Re: [tied] Moldova Confusion

Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:

 
 

----- Original Message -----

From: Glen Gordon

To: cybalist@egroups.comSent: Monday, September 04, 2000 9:31 AMSubject: Re: [tied] Moldova Confusion

 It's only me, Piotr, packing my suitcase. 1. DNISTER. The Ukrainian pronunciation is ['dnister] ("dneester": two syllables, a tense [i], [d] pronounced). 2. DNIESTR. The Polish pronunciation is ['dnjestr] ("dnyestr": one syllable, [nj] = palatal nasal like French "gn", voiceless [r], [d] pronounced). 3. DNESTR. The Russian pronunciation is ['dnjestr], more or less the same as in Polish. Impress your friends with your flawless Slavic. If you can't quite make the [dn], "Duh-NIECE-ter" or "Din-YES-ter" should sound tolerable. Piotr
 

>     And I think I even know better. Outside of English, /ei/  is
> >consistently the vowel in 'buy', with /ie/  representing that in 'be'.
> >It's not the nigh-stir, but the knee-stir.

Erh, I've been pronouncing it "din-KNEE-stir". Is this a silent thing as in
pneumonia, psychology and knife? English pronunciation is oh so confusing :)

- gLeN

  Piotr,
    I accidently deleted your letter on the town of Akerman.  Due to its sound I often wondered if it was any way connected with the German settlements in Bessarabia.  They were a little north of Akerman around the cities of Leipzig and Kulm.  I don't have a modern atlas detailed enough to know if either exist today or not.  Oh well, thanks for clearing up one more detail for me.
                                                            Steve