Pronunciation

When I was a kid, I said "Fokker' with a long 'o' - like in boat. Then I grew up and thought it was a short 'o', like 'stock'.

Which is it?

[Billy_Bishop]

And then there was this old French pilot being honoured at an American high school(or someplace where the native language was english), describing an air battle he was in..."There were fokkers to left of me, fokkers to the right of me, and fokkers in front of me" when the host/principal/whatever interrupted momentarily "You're referring to the German Fokker D7?" to which the old Veteran answered..."Oh no! They were Albatros types!"

Pronunciation can be very interesting at times.

And yes, I know I fokked up the joke.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Dan_San_Abbott]

James:
The pronuciation is: fawkr.
blue skies,
Dan-san Abbott

My good friend Dan-San is correct - I'm fairly sure that the correct pronunciation rhymes with "rocker". There is a TV documentary on the Fokker Company, done with the cooperation of the Fokker Firm, and it's always pronounced as I've stated, even by the official company spokesperson. However, many Americans, and - I think - some Germans, pronounce it to rhyme with "poker".Americans writing in WWI even misspelled it as "Folker" sometimes. As I recall, the ultimate German authority Pete Grosz pronounces it to rhyme with poker...so perhaps the Germans pronounced it thus ? However, "fawkr" is the original Dutch pronunciation, I believe, and that's what I'll stick with.

As a Dutchman I can tell you that mr. Abbott and mr. VanWyngarden (sounds pretty Dutch to me) are right. You say Fokker as in rocker, with a short "o". But what mr. VanWyngarden says about Germans saying Fokker with a long "o", I don't think they did. It's very hard for a German to say a long "o". But you never know!
And for mr. Lowe. Your reply was a great one! I loved it!!

While we're on the pronunciation topic, what is the correct pronunciation of "Guynemer" and "Nungesser"? Hard g or soft g? Which syllable gets the stress?

[Lufbery]

Dave asked:

While we're on the pronunciation topic, what is the correct pronunciation of "Guynemer" and "Nungesser"? Hard g or soft g? Which syllable gets the stress?

Guynemer = (hard g) Gi no may

Nungesser = noon guesser

How about "Spad"? Does it rhyme with dad or god?

-Drew

P.S. I was working at the Kinko's in State College, PA about five years ago when I waited on a woman whose last name was Nungesser. It turns out that her husband is a great-(great?)-grandson of the WWI ace.

[mike_baram]

The short "A" as in "dad" does not exist in French. Pronounce the letter like the "A" in father.

[Lufbery]

Thanks, Mike.

That's how I've been pronouncing "Spad" all along. It just helps to know I'm right.

-Drew

[rammjaeger]

James and Greg are right: Short "o" in German language.