Think About It

Say: "Bolognese"

"What is the correct pronunciation of the pasta dish: bolo-neez or bolo-ne-se?"

A student wasn't sure if she should pronounce the third syllable the way one would with "cheese", or to read aloud every syllable of the word. I've been pronouncing it as bolo-ne-se. So for my peace of mind, I checked www.dictionary.com and was reminded that the dish's name has its origins from the city north of Italy: Bologna (bo-lohn-yuh). Why I never bothered pronouncing bolognese with the "nye" sound but pronounce Bologna as bo-lohn-YUH is beyond me. For added measure, I also consulted my friend who was a Chicago-based chef. She said it is typical to say bo-lo-NEEZ in America, but pronounced as bo-lo-NYE-se in its Italian form.

And what exactly is alla bolognese? It's simply a sauce made of meats stewed in tomato sauce for hours.

What Are You Sinking About?

Uh oh.

I wonder if this accounts for many accidents...

My Response To Brian

Hi Brian,

I'm happy that this blog somewhat brightens your day. The questions you posted in your letter are ones that I usually skirt around as discussing accents can be such a delicate issue.

Before I digress, let's define some parameters:
Inflection usually refers to the way your pitch or tone changes and the way you modulate your voice.
Intonation, however, is like the pattern of music and melody in your speech. It is that which distinguishes people of different cultures. Every culture has one. And even communities within English-speaking countries would have their variations as well.
Accent, on the other hand, can refer to the prominence of a syllable within the word (e.g. SPI-ri-tual vs. spi-RI-tu-AL), or it can also pertain to vowel quality (e.g. She bit me in tennis vs. She beat me in tennis). Generally, the word accent can also refer to the combination of pronunciation, intonation, sentence stress and manner of emphasis.

I don't believe Filipinos have that one particular "accent" as we are a people who speak around 170 dialects across the islands. Depending on one's roots and the people who surround you, it should come as no surprise that origins and surroundings provide the foundation of one's manner of speech. Perhaps the people you encounter are referring to the fact that you are devoid of an accent. Neutralized sounds, so to speak.

Language is a skill that is either imbibed or learned. There are people who consciously learn accents because their jobs call for it. However, it will be contrived. As Allan mentioned in his own comments, it "sounds fake" most of the time. Since you are now living in the States, how your accent changes is completely up to you. Some people can live in one place for 20 years and never learn the new home's language nor imbibe the prevailing accents. But some people move to a foreign place for 3 months and quickly assimilate using a fragmented new language.

I was once coming home from Tokyo and was standing in line waiting to get my passport stamped at NAIA. There was a Filipina holding a blue passport who tried to be discreet as she squeezed herself in the middle of the queue and made exaggerated motions of fanning herself. She had very flawed grammar but a funny-sounding American accent as she said, "Oh my gad. I habent bin to da Pilipeens since ten yearz. Iz so mainit ha. Naku, hindee nakow marunowng mag-Tagelowg." I'm almost certain I gave her a look. This woman had just insulted the language she claimed she no longer knew and, at the same time, offended the language she advertised was now hers.

My advise for you, Brian: I'm guessing you were raised to be bi-lingual, and probably even multi-lingual depending if you speak dialects. So please, by all means, uphold our tradition but master both the words of our motherland along with your acquired language. Be highly proficient in both and do English and Filipino justice by respecting their inherent rules of articulation.

In case I missed out on something, let me know.


All the best,

C.B.

Comments on PJ's Thoughts

Allan reacts to a previous post from PJ:

"I agree. Correct grammar takes priority. Never mind accent. In my opinion, trying to speak with an American accent only tells American clients that they are talking to someone outside their country. It's obvious, it sounds fake and it is not needed.

I've been asked in the past to teach "American accent" to call center trainees. I refused unequivocally despite the "raket" rates. I said that it's impossible and unnecessary. For one, I am not an American; I could put on a cosmetic accent but it's going to be contrived and fake still. Learning correct grammar is hard enough at a late stage. And in order to learn a foreign accent, one must first pronounce properly, then "act" your desired accent. The only real way to learn an accent is maximum exposure, meaning you immerse yourself in the country of that language and accent you want to acquire.

I've spoken to many English speaking foreigners and most of them have said that they find the way we speak to be good because our English is devoid of accents. Some problems arise however when they encounter those with regional accents. But that should not matter. With all due respect to the Ilocanos for example, they have a unique accent when speaking English but mind you, they also have very good grammar. That opens the avenue for easier communication. Accent can be overcome the same way we learn to understand the British or the Australians when we speak to them for the first time. Bottom line still, GRAMMAR TAKES PRIORITY."