I wonder why they don't just use their actual names. People are always slamming English speaking people for anglicizing foreign names (especially names of cities).
It's cool that some of this old time stuff is till funny. Look at the Stooges too - unashamedly low-brow humour that is definitely not a comment on anything but despite the "violence" is not mean-spirited or attacking anybody.
They're trying to change that now. I have a pretty recent atlas that uses mostly the local names for cities. It's kind of weird because I'm used to "Florence" rather than Firenze and "Munich" instead of "München" and instead of Copenhagen, København.
I'm betting that in any of those countries New York is still called New York.
Oh non, mon ami. Heere een France, eet eez cold "Londres". And oui don't prononce zee fynal "S".
"It must be just because of humanity's compulsion to divide."
Ouelle, "divide ande conquair" EEZ a breeteesh expression, n'est-ce pas? So, faire eez faire, and laissez-faire.
I've just read about the latest diplomatic mini-incident between France and UK. It seems that in the recent TV version of Mr Men, Mr Rude (in french: Monsieur Malpoli) speaks with a heavy french accent. And he asks kids to pull on his index finger, "triggering" a loud fart which makes him laugh. Oh, the humanity! Let's hope that, on his next state visit, Sarkozy doesn't get his finger pulled by the Queen "just out of curiosity"...
I wonder why they don't just use their actual names. People are always slamming English speaking people for anglicizing foreign names (especially names of cities).
ReplyDeleteIt's cool that some of this old time stuff is till funny. Look at the Stooges too - unashamedly low-brow humour that is definitely not a comment on anything but despite the "violence" is not mean-spirited or attacking anybody.
Every country I know changes the names of cities and so on. There's a tremendous resistance to foreign sounds and letters.
ReplyDeleteThey're trying to change that now. I have a pretty recent atlas that uses mostly the local names for cities. It's kind of weird because I'm used to "Florence" rather than Firenze and "Munich" instead of "München" and instead of Copenhagen, København.
ReplyDeleteI'm betting that in any of those countries New York is still called New York.
Yep, and London too. Easy names.
ReplyDeleteHere's what London is called in different languages:
ReplyDeleteFrançais: Londres
Finnish: Lontoo
Italiano: Londra
Anglo Saxon: Lunden
Gaeilge: Londain
Gaelg: Lunnin
Nederlands: Londen
Polski: Londyn
Here's New York:
Eesti: New Yorgi
Español: Nueva York
Polski: Nowy Jork
Português: Nova Iorque
Català: Nova York
I stand corrected. Well, in Danish it's the same.
ReplyDeleteIf people change "London", then I guess it's not because the sounds are hard to say. It must be just because of humanity's compulsion to divide.
I'm not sure why some of those made the list, like Anglo Saxon.
ReplyDelete"Yep, and London too."
ReplyDeleteOh non, mon ami. Heere een France, eet eez cold "Londres". And oui don't prononce zee fynal "S".
"It must be just because of humanity's compulsion to divide."
Ouelle, "divide ande conquair" EEZ a breeteesh expression, n'est-ce pas? So, faire eez faire, and laissez-faire.
I've just read about the latest diplomatic mini-incident between France and UK. It seems that in the recent TV version of Mr Men, Mr Rude (in french: Monsieur Malpoli) speaks with a heavy french accent. And he asks kids to pull on his index finger, "triggering" a loud fart which makes him laugh. Oh, the humanity!
Let's hope that, on his next state visit, Sarkozy doesn't get his finger pulled by the Queen "just out of curiosity"...