Being English I have to say sometimes American pronunciation does make me wonder (said in jest) - Tommy and Mummy doesn't work so well with English pronunciation, but if you remember that the German letter "A" is (and I'm quoting my German text book from X years ago) " a serious "Ah" - as if you are about to get told off" I think you also get L-Ah-my correct.
If you start carrying Akkerman inks, will you tell us how to pronounce all their color names? It would be so embarasing to mispronounce "Bezuidernwoudgroen" at a pen show.
Thank you! It's funny, I first called it 'Lay-me' just from reading it on my own, then I heard from forums and blogs that everyone (in the US anyway) was calling it 'Lammy'...so I had to train myself to have 'Lammy' come naturally to me. Then once we made contact with the Lamy distributors here in the US and I was able to officially ask them, I had to train myself all over again to say 'Lommy'. I still say all 3 variations when not thinking about it, so I constantly have to tell myself 'Lommy! Lommy! Lommy! Tommy! Mommy!'
Ron, don't get your hopes up about Akkerman. From what I understand, they're just a retailer, not a manufacturer or distributor, so I don't know if you'll be seeing their inks anywhere else. :P
I'd love to hear some of the ways people are pronouncing those names, haha! I heard someone mispronounce Noodler's before, so yeah, a little clarification never hurts. The funniest one is when I heard someone accidentally called 'Kiowa Pecan' as 'Koala Pelican'...
In German someone can ask "How do you write that?" with the correct answer "Like you speak it." That is, because most sounds are connected to exactly one letter and vice versa. So Lamy could only be Lahmi or Lahmü. However ü is almost never at the end of a word, so it ends on i (the German one, not the english one). I thought Lamby would be the same pronunciation, but nope it isn't. There are many ways to say "a" in English and I can't always here the difference, as my ear is tuned to the German language :(
About 1 1/2 years ago I met a Lamy company representative at a retail pen shop during their annual pen show. Of course, she pronounced it correctly like you demonstrated. Also, like you said, I often here people pronounce it as Lamb-ee. However, until I heard the correct pronunciation by the company rep, I pronounced it Lame-ee, because that is how people with the last name Lamy in my community pronounce it.
English (especially American) is a strange language indeed. We take English classes all through school right through college, and most people still don't understand a large portion of it! A little clarification on a name as popular in the pen world as Lamy can only help ;)
Wait - you missed a shot at product placement. What index cards and markers were used in the making of this video? Eh? Iroshizuku in a Preppy? Eee-roh-shee-zoo-koo, right? ;)
This one goes all over the map, I've heard every pronunciation you can imagine! Now, keep in mind I don't sell Moleskines, therefore I don't have a connection to the 'officials' within the company, so I very well could be wrong in my understanding of how it's said. But from what I have gathered, Moleskine (which is an Italian name) is technically pronounced 'Mole-uh-skeen-uh', though you'll almost never hear is said like that. Most people say 'Mole-skin' or 'Mole-skyne'. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yep, there was that awkward day when I used the Italian pronunciation. The people behind the counter of an unnamed store just could not stop laughing. Now I either find the self-serve rack or look confused and point.
Oh my! You would think that a brand that well-known would have at least some awareness of the proper pronunciation, but it seems that everyone I meet says it differently, and never with confidence. Most people I know pronounce Moleskine almost as if it's a question, like they are saying it almost assuming they're saying it wrong! That happens with Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Quo Vadis, too though.
Funniest video EVER! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBeing English I have to say sometimes American pronunciation does make me wonder (said in jest) - Tommy and Mummy doesn't work so well with English pronunciation, but if you remember that the German letter "A" is (and I'm quoting my German text book from X years ago) " a serious "Ah" - as if you are about to get told off" I think you also get L-Ah-my correct.
Of course being mute I always get it right!
If you start carrying Akkerman inks, will you tell us how to pronounce all their color names? It would be so embarasing to mispronounce "Bezuidernwoudgroen" at a pen show.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started using Lamys in my early 20s, I pronounced it Lame-y. My dad soon set me straight with the correct pronunciation of Lahmy.
ReplyDeleteI doubt you'd be the only one. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I remember how to say it two ways:
ReplyDelete1. My grandmother is German so I pronounce the A the way she does.
2. It's "ah" as in "Ah, there's a spider in the bath!"
Thank you! It's funny, I first called it 'Lay-me' just from reading it on my own, then I heard from forums and blogs that everyone (in the US anyway) was calling it 'Lammy'...so I had to train myself to have 'Lammy' come naturally to me. Then once we made contact with the Lamy distributors here in the US and I was able to officially ask them, I had to train myself all over again to say 'Lommy'. I still say all 3 variations when not thinking about it, so I constantly have to tell myself 'Lommy! Lommy! Lommy! Tommy! Mommy!'
ReplyDeleteRon, don't get your hopes up about Akkerman. From what I understand, they're just a retailer, not a manufacturer or distributor, so I don't know if you'll be seeing their inks anywhere else. :P
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear some of the ways people are pronouncing those names, haha! I heard someone mispronounce Noodler's before, so yeah, a little clarification never hurts. The funniest one is when I heard someone accidentally called 'Kiowa Pecan' as 'Koala Pelican'...
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but Lame-y was my natural pronunciation from just reading the name. I'm having to retrain myself!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn German someone can ask "How do you write that?" with the correct answer "Like you speak it."
ReplyDeleteThat is, because most sounds are connected to exactly one letter and vice versa. So Lamy could only be Lahmi or Lahmü. However ü is almost never at the end of a word, so it ends on i (the German one, not the english one).
I thought Lamby would be the same pronunciation, but nope it isn't. There are many ways to say "a" in English and I can't always here the difference, as my ear is tuned to the German language :(
Thanks, Brian.
ReplyDeleteAbout 1 1/2 years ago I met a Lamy company representative at a retail pen shop during their annual pen show. Of course, she pronounced it correctly like you demonstrated. Also, like you said, I often here people pronounce it as Lamb-ee. However, until I heard the correct pronunciation by the company rep, I pronounced it Lame-ee, because that is how people with the last name Lamy in my community pronounce it.
English (especially American) is a strange language indeed. We take English classes all through school right through college, and most people still don't understand a large portion of it! A little clarification on a name as popular in the pen world as Lamy can only help ;)
ReplyDeleteLame-ee was my first inclination, but I'm training myself to say it properly! Lommy...Lommy....Lommy...
ReplyDeleteI lol'ed. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat! I took what could have been a 3 second boring video and tried to make it a little fun ;)
ReplyDeleteThis message brought to you by the letter A and the number 2.
ReplyDeleteLOL!! With a toddler I see a lot of Sesame Street....thanks for the laugh!
ReplyDeleteWait - you missed a shot at product placement. What index cards and markers were used in the making of this video? Eh? Iroshizuku in a Preppy? Eee-roh-shee-zoo-koo, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteummm...a fat sharpie and the crappies index cards I could find :P the point of the vid wasn't to promote anything, just to clarify the pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of pronouncing it Lame-ee in the past.
I appreciate knowing the correct pronunciation. :)
Of course this isn't a pen or an ink, but ...
ReplyDeleteHow do you pronounce Moleskine?
You're very welcome!
ReplyDeleteThis one goes all over the map, I've heard every pronunciation you can imagine! Now, keep in mind I don't sell Moleskines, therefore I don't have a connection to the 'officials' within the company, so I very well could be wrong in my understanding of how it's said. But from what I have gathered, Moleskine (which is an Italian name) is technically pronounced 'Mole-uh-skeen-uh', though you'll almost never hear is said like that. Most people say 'Mole-skin' or 'Mole-skyne'. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteYep, there was that awkward day when I used the Italian pronunciation. The people behind the counter of an unnamed store just could not stop laughing. Now I either find the self-serve rack or look confused and point.
ReplyDeleteOh my! You would think that a brand that well-known would have at least some awareness of the proper pronunciation, but it seems that everyone I meet says it differently, and never with confidence. Most people I know pronounce Moleskine almost as if it's a question, like they are saying it almost assuming they're saying it wrong! That happens with Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Quo Vadis, too though.
ReplyDeleteSalami
ReplyDelete