- #1
Saint
- 438
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How?[?]
Is Shivver Lay the Correct Pronunciation of Chevrolet?
- Thread starter Saint
- Start date
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the pronunciation of the word "Chevrolet," with participants exploring various phonetic interpretations and cultural influences on pronunciation. The conversation touches on related French car names and their pronunciations, as well as personal anecdotes regarding language and pronunciation challenges.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Conceptual clarification
Main Points Raised
- Some participants suggest that the pronunciation of "Chevrolet" could be "Shev-row-lay," while others express uncertainty about the correct pronunciation.
- A participant notes that in Malaysia, the pronunciation of "ch" is consistently pronounced as "ch" and not "sh," which may influence their interpretation of "Chevrolet."
- There are references to the pronunciation of other French car brands like Renault, Citroën, and Peugeot, with varying interpretations of how these names should be pronounced.
- One participant humorously recounts a childhood argument about the pronunciation of "Chevrolet," highlighting the subjective nature of pronunciation among different speakers.
- Disagreements arise regarding the pronunciation of "Peugeot," with some suggesting "pewjo" and others arguing for "Per" with a soft "j." A participant also mentions the difficulty of accurately conveying the French sounds in English.
- Another participant emphasizes that the pronunciation of these names is fundamentally French, not English, suggesting a need to respect the original language's phonetics.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct pronunciation of "Chevrolet" or the other French car names discussed. Multiple competing views remain, with various interpretations and personal experiences influencing their perspectives.
Contextual Notes
Participants express uncertainty about the correct pronunciation of "Chevrolet" and other French names, indicating that regional accents and language backgrounds may affect their interpretations. There are also references to the challenges of pronouncing certain sounds in English that do not exist in other languages.
- #2
Guybrush Threepwood
- 514
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Chevy?
- #3
recon
- 399
- 1
Where Saint is from (Malaysia, I think), people speak Malay, which is a really straight-forward language in the sense that 'ch' ALWAYS sound like 'ch' as in chop and never 'sh'. People from this part of the world find English very difficult, and we have a difficulty pronouncing words like conscience (we pronounce the science bit as science), soupcon (the -con part) , Arkansas (-sas part), Tuscan (Tus-), etc. correctly.
Saint, I don't know what the proper pronunciation of Chevrolet is, but I am guessing that 'Chev-' is pronounced 'Shev-'.
The only reason why I think that is because I love listening to the American Pie song, which includes 'drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry' in its chorus.
Saint, I don't know what the proper pronunciation of Chevrolet is, but I am guessing that 'Chev-' is pronounced 'Shev-'.
The only reason why I think that is because I love listening to the American Pie song, which includes 'drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry' in its chorus.
- #4
one_raven
- 200
- 0
Yes.
Shev-row-lay
Originally posted by Guybrush Threepwood
Chevy?
That's really funny!
When I was about 9 years old I was arguing with my friend about this (he was Dominican).
He was saying the "t" was pronounced, and I was arguing that it wasn't.
When his mother came home we asked her to settle the argument.
She looked at both of us for a minute, said "Chevy!", walked in the house and shut the door behind her.
(Maybe it was one of those things that was funnier if you were there)
- #5
Monique
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
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Well, it is a French word and thus pronounced differently. How about Renault, Citroën, Peugeot, etc.
- #6
jimmy p
Gold Member
- 419
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Renault = Ren-oh
Citroen = Citron...kinda
Peugeot = Per-jheau...ooh that's hard to explain...either 'jh' or jzh'...its easier to say it.
Citroen = Citron...kinda
Peugeot = Per-jheau...ooh that's hard to explain...either 'jh' or jzh'...its easier to say it.
- #7
Monique
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
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No - Citro-e(n)
- #8
jimmy p
Gold Member
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yeah we are lazy in england, it's just the shortest way to say it i suppose..
- #9
Andy
- 76
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French Cars always break down, don't they Jimmyp.
- #10
jimmy p
Gold Member
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yeah...stupid renault 19. We took it to the mechanic, and he didnt seem to know what was up, he just cleaned it a bit (the electronics n stuff) and we got to hope for the best...
- #11
Zantra
- 794
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pueguot(sp?) is pronounced pewjo (soft j).
- #12
jimmy p
Gold Member
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Uh, definitely not 'pew', we have tons of peugeots in england, and its pronounced 'Per' but i do like the soft j on 'jo' wish i thought of that!
- #13
NateTG
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
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Püjo
I don't think English has any u sound like that. The first syllable is somwhere between pew and poo.
I don't think English has any u sound like that. The first syllable is somwhere between pew and poo.
- #14
jimmy p
Gold Member
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? I am confused, its not the english, its french! Andy back me up here mate!
- #15
timejim
- 42
- 0
I say, "Shivver Lay"!
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