von Boenigk

[Barrett]

How in the world is the name pronounced? Silent G? Silent K?

[Barrett]

Got this from a sometime Forumite who's Down Undah:

it's a bit hard to write for English phonemes. The oe suggests the o-umlaut (ö) and is pronounced as if you are going to say "bug" but pushing your tongue slightly forward to your bottom teeth and making a small round aperture with your lips (sounds kinky, I know). Now to the 'gk' - this might be a dialect spelling, but it is useful to note that in some areas, the end 'k' sound is almost a 'g' or soft 'kh' - so it wil be as if you are saying the 'g' sound as at the beginning of the redneck-y word "git."

I'm beginning to think that "Hey you" is a whole lot easier.

[frontflieger]

Hi Barrett

take it easy even for Germans this combination of letters is strange. I personally would think you pronounce the name like Boeing, Döring => "Bönig"!

Thorsten

[josquin]

Barrett,

As Thorsten and the chap from Down Under both say, the "--gk" is
pronounced like a hard g ("go") with the "k" being silent for all
practical purposes. The "oe" (o with umlaut) is a sound different
from any in English, but "Goetz" would sound a lot like "gets" in
English (or Stan Getz, if you are a jazz fan). So, a rough English
von Boenigk would be "phone Bennig." If you're adventurous, try
to add a hint of a "k" to the final g after you vocalize the g--but
it should be only a hint or people will think you're an Austrian or
a country cousin from far to the South.

Regards

Josquin