rather than "praw-cess". Zed vs zee has already been mentioned, I think. There are more because I get identified as Canadian by store clerks fairly often, and I refuse to drop the "u" when spelling words!I'm all American and put "U" in words to spell them properly because I am not a savage. I also spell it "centre" and my Zees and 7s have lines in them.
I put the slash in my Z and 7's as well... something I picked up in the 6 years in Panama
Zomby woof wrote: So what's the word on Nissan? I piss people off when I call it Niss-ann. I hear people say Nee-sawn, and I heard in a local commercial today, Nee-sann. It was so much easier when it was Datsun.
I dunno- remember Dotsuns? I think we should ask the legislators in Worshington or Awduhwah to investigate.
Zomby woof wrote: So what's the word on Nissan? I piss people off when I call it Niss-ann. I hear people say Nee-sawn, and I heard in a local commercial today, Nee-sann. It was so much easier when it was Datsun.
Dammit, now I've confused myself. I don't know what I call it any more.
I think I say Nee-sann. My dad says Niss-an. We both have Datsuns. I mean, Nissans.
I don't think Japanese has the "i" sound in "niss-an". I believe, according to my badly-recollected few weeks of noncredit Japanese classes, that the first part would be with a long "e" sound, like "knee".
"Knee" "sahn" (likeh "ahhhh, that Coke was refreshing").
One note that threw me a lot; A vowel is a vowel. If you get two of them together, the sound doesn't change, the duration does. So "oo" is just "oh" held for a longer time, not a "u" sound. I don't recall whether that applies to consonants (like the "ss" in Nissan).
I'm also not sure whether there's an emphasis, or on which syllable it falls.
Or whether like in many languages, the rules go out the window when it's a proper noun 
In reply to ransom:
Check my post on the first page of this thread for the specific Japanese vowel sounds.
To my understanding, there is no syllabic emphasis within a word, it's on the articles (watashi NO nomei WA Revurendo dess).
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