How to pronounce Obama?

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Or pronounce a variety of English names? Is there a way to mark them with international phonetic symbols?

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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 2,008 • Replies: 20

[+4] - JTT - 09/23/2010[quote]Obama: [o ba: mer]?[/quote] Some people in some parts of New England, the NE corner of the USA pronounce many words [all words???] ending in 'a' as 'er. I believe that this alos occurs in...
[+3] - JTT - 09/23/2010[quote]Anyway, can you be straightforward in what you meant by the above?[/quote] Can you answer a question that's been asked of you? [quote]Obama isn't pronounced with an r sound, because...
[+3] - JTT - 09/23/2010[quote]a-yup. They stick r sounds in the middle of some words where the letter doesn't exist too. My maiden name (Palmer) was pronounced "Parmer" in the Connecticut River valley area of...
[+3] - Merry Andrew - 09/23/2010There is a general misunderstanding about how and why New Englanders (I used to be one) insert Rs at the ends of words where such Rs do not belong. This is by no means capricious in any sense....

@oristarA,

Do you have other difficulties with the English language as well?

1 Reply

@Merry Andrew,

Merry Andrew wrote:

Do you have other difficulties with the English language as well?

rolls eyes

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@oristarA,

The pronunciation of names uses the same sound system of English as that used for words in general, Ori. The only really good way to learn those sounds is to listen to tapes, TV, etc of native English speakers.

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@JTT,

Thank you JTT.

Obama: [o ba: mer]?

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@oristarA,

Quote:

Obama: [o ba: mer]?

Some people in some parts of New England, the NE corner of the USA pronounce many words [all words???] ending in 'a' as 'er. I believe that this alos occurs in some parts of England and Australia.

I'd say for most of the English speaking world it's [o ba ma].

1 Reply

@oristarA,

No "r" sound in there.

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@chai2,

Quote:

No "r" sound in there.

See what I mean, Ori.

1 Reply

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
No "r" sound in there.

See what I mean, Ori.

not sure why anyone, native English speaker or not, would think there's an "r" in o...b....a....m....a

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@chai2,

Quote:

not sure why anyone, native English speaker or not, would think there's an "r" in o...b....a....m....a

Didn't you tell me recently that you had me on ignore, Chai.

You have to make yourself clear when you're dealing in language and how it works. Do you refer to the spelling or the pronunciation?

1 Reply

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
not sure why anyone, native English speaker or not, would think there's an "r" in o...b....a....m....a

Didn't you tell me recently that you had me on ignore, Chai.

You have to make yourself clear when you're dealing in language and how it works. Do you refer to the spelling or the pronunciation?

What?

And yes, I do have you on ignore, but when there's a subject like this, I'm interested, and what to see what other people have answered. It's an easy enough thing to click on "view" When I do that, I don't know if the person is going to be you, or someone else I ignore. You roll the dice, you take your chances.

I can still appreciate what one has to say about something straightforward as an english question, and still think they they are a douchebag when it comes to their opinions on the world in general.

Anyway, can you be straightforward in what you meant by the above?

Obama isn't pronounced with an r sound, because there is no r in it. I've never heard anyone pronounce it with an r on the end, so I don't know why orister would think that sound is there.

1 Reply

@chai2,

Quote:

Anyway, can you be straightforward in what you meant by the above?

Can you answer a question that's been asked of you?

Quote:

Obama isn't pronounced with an r sound, because there is no r in it. I've never heard anyone pronounce it with an r on the end, so I don't know why orister would think that sound is there.

What you've heard or what you've experienced or what you've "studied" does not, in any way shape or form, describe the parameters of the English language.

There no 'w' in too or to but they are still pronounced 'two'.

I explained how this works in my first post to Ori.

One doesn't have to possess every bit of knowledge about every field but, when the material is right there and you can't keep up to speed, then you probably shouldn't get involved in threads that are over your head.

Quote:

and still think they they are a douchebag when it comes to their opinions on the world in general.

You never really struck me as the chickenshit type, Chai. But let's be honest, shall we? You don't like to hear about the evil things/the war crimes that the USA has been involved in. That's it, isn't it?

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@oristarA,

Obama is a name from Kenya, find an African to ask.

1 Reply

@electronicmail,

Quote:

Obama is a name from Kenya, find an African to ask.

That isn't what Oristar wants to know, EM. And it doesn't matter what the name [or word] is or what language it has come from. When a word or name, which is just a word, comes into English, it follows the rules of the English sound system.

People soon tire of trying to get Americans or Canadians or Australians or Kiwis to pronounce their names as it's done in their mother tongue. There's a very good reason that doesn't happen. We don't know the sound systems of all the languages of the world.

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@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
Obama: [o ba: mer]?

Some people in some parts of New England, the NE corner of the USA pronounce many words [all words???] ending in 'a' as 'er. I believe that this alos occurs in some parts of England and Australia.

I'd say for most of the English speaking world it's [o ba ma].

a-yup. They stick r sounds in the middle of some words where the letter doesn't exist too. My maiden name (Palmer) was pronounced "Parmer" in the Connecticut River valley area of Vt.

1 Reply

@JPB,

Quote:

a-yup. They stick r sounds in the middle of some words where the letter doesn't exist too. My maiden name (Palmer) was pronounced "Parmer" in the Connecticut River valley area of Vt.

I can't accept this as fact, JPB, until Chai has confirmed for me that she has heard this. Smile

1 Reply

There is a general misunderstanding about how and why New Englanders (I used to be one) insert Rs at the ends of words where such Rs do not belong. This is by no means capricious in any sense. They simply need to use up the Rs that they've dropped from some words where the letters do belong, e.g. plummah (plumber), numbah (number) and a whole passel (parcel) of others.

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@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

not sure why anyone, native English speaker or not, would think there's an "r" in o...b....a....m....a

Lots of dialects put an "r" after a soft "a."

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@JTT,

JTT wrote:

I can't accept this as fact, JPB, until Chai has confirmed for me that she has heard this.

I just inhaled some apricot jam. Can't decide whether to blame you or Chai.

Laughing

1 Reply

I wonder why the right hasn't picked up on the Boston,

Obamer ---->> Ohbummer

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How to pronounce Obama?

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