Pronunciation questions

[vesper]

There are a handful of acts that I'm not sure if I pronounce correctly - since I've only read their titles and/or met people who weren't sure - but these three keep pestering me:

Dntel (din-tell, din-teel, in-tell, in-teel)?
Yume Bitsu (you-may bit-sue, you-mee bit-sue, etc)?
Closer, the Joy Division album ('Closer' as in, "Bring him closer," or 'closer' as in, "This album is the closer of their career," - not a real word I know, but it hasn't stopped bands in the past.)?

[evil_speakers]

I always read it as "din - tell", with the "din" part pronounced very quickly, like there's not "i", so it's really just "dn". I would also say "you me bit soo".

How about Xiu Xiu? I say "shu shu", but pronounced with more of a "j" sound, like "genre". And how about "Jagjaguar"? Or the ever popular "!!!"? I suppose it's one of "chk chk chk", "pow pow pow", or "boom boom boom". Pronounciation don't mean a thing, it's just another way to be right wing.

[vesper]

Xiu Xiu is pronounced either "shoe shoe" or "show show" but never (!) "zoo zoo". They point it out on the Kill Rock Stars website. I pronounce it the same way you do.

I always say, "chic chic chic," when talking about !!!. But, as you pointed out, it is any 3 repetitive sounds.

One more:

Out Hud ('hud' like 'hub' or 'hud' like 'hood')?

[evil_speakers]

Well, if I'm not mistaken, and I certainly could be, but isn't "xiu xiu" Chinese for thank you? If that's the case, then I beleive it is pronounced more like "shoe shoe", but with a more oriental, abbreviated "shu" sound, not a long "shooo", like we would say it. Almost like you're "shhing" someone.

I've always said "Out Hud", as in "hud", "hood". I have no idea what it means, and didn't realize there was some debate about it. Those crazy !!! kids, do they always have to cause pronounciation problems, even in their side projects?

PS My vote for best new eastern/oriental sounding band name:

Watashi Wa. I love that. It's Japanese for "my name is". And it sounds cool. Do I pick bands based on their name? Yes. So did Bob, back in the day, which makes it okay. So there. I still love bands with terrible names. Like "Broken Social Scene", so I'm not totally nominally superficial.

[DefenderOfPants]

"watashi wa" means "i am".

"watashi no namae wa" is "my names is"

[evil_speakers]

My mistake. Just trying to piece together my fading memory of grade 11 Japanese.... I just remember saying "watashi wa Mike dess", and I assumed. Please-a forgiveness.

[vesper]

My friend from India told me that "xiu xiu" in Indian is slang for penis. He also pointed out that most eastern languages are very similar, so it *might* be a double meaning. Considering the band in question, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Still, it probably isn't the case.

[Paul]

I don't know the Chinese definition of Xiu Xiu, but the band took their name from a film about a girl named Xiu Xiu taken to a government youth camp. Sad, sad movie.

[gygax]

Yume Bitsu = "you-may bit-soo" or "ooh-may bit soo" (japanese)

Xiu Xiu = "zshoo zshoo". Named for the Joan Chen (Josey Packard in Twin Peaks) film "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" (as Paul noted).

There is no Chinese language. Thank you in Mandarin = "Xie Xie" (zshay zshay). [Cantonese is "do-chay" but the "d" sound is like half d/half t.]

!!! = "chick chick chick"
out hud = "out hudd"

japanese: "watashi wa [x] desu" is the feminine way of saying "i am [x]". "boku wa [x] desu" is the masculine equivalent.

[TheSadDebaser]

Originally posted by gygax

Xiu Xiu = "zshoo zshoo".

Originally posted by vesper

Xiu Xiu is pronounced either "shoe shoe" or "show show" but never (!) "zoo zoo". They point it out on the Kill Rock Stars website. I pronounce it the same way you do.

It's "shoe shoe." As in, "All that blood ruined a perfectly good pair of shoe shoes."


Here's one: The Notwist

I've always said "not' - wist," but then I heard someone on WFMU say "no' - twist."

[earl grey]

for dntel, i've always said "dee-enn-tell" ... how a friend introduced me to them and it's stuck since.

[James Riot]

Just got the Son Volt album, Trace, but I have no idea how to pronounce their name. This is probably an easy one for you guys...

[Sid Hartha]

Roky Erickson, anyone?

[maroonwalrus]

Originally posted by James Riot
Just got the Son Volt album, Trace, but I have no idea how to pronounce their name. This is probably an easy one for you guys...

Basically it's pronounced like it looks - phonetically, it's "SUHN VOHLT". I'm no dictionary, but hopefully that helps.

[Wallerton]

Though it's tempting to say Roe-key Erickson, I've only ever heard it pronounced like "Rocky"

I never thought about "Closer" having two pronunciations. I think it can be both--though one doesn't often think of Ian Curtis as a punster.

A similar thought occurred to me the other day when I was going through my collection and I came across Michael Penn's 1997 album "Resigned." I'd always pronounced it like "Resigned (with a "z" sound) to one's fate." But then it occurred to me that it could also be "Resigned" with a hard "s," since it was his first record on a new label... so thus he had re-signed.

Dunno...

[vesper]

Originally posted by Wallerton
I never thought about "Closer" having two pronunciations. I think it can be both--though one doesn't often think of Ian Curtis as a punster.

Was it titled before his death, though? I could understand it being made by another member of the band after he committed suicide. I'm probably making much more of this than is there, but it adds even more mystery to the Joy Division legacy.

[redheaven]

What about the Tindersticks song "Chilitetime"?...didn't think it was that hard until I took a closer look at the word...

Oh, and I saw Out Hud a few weeks ago, and they introduced themselves as "Out Hudd"...so that clears that up

[pabost]

I've always wondered about Chan Marshall, but according to the recent New Yorker article, Chan is pronounced like "Shawn." Interesting (despite the sad picture).

[Paul]

I think the pronunciation question about Chan's name was addressed somewhere on the old Matador site (and, while I was searching for it, I found out it was addressed in her You Are Free bio as well).

Cat Power is a good cop... What a great non sequitur.

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by vesper
My friend from India told me that "xiu xiu" in Indian is slang for penis. He also pointed out that most eastern languages are very similar, so it *might* be a double meaning. Considering the band in question, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Still, it probably isn't the case.

Negative, unless it's some weird vernacular from the 80+ dialects. We just call it "dick."