So this afternoon, my friend sent me this from his online class. Apparently Wozniak is hard to pronounce for some people 
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Apparently Some People Cannot Pronounce "Wozniak"
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So this afternoon, my friend sent me this from his online class. Apparently Wozniak is hard to pronounce for some people
So? Not everyone grew up in Silicon Valley or the wider Bay Area. And some sounds, and combinations of vowels and consonants are difficult to pronounce.
It's not an easy name, by any stretch.
This is nothing compared to the Isaacson Jobs biography Audio Book. Dylan Baker is awesome, but the producers have him pronounce OS X as "OS eX", in stead of 10.
This is nothing compared to the Isaacson Jobs biography Audio Book. Dylan Baker is awesome, but the producers have him pronounce OS X as "OS eX", in stead of 10.
The number of times my name has been mispronounced......
I understand that this is a forum dedicated to things Apple, and that most of those who join and post are interested in the Apple ecosystem and world. Moreover, many admire and own Apple products - I have a few myself.
However, some of the minutiae that is posted under the assumption that anything to do with Apple is of compelling and all absorbing interest sometimes baffles me.
Apple is not the beginning and end of the world, and nor is it the centre of the universe.
Anyway, the woman who spoke in that video spoke with an accent from Australasia. 'Down Under' they pronounce things differently, and - of course - not all names are easy to pronounce, or equally familiar to your ear.
I used to read passages from the Bible at church when I was a teenager as part of the church service - I had been invited to do so. Now, even though I was an accomplished public speaker and exceptionally widely read, I will readily concede that some of the proper nouns, and place names in the Bible readings were so esoteric and strange, that they were literally almost unpronounceable.
However, some of the minutiae that is posted under the assumption that anything to do with Apple is of compelling and all absorbing interest sometimes baffles me.
Apple is not the beginning and end of the world, and nor is it the centre of the universe.
Anyway, the woman who spoke in that video spoke with an accent from Australasia. 'Down Under' they pronounce things differently, and - of course - not all names are easy to pronounce, or equally familiar to your ear.
I used to read passages from the Bible at church when I was a teenager as part of the church service - I had been invited to do so. Now, even though I was an accomplished public speaker and exceptionally widely read, I will readily concede that some of the proper nouns, and place names in the Bible readings were so esoteric and strange, that they were literally almost unpronounceable.
Sounded more like southern-USA accent to me, don't think it's Australian/Oceanian.
Sounds like something else mixed in there as well though.
That said, seems like a simple quick-reading mispronunciation that happens to all people when they are reading quickly through something and aren't necessarily paying attention to every letter. Basically could have (and often enough does) happen to any less familiar/common word, and especially name, of a somewhat longer nature.
I'd put it at Eastern KY/WVA/Western VA/East TN but who's counting
IMO, there wasn't enough of a "drawl" in the voice to place it in the deep south, but then I'm no linguist-just a native to the region. Definitely a southernish US speaker, though.
I'd put it at Eastern KY/WVA/Western VA/East TN but who's counting
Definitely a southernish US speaker, though.
You are actually very close, I am located in NC, so this voice is probably from somewhere around here.
I've spent a lot of time in Blue Ridge Mountains(Boone, NC area-specifically West Jefferson NC) and "tuning" my ears a bit can definitely hear it being from there.
Of course, you all also have that basketball coach at one of your major colleges with a last that starts with a K but is pronounced with an S, so who can blame her for mixing it up
If it's a name people aren't familiar with, or a name "type" then yeah of course people won't know how to pronounce it.
Where I live there are a few neighbouring villages called Tintwistle, Slaithwaite, Greenacres. Sounds easy enough but they're pronounced "Tinsle", "Slough-ate", "Grin-ickers" respectively. And the time a CNN reporter called Edinburgh "E-din-burg".
Some of my friends also mispronounce jalapenos and say J instead of H, because they've had zero exposure to Spanish culture or language.
Where I live there are a few neighbouring villages called Tintwistle, Slaithwaite, Greenacres. Sounds easy enough but they're pronounced "Tinsle", "Slough-ate", "Grin-ickers" respectively. And the time a CNN reporter called Edinburgh "E-din-burg".
Some of my friends also mispronounce jalapenos and say J instead of H, because they've had zero exposure to Spanish culture or language.
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Why should people who don't follow tech be familiar with him? I mean, what's he done lately, other than stand in line for a new iPhone with other fans?
Got to send this to Uncle WozSo this afternoon, my friend sent me this from his online class. Apparently Wozniak is hard to pronounce for some people
I bet he'll get a good kick out of it.
This really required a thread.
In other news, Bostonians ignore entire syllables. Ever been to Worcester, pronounced "Woostah"? The Boston accent makes me cringe.
Cool, I spent several summers in Boone. Love it up there.
In other news, Bostonians ignore entire syllables. Ever been to Worcester, pronounced "Woostah"? The Boston accent makes me cringe.
Cool, I spent several summers in Boone. Love it up there.
I'm headed to Wilmington, NC in a few weeks(going to visit my maternal grandfather's last living sibling) and we're passing through that region of the country on the way down there. We're actually crossing over into NC at around Mt. Airy(at least by the planned route) but will be headed through Wise County, VA which, "as the crow flies" is just a stone's throw away from Ashe County, NC but won't be going through there.
In any case, early fall is my absolute favorite time of the year in that region of the country.
Even so, I need to stop in Norton, VA and stock up on Dr. Pepper from the West Jefferson bottling plant. I'm down to my last bottle. West Jefferson RC-Dr. Pepper is one of only a handful of independent bottlers left, and at that makes it with cane sugar(at least in glass bottles). I normally pay ~$20 a case at the plant and will probably have to pay more, but it's worth it
.I beg to differ somewhat. Admittedly, the mispronunciation of Steve Wozniak's name is hardly a major offense. Still, if one assumes that the person speaking is an instructor for the online course, the error, ahem, speaks to a lack of preparation, unless what she said was completely extemporaneous. Whenever I'm preparing a lecture and come across a word or phrase that I'm unfamiliar with, I always take the time to look up the correct pronunciation online. It's so easy to do these days.
FWIW, this reminds me of an episode from the old Mary Tyler Moore show in which Ted Baxter, the newscaster, had difficulty with the name of a Japanese gentleman in that night's news copy. Murray, one of the people in the newsroom, bet that Ted would mangle the pronunciation, so Ted spent the day practicing aloud and got it right every time. When the on-air moment arrived, of course, he messed up anyway.
Do you mind if I share this with the Woz? I'm sure he'll get a good laugh out if it.So this afternoon, my friend sent me this from his online class. Apparently Wozniak is hard to pronounce for some people
That people can't grasp that phonetics are different across the globe.
Given the apparent region of the country from which this video originates, I wonder if there could be other factors influencing the pronunciation.
Specifically, there is a well-known Basketball coach at a large school in North Carolina whose name is Polish in origin and is pronounced nothing at all like it's spelled(at least to the native English speaker). Specifically, his name begins with a K but is pronounced with an "Sh" at the beginning.
That's just a random thought, as her pronunciation of Wozniak is sort-of kind-of like the last part of Coach K's name.
Specifically, there is a well-known Basketball coach at a large school in North Carolina whose name is Polish in origin and is pronounced nothing at all like it's spelled(at least to the native English speaker). Specifically, his name begins with a K but is pronounced with an "Sh" at the beginning.
That's just a random thought, as her pronunciation of Wozniak is sort-of kind-of like the last part of Coach K's name.
True. That said, I think in this case none of that really plays a role though, it's more of someone (no matter what region/dialect/etc.) simply reading something quickly and getting caught up on a somewhat less-than-usual name that they just try to read quickly and end up mispronouncing it mostly based on that than anything else. Happens pretty much with anyone anywhere at times when they are reading quickly and come across a less familiar word, and especially name.