How do you correctly pronounce these German words?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the correct pronunciation of several German words, specifically "Noether," "Erlangen," and "Göttingen." Participants seek clarity on how to pronounce these terms accurately, particularly in the context of a presentation on Emmy Noether.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that "Noether" is pronounced as "Noy-thur," referencing a professor's pronunciation.
  • Another participant describes the "oe" in "Noether" as similar to "er," but not fully pronounced, indicating uncertainty in the explanation.
  • A different viewpoint proposes pronouncing "Noether" as "note-er," comparing it to the English word "notes" followed by an "er" sound.
  • One participant offers a phonetic breakdown of "Erlangen" as "Ehr-lan-gen," emphasizing the open vowel sounds.
  • For "Göttingen," a participant suggests it sounds like "Goeh-teen-gen," noting the umlaut above the "o" and its influence on pronunciation.
  • Another participant mentions that "ö" is pronounced like "ur" in "fur," without a strong "r" sound.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about their own understanding of the pronunciations, indicating a lack of consensus on the correct forms.
  • Several participants reference the use of Google Translate to hear the pronunciations, suggesting it as a helpful tool for clarification.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct pronunciations, with multiple competing views and uncertainties expressed throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge their varying levels of familiarity with the German language, which may affect their interpretations of pronunciation. There are also references to phonetic approximations that may not fully capture the nuances of the original German sounds.

snowfox2004
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Hello, I would really appreciate any help in pronouncing the following words:

Noether
Erlangen
Gottingen

I am giving a presentation on Emmy Noether, and I don't want to mispronounce these words. I asked a friend who took German..and he had no idea XD. Any help would be great! Thx.
 
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Everytime I hear Noether's name pronounced, I hear it as "Noy-thur". I have a professor who knew German and would pronounce it in that manner, but I am not sure how out of practice he was and if he pronounces it correctly.
 
In English, the oe is the way we write the German "o" with the umlaut (the two dot.) This is supposed to be said kind of like "er" but you don't quite say the entire sound. You kind of quit before you get to the end of it.

I know this makes no sense, but I don't really know how to explain it. :)
 
Robert1986 said:
In English, the oe is the way we write the German "o" with the umlaut (the two dot.) This is supposed to be said kind of like "er" but you don't quite say the entire sound. You kind of quit before you get to the end of it.

I know this makes no sense, but I don't really know how to explain it. :)

No, No I really appreciate it. So would saying it as note er be correct? Like class notes and then an er sound that you make when you are really confused? XD
 
I sort of go "nuuter"

or maybe "neuter" but with a bit of a push on the "neu" part and saying "ter" like you say "Should I tear the paper in half?"

then there's air-lahng-en

As by themselves in German sort of go "aaaahh"

Gottingen would go "got - ting - en"

the "ot" part in "got" sounds like the "ott" part in "glottal"

try and pronounce both Ts but don't make too big of a deal about itNote: I was just a student of German, not a native speaker
 
Thanks all :)
 
It's Göttingen, like Nöther (or Noether)

ö is pronounced like ur as in fur without a strong r.

Nöther would be pronounced like Goethe, but with a hard r at the end.
 
snowfox2004 said:
Hello, I would really appreciate any help in pronouncing the following words:

Noether
Erlangen
Gottingen

I am giving a presentation on Emmy Noether, and I don't want to mispronounce these words. I asked a friend who took German..and he had no idea XD. Any help would be great! Thx.


Perhaps in a similar way as Beethoven is pronounced: Neh - tHer, with the little "t" before the capital H meaning it must be pronounced like an actual t but softly (NOT like in "the" or in "notion"!). Her like in the english word "her". I think this will be enough for a non-speaker.

Erlangen = Ehr - lan - gen, all round open vowels: e like in "let", a like in "math".

Göttingen (note the umlaut above the "o") = Goeh (closer to "get" than to "go"), teen - gen.

DonAntonio
 
  • #10
snowfox2004 said:
No, No I really appreciate it. So would saying it as note er be correct? Like class notes and then an er sound that you make when you are really confused? XD
I'm pretty sure he meant that the "oe" is supposed to be pronounced that way, not the "er" at the end.

I know almost no german, and I'm not sure I know the correct pronunciation of Noether, but if it is what I think it is (and that seems to be supported by other comments on this page), then it can be described like this: Imagine that it's spelled Nöt-r, and pronounce the ö and the r as the guy on this web page. (Move the mouse pointer over the letters you want to hear).

Edit: Oh, cool. I just saw micromass's post. Just do what he says, and you'll hear all three pronounced correctly. I didn't know that Google Translate could do that.
 
Last edited:
  • #11
Fredrik said:
I'm pretty sure he meant that the "oe" is supposed to be pronounced that way, not the "er" at the end.

I know almost no german, and I'm not sure I know the correct pronunciation of Noether, but if it is what I think it is (and that seems to be supported by other comments on this page), then it can be described like this: Imagine that it's spelled Nöt-r, and pronounce the ö and the r as the guy on this web page. (Move the mouse pointer over the letters you want to hear).

Edit: Oh, cool. I just saw micromass's post. Just do what he says, and you'll hear all three pronounced correctly. I didn't know that Google Translate could do that.

yeah, I didn't know Google Translate could do that either. Well, knowledge is power XD
 

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