ARTS / Cries & Whispers
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Your support makes all the difference.ON 31 MAY I humbly offered you Hughes's Guide to Arts Pronunciation: 47 potentially tricky names, from Bono to Nietzsche, all re-spelt for the phonetically challenged. My mailbag has been bulging ever since.
Many readers sought guidance: as Gerald Nason of Suffolk put it, 'How about Medbh McGuckian? I like her poetry but can't talk to anyone about it, for obvious reasons.' Gerald, your problem is solved.
Some wanted to take issue with our verdicts (the guide carried a disclaimer, but they weren't going to be silenced by that). Others felt that we had taken no account of Scottish accents, and especially the non-silent R (it's the difference between 'teacherr' and 'teachuh'). This is a fair cop. Our phonetics were shamefully geared to those who speak the Queen's English, or at least the Princess of Wales's. So here are some more names, with no promise of infallibility, but no silent Rs either.
Aguirre, Wrath of God, film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ag-WEIR-ay
Maria Aitken, actress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rhymes with pariah, not career
Pedro Almodovar, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Al-mod-OHvar
Tori Amos, singer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Torry AY-moss
Bille August, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill-EH OW-goosed
Richard Avedon, photographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AVV-er-duhn
Sean Bean, actor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shorn Been
(but answers to the nickname Seen Born)
Jean-Jacques Beineix, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . .Ben-EX
John Cassavetes, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cassa-VETTies
Madonna Ciccone, singer, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chick-OH-nee
Cosi fan tutte, opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coss-EE fan TOOT-eh
Jacques-Louis David, painter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Davv-EED
Jonathan Demme, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rhymes with jemmy
Robert Doisneau, photographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rob-air Dwah-no
John Duigan, film director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DYE-gern
The Fleadh, annual rock event. . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Flar
Johnny Hallyday, singer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J'on-ee-AL-ee-day
John and Anjelica Huston, film people. . . . . .Heuce-ton
Ingres, painter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AIRN-grr
Janacek, composer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yanna-check
Jenufa, opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yen-ooh-fuh
Aki Kaurismaki, film director. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cow-riz-macky
Andre Kertesz, photographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .On-DRAY Care-tesh
Istvan Kertesz, conductor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ist-fun Care-tesh
Kronos Quartet, string ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . .Chron-oss
Mario Vargas Llosa, novelist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Varg-us YO-suh
Louis Malle, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mal, as in Les Fleurs du
David Mamet, playwright and film-maker. . . . .MAM-it
Ngaio Marsh, novelist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Uhnn-GUY-oh
Armistead Maupin, novelist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Army-sted Maw-pin
Medbh McGuckian, poet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mayv
Irek Mukhamedov, dancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Muh-kuh-MAY-dov
Rudolf Nureyev, dancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Noo-RAY-eff
Eugene Onegin, opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .You-j'aine On-yaig-in
. . . . . . . . . . .(but One Gin to its friends, especially opera critics)
Stephen Poliakoff, writer / director. . . . . . .POLL-yuh-cough
Ruggero Raimondi, singer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rooj-AER-o Ray-MON-di
Keanu Reeves, actor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kay-ANN-ooh
Nicolas Roeg, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rogue
Fred Schepisi, film-maker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SKEP-si
Karlheinz Stockhausen, composer. . . . . . . . . . . .SHTOCK-hows'n
Antoni Tapies, artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tappy-ESS
Marisa Tomei, actress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MaREE-suh Tom-AY
Loudon Wainwright III, singer. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Loud'n, not Lood'n
Franz Welser Most, conductor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frants Vell-sa Murst
Zhang Yimou, film director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yang Yee-moo
Richard Zajdlic, playwright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zide-litz (as in side-splits)
Memo to the reader who said that she obviously wasn't one of the cognoscenti, because she didn't know how to pronounce it: it's Con-yuh-SHENty.
Memo to anyone who knows Liam Tuite of Dublin: it's Lee-um TYU-it, which 'emphatically does not rhyme with suite'. Memo to Liam: we like your HUHTS-pah.
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