Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]
Discussion
Cantaloupe said:
Then there's Ralph I wonder who decides it's pronounced to rhyme with safe ?
Surely Rafe rhymes with safe, but Ralph doesn't ?Rafe is a given name for a male used in many countries across the world. If the name is English, Scandinavian or German it is of Old Norse origin (meaning "counsel of the wolf" or "wise wolf"), derived from the Old Norse Raðulfr (rað "counsel" + ulfr "wolf") through Old English Rædwulf. When the name is Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Hebrew it is often a short form of Rafael.
Ralph has a similar Norse derivation
MartG said:
Surely Rafe rhymes with safe, but Ralph doesn't ?
Rafe is a given name for a male used in many countries across the world. If the name is English, Scandinavian or German it is of Old Norse origin (meaning "counsel of the wolf" or "wise wolf"), derived from the Old Norse Raðulfr (rað "counsel" + ulfr "wolf") through Old English Rædwulf. When the name is Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Hebrew it is often a short form of Rafael.
Ralph has a similar Norse derivation
Ralph Fiennes disagrees with you (or, his parents did)Rafe is a given name for a male used in many countries across the world. If the name is English, Scandinavian or German it is of Old Norse origin (meaning "counsel of the wolf" or "wise wolf"), derived from the Old Norse Raðulfr (rað "counsel" + ulfr "wolf") through Old English Rædwulf. When the name is Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Hebrew it is often a short form of Rafael.
Ralph has a similar Norse derivation
Cantaloupe said:
Then there's Ralph I wonder who decides it's pronounced to rhyme with safe ?
Ceecil or Cecil ?
Colin or, bizarrely Coe-lin [ as in Colin Powell ]
Ralph, (to me) rhymes with AlfCeecil or Cecil ?
Colin or, bizarrely Coe-lin [ as in Colin Powell ]
Rafe, as in Rafe Spall, actor son of actor Timothy Spall, rhymes with safe
Ceecil for Cecil I think is American, whereas in U.K. it’s Cissil
I read that Powell’s parents called him Colin, like the regular English pronunciation, but he himself switched it to Coe-lin, as WW2 USAAF pilot Colin Kelly was pronounced Coe-lin
Clockwork Cupcake said:
HTP99 said:
Angela, pronounced the way I've always known it; An-je-ler or An-ge-ler (Merkel)
The latter is just the German pronunciation surely? Similarly Claudia is often pronounced "Cloudier" (as in, more cloudy) in German. It has been a trend in South America to give children western names for the last few decades which has lead to a few bad pronunciations, I know a Kelly which is pronounced Kel-ly in two distinct syllables, same with a Laura which is pronounced "La-ooo-ra" in three distinct syllables.
Usually it's the other way around, they change the spelling to match the correct pronunciation in Spanish vowels, Geraldine becomes Geraldin, Jessica becomes Yesica, Peter to Piter.
English does the same when we anglicise foreign names.
Edited by captain_cynic on Wednesday 4th December 16:50
Clockwork Cupcake said:
And then, if course, there is "Raymond Luxury Yacht" being pronounced "Throat-Wobbler Mangrove" 
(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
I've seen that chap on PH, just assumed he was a bloke called Raymond and maybe he worked for Sunseeker or something! (Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
Now I know!
br d said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
And then, if course, there is "Raymond Luxury Yacht" being pronounced "Throat-Wobbler Mangrove"
(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
That just reminded me of Arthur Two Sheds Jackson!(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
Question - standing on the railway platform you can see a lever on the opposite side with three positions, and these are spaced at regular intervals all along its length...but what do they adjust? They are situated about 2ft below the platform level.
captain_cynic said:
This. It's just what happens when names cross borders.
It has been a trend in South America to give children western names for the last few decades which has lead to a few bad pronunciations, I know a Kelly which is pronounced Kel-ly in two distinct syllables, same with a Laura which is pronounced "La-ooo-ra" in three distinct syllables.
Usually it's the other way around, they change the spelling to match the correct pronunciation in Spanish vowels, Geraldine becomes Geraldin, Jessica becomes Yesica, Peter to Piter.
English does the same when we anglicise foreign names.
I feel the same about Abcde and Jkmn. It has been a trend in South America to give children western names for the last few decades which has lead to a few bad pronunciations, I know a Kelly which is pronounced Kel-ly in two distinct syllables, same with a Laura which is pronounced "La-ooo-ra" in three distinct syllables.
Usually it's the other way around, they change the spelling to match the correct pronunciation in Spanish vowels, Geraldine becomes Geraldin, Jessica becomes Yesica, Peter to Piter.
English does the same when we anglicise foreign names.
Edited by captain_cynic on Wednesday 4th December 16:50
The Don of Croy said:
br d said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
And then, if course, there is "Raymond Luxury Yacht" being pronounced "Throat-Wobbler Mangrove"
(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
That just reminded me of Arthur Two Sheds Jackson!(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
Question - standing on the railway platform you can see a lever on the opposite side with three positions, and these are spaced at regular intervals all along its length...but what do they adjust? They are situated about 2ft below the platform level.
The Don of Croy said:
Arthur Penis. Henceforth known as Art Penis.
Question - standing on the railway platform you can see a lever on the opposite side with three positions, and these are spaced at regular intervals all along its length...but what do they adjust? They are situated about 2ft below the platform level.
Are they levers or pointers? Some platforms have a datum reference just above the track as a guide height for the top of the rails (so the floor of the carriages will be level with the platform). I guess if they stick out (a bit like levers) you could put a straight edge across the tracks to check the level.Question - standing on the railway platform you can see a lever on the opposite side with three positions, and these are spaced at regular intervals all along its length...but what do they adjust? They are situated about 2ft below the platform level.
Halmyre said:
The Don of Croy said:
br d said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
And then, if course, there is "Raymond Luxury Yacht" being pronounced "Throat-Wobbler Mangrove"
(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
That just reminded me of Arthur Two Sheds Jackson!(Monty Python reference, for younger readers)
Question - standing on the railway platform you can see a lever on the opposite side with three positions, and these are spaced at regular intervals all along its length...but what do they adjust? They are situated about 2ft below the platform level.
Gareth1974 said:
Is there any other message that I should be seeing?The Mad Monk said:
Gareth1974 said:
Is there any other message that I should be seeing?Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff