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Old Apr 25, 2018, 11:11 AM
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OctobersBlackRose OctobersBlackRose is offline
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Member Since: Jun 2012
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ArcheM View Post
Okay, this might be a stupid question, but how have you been pronouncing Rammstein and is it going to change? (Namely, with the "s" or "sh" sound.) I actually don't know, maybe it already exists normally in English with the correct German pronunciation. I can't remember.

I know that in Russian it's pronounced like in German, even though traditionally words like that are converted into the Cyrillic alphabet differently. Which is to say, the combination "ei", instead of the sound like in "buy", keeps a more literal sound like in "hey". Like, Einstein becomes "Eynshteyn".

It's always fascinated me how English and Russian have approached the problem. Russian got the "s" right, while English - the "ei" (unless it randomly decides that it's the "ee" sound now). I've never found out exactly why that is... I mean, English might simply get confused because the alphabet is the same. But in Russian there must have been a decision by a translator at some point. And it makes me think that maybe it points to a time when the German "ei" was indeed pronounced like "ey" in "hey"... Or maybe someone just screwed up (because according to a certain Old North specialist I'm subscribed to, that sound goes quite a ways back)... Well, you can't really say "screwed up". It's really up to the language what it does with borrowed words, even if they are names.
I pronounce Rammstein with the "s" sound instead of the "sh" sound, I think all English speakers pronounce it with an "s" sound because we don't know any other way, but the pronunciation may change for me once I get used to the correct pronunciation. Pretty much anything with an "an" sound in German if they are words known by English speakers will just get pronounces with an "s" sound.
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