# Name pronunciation



## Cpk (Aug 1, 2009)

Do you think Phil and Paul purposely pronounce the rider's names differently, is it some sort of "I'm more right then you" competition between the two? 

I don't find that though nearly as annoying as Bob Roll's pronunciation of Contador. Seriously what is wrong with him.


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## Ryano42 (Jul 21, 2006)

Phil is legendary for his pronunciations...some classics:

RALLLL AL-kala

MIG-WELL Indurain

Gert-Jan TERNISSER 

 I dig Phil LEEEGETTT!


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## covenant (May 21, 2002)

Phil will either pronounce Alexander's name Vino_KOUR_ov or VinNUKEorov.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

They're just English, that's all.

Don't forget Yo-SHEE-buh Beloki. (It's Spanish -- Joseba should be Hoe-SAY-buh)


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## Italophile (Jun 11, 2004)

JCavilia said:


> They're just English, that's all.
> 
> Don't forget Yo-SHEE-buh Beloki. (It's Spanish -- Joseba should be Hoe-SAY-buh)


Beloki was not Spanish! Never say that to a Basque!

Neither Phil, bless his twisted English tongue, nor Paul, who at least tries, has yet to get remotely close to Fuglsang!

"...FULLS-gang"

It's FOOGLE-sahng, boys. Or, just call him "Birdsong".


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Basque*



Italophile said:


> Beloki was not Spanish! Never say that to a Basque!
> 
> Neither Phil, bless his twisted English tongue, nor Paul, who at least tries, has yet to get remotely close to Fuglsang!
> 
> ...


And I should know better, having grown up in northern Nevada where there were lots of Bascos around. And I will concede I may be wrong about the pronunciation because of my erroneous assumption that it was Spanish. Something like yo-SAY-vah may be closer. Apologies to Phil and to the sheepherders' descendants of Reno and environs ;-)


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

What I find fascinating is, despite the fact that both are "native" speakers of the Queen's English, how often they butcher it.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Richard said:


> What I find fascinating is, despite the fact that both are "native" speakers of the Queen's English, how often they butcher it.


I don't think they butcher it at all. They speak gramatically, and in complex sentences, and they (somewhat deliberately) use a lot of colorful expressions. They Anglicize the pronunciation of foreign names, as the English in their superiority have always done. Things get garbled occasionally, as will happen with any speaker improvising commentary on fast-moving events, but I hear no butchery. I thoroughly enjoy listening to both of them.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Italophile said:


> It's FOOGLE-sahng, boys. Or, just call him "Birdsong".


no E in there.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

How many different pronunciations does Phil have for Voeckler? Somewhere he's found an "i" in there. Hummer over anglicising Contador makes me cringe. You can add a little pronunciation without feeling like castanets are going off in the background.



Cpk said:


> Do you think Phil and Paul purposely pronounce the rides names differently, is it some sort of "I'm more right then you" competition between the two?
> 
> I don't find that though nearly as annoying as Bob Roll's pronunciation of Contador. Seriously what is wrong with him.


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## ti-triodes (Aug 14, 2006)

Isn't there a Liggetism thread around here this year?


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## Italophile (Jun 11, 2004)

den bakker said:


> no E in [Foolge-sahng].


I meant to pronounce it like an American. Foogle!


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

All I know is I cringe every time Phil or Paul refers to Cunego as the "Petit Prince" with what is I presume a French accent although I think it's an Italian nickname.


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## bismo37 (Mar 22, 2002)

Dwayne Barry said:


> All I know is I cringe every time Phil or Paul refers to Cunego as the "Petit Prince" with what is I presume a French accent although I think it's an Italian nickname.


LOL... I thought the same thing... Why are they pronouncing what was originally an Italian nickname for an Italian rider in French?! It's been bugging the hell out of me.

I noticed Phil has not been giving us his best Liggetisms. I think he's become too self-aware of them now.


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## WAZCO (Sep 16, 2004)

Dwayne Barry said:


> All I know is I cringe every time Phil or Paul refers to Cunego as the "Petit Prince" with what is I presume a French accent although I think it's an Italian nickname.


The proper pronunciation of Cunego is Coo Ney Goh. They both keep saying Coo nee Goh. Drives me nut and I'm not even Italian nor do I even have a second language.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Wazco -- Actually, Cunego is pronounced COO Ney Goh, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The guy's ancestry is supposedly German. The name Cunego comes from the German surname Koenig, or King.

Something I learned in my linguistics classes and in my travels: When it comes to proper names, all pronunciation rules are off the table. You just don't know how a person's name is pronounced until you hear the person say it. You just don't know how a place name is pronounced until you hear it from a native speaker. 

Language is a mixed up crazy world.


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

> How many different pronunciations does Phil have for Voeckler?


Anything to avoid the possibly correct one, which would be close to F*ck-ler.


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## Italophile (Jun 11, 2004)

Dwayne Barry said:


> All I know is I cringe every time Phil or Paul refers to Cunego as the "Petit Prince" with what is I presume a French accent although I think it's an Italian nickname.


Yes, and it should be _Il piccolo principe_ pronounced "ill PICK-o-lo PRIN-chi-pay". Bob Roll gets it right.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

ti-triodes said:


> Isn't there a Liggetism thread around here this year?


I think Paul had the best Liggetism yesterday, when Moreau was taking some mountain points, and Paul said he was "tickling at the rear end of Charteau in that competition." Funny, but the mental image was troubling.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Mapei said:


> Wazco -- Actually, Cunego is pronounced COO Ney Goh, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The guy's ancestry is supposedly German. The name Cunego comes from the German surname Koenig, or King.


I'm not sure about the accent in Cunego, since most Italian words accent the penult, but the German origin is right. He hails from the Alto Adige region, north of Verona, where most of the natives were German speakers until fairly recently. The region has only really become bi-lingual, with signs in Italian as well as German, in the last few decades.

Since it's the Tour de France, it doesn't bother me to hear "petit prince." Has a nice ring, and the book has pleasant associations.


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## Ryano42 (Jul 21, 2006)

Yet Phil totally nailed pronouncing Djamolidine Abdujaparov! :O

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


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## Undecided (Apr 2, 2007)

Mapei said:


> Something I learned in my linguistics classes and in my travels: When it comes to proper names, all pronunciation rules are off the table. You just don't know how a person's name is pronounced until you hear the person say it.


Yep; I'm sure there are many Hincapies around the world who are baffled by Paul's and Phil's (and George's, presumably) pronunciation.


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## shabbasuraj (May 14, 2005)

Leeky-gas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## husonfirst (Jul 15, 2006)

Bob doesn't speak very well which is ironic because I thought that was a requisite skill for an announcer.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

husonfirst said:


> Bob doesn't speak very well which is ironic because I thought that was a requisite skill for an announcer.


Grammatically speaking perhaps- but most of his pronounciations are spot-on... _when he makes an effort to do it right._


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## crankee (Aug 2, 2003)

How about Craig Hummer's two pronunciations miscues? He's been doing this two TdF's running.

Jens VOTE (Voigt)

BREE-AWN (Brian) Holm


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