How To Pronounce Siemens?

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by aglomarsale, May 26, 2021.

  1. aglomarsale

    aglomarsale Well-Known Member

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    A pointless yet useful thread. How is it pronounced?!

    Trust me, it doesn't sound what it looks like.
     
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  2. KoeleKoen

    KoeleKoen Well-Known Member

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    Here it's "seamens" but pronounced fast, ie in dutch is ea in english
     
  3. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    I would pronounce it "See-mens" or "See-muns"
     
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  4. diamondderp

    diamondderp Guest

    Siemens is not that hard, what about Bombardier.
     
  5. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Bom-Bar-dee-"A"
    hard B, A sounded like letter name in english (Eh?)
     
  6. aglomarsale

    aglomarsale Well-Known Member

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    At least someone cant mispronounce Bombardier. Talk about Siemens in a restaurant and people will glare at you like you killed their dog
     
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  7. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Really? I've heard "bom bar deer" as a pronunciation (straight EE sound rather than ie sound)
     
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  8. Lamplight

    Lamplight Well-Known Member

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    As a German, I can say that this is the correct way to say Siemens:


    I don't speak French, but this agrees with how I'd pronounce Bombardier (the first, French one in the video, not the later English one):
     
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  9. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

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    Just start it off with a soft sounding "z" sound, and you will be okay. Is it Zafe, is it Zafe.......?

    But don't talk about Siemens in a restaurant when you have already complained about the first course, and when your main course is yet to come.
     
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  10. TheCadManFan

    TheCadManFan Well-Known Member

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    So it's not Bom-bar-dee-uh? Hhmm... i've been saying it wrong then. It's like Lieutenant. Naturally, if you didn't know, you'd pronounce it as Lew-ten-ant. But it's Left-ten-ant.
     
  11. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    If I remember correctly the Army says this one way and the Navy and Air Force say it the other
     
  12. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    S-ee-mns with the emphasis on the first syllable. I before e in German is usually pronounced ee and e before i pronounced eye.

    Similarly, many people mispronounce the wine Riesling as R-eye-sling when it is actually R-ee-sling.

    Bombardier, the company has the emphasis on the second syllable, rather than the army rank which has its emphasis on the last syllable. Bombardier is based in Derby. Now, how is that pronounced?
     
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  13. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Pirate style!

    D-Ar-bee
     
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  14. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    Nope. That is prounounced THAT :love:
     
  15. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Not quite. In German, initial S has a Z sound before A and E, but not before I, IE, or U, where it is close to an English S. Before O, it's sort of halfway between...
     
  16. wombleway

    wombleway Well-Known Member

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    Good job they're not based in Mousehole, Cornwall... That'd really confuse people!
     
  17. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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  18. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    Oh dear, pronouncing it like that would be worse than having a stab at it yourself. What a terrible sign.
     
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  19. Hiro Protagonist

    Hiro Protagonist Well-Known Member

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    I love how the Llanfair sign didn't even try and offer a pronunciation guide for the Welsh "Ll"
     
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