Yet again in Pointless Alexander pronounces MichelAngelo as MICHAELAngelo - he was Italian and his name is pronounced MEEKELAngelo in Italy.

JK2006 wrote:
Yet again in Pointless Alexander pronounces MichelAngelo as MICHAELAngelo - he was Italian and his name is pronounced MEEKELAngelo in Italy.

Nothing baffles posh English people more than Italian. They either go the Armstong way and pretend it's English, or they 'poshify' the Italian pronunication. My theory is they associate the short 'a' sound with 'common' English people, so they just can't help themselves pronouncing words like 'pasta' as 'paaahhhhsta' anf 'grazia' as 'graaaahhhzia' even though they must know it's wrong. I've an Italian friend and it drives her absolutely crazy.

I love Italian; it's the most beautiful language in the world for me. Opera is magnificent in it. I've written the English lyric to several big Italian hits including GLORIA although Laura Branigan's cover didn't use my words, sadly.

And Fiona Bruce does it too; introducing a clip from Reims (correctly pronounced by the reporter in the film) she calls it REEMS!
Ugh!

JK2006 wrote:
And Fiona Bruce does it too; introducing a clip from Reims (correctly pronounced by the reporter in the film) she calls it REEMS!
Ugh!

That reminds me of this delightful little clip from the brilliant Day Today:

agree.. Italian sounds delightful & sexy.

So does Russian.In a sort of rough throw me on the bed manner.

really making a mistake on Meekleangelo is unforgivable.

Kenneth Mintcake wrote:
JK2006 wrote:
Yet again in Pointless Alexander pronounces MichelAngelo as MICHAELAngelo - he was Italian and his name is pronounced MEEKELAngelo in Italy.

Nothing baffles posh English people more than Italian. They either go the Armstong way and pretend it's English, or they 'poshify' the Italian pronunication. My theory is they associate the short 'a' sound with 'common' English people, so they just can't help themselves pronouncing words like 'pasta' as 'paaahhhhsta' anf 'grazia' as 'graaaahhhzia' even though they must know it's wrong. I've an Italian friend and it drives her absolutely crazy.

I agree with JK I'd even had a row with my dad about it in a gallery that it's MeekelAngelo not Michealangelo.

I went to a Italian restaurant in Southend and when people were giving their orders they start off in English then put on a fake accent.

andrew wrote:

I went to a Italian restaurant in Southend and when people were giving their orders they start off in English then put on a fake accent.

I wouldn't be certain of that. I've lots of Italian friends who settled here at an early age. When they speak English you'd never know they'd not been born here, but when they speak Italian to each other their voices change, their gestures change, it's like they're different people.

I spent a wonderful few days in Trento, North Italy, this summer, attending the wedding of my friends Monica (Italian) and Samson (British but born in Uganda). Then two weeks in Rome. It's all in 70 FFFY - plus photos.

Kenneth Mintcake wrote:
andrew wrote:

I went to a Italian restaurant in Southend and when people were giving their orders they start off in English then put on a fake accent.

I wouldn't be certain of that. I've lots of Italian friends who settled here at an early age. When they speak English you'd never know they'd not been born here, but when they speak Italian to each other their voices change, their gestures change, it's like they're different people.

I don't think you know much of Southend.