Subject
Re: Squawk of versus spoke of (fwd)
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**Even though "spoke" has a diphthong in it -- and Nabokov and "squawk" do
not -- I guess "spoke of" sounded closer to me because the "o" sound is
not as long as in "squawk." How about [Dr] Spock of [Harvard] as an
alternative? I do suspect, however, that it varies even among native
speakers and some pronounce the "o" in Nab-o-kov as a longer vowel and
some as a shorter one. GD***
From Christopher Berg. Tentender@aol.com
> But as
> a solitary American reader who rarely hears VN's name spoken aloud I
was very embarrassed to hear that the proper pronounciation rhymes with
> 'spoke of' rather than 'squawk of'....
From another who speaks no Russian, isn't Tim correct? and were not some
of
last night's speaker's at that near-heavenly event incorrect in rhyming
"Nabokov" with "spoke of." Isn't "squawk of" closer?
My nomination for "special story": Terra Incognita (why has no one
mentioned
this??) It certainly gives plenty frisson.
The rather baffled
Christopher Berg
not -- I guess "spoke of" sounded closer to me because the "o" sound is
not as long as in "squawk." How about [Dr] Spock of [Harvard] as an
alternative? I do suspect, however, that it varies even among native
speakers and some pronounce the "o" in Nab-o-kov as a longer vowel and
some as a shorter one. GD***
From Christopher Berg. Tentender@aol.com
> But as
> a solitary American reader who rarely hears VN's name spoken aloud I
was very embarrassed to hear that the proper pronounciation rhymes with
> 'spoke of' rather than 'squawk of'....
From another who speaks no Russian, isn't Tim correct? and were not some
of
last night's speaker's at that near-heavenly event incorrect in rhyming
"Nabokov" with "spoke of." Isn't "squawk of" closer?
My nomination for "special story": Terra Incognita (why has no one
mentioned
this??) It certainly gives plenty frisson.
The rather baffled
Christopher Berg