How do you pronounce "Gelato"?
Oct 6th, 2002, 08:11 AM
#2
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It's a soft "g" - jell-ah-toe - with a slight "a" sound on the "e." <BR><BR>In Italian, whenever there is an "e" or an "i" after a "g," the "g" is soft. Whenever there is an "e" or an "i" after a "c," the "c" is pronounced "ch." If there is an "h" after a "g" or a "c," the letter is a hard "g" or "c."
Oct 6th, 2002, 08:24 AM
#3
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This is really pedantic, but I wonder if there is someone versed in Italian enough to clarify the first vowel sound. Everything I read says that there is only one "e" sound in Italian - - thus it would be more like "jay-LAH-toe"<BR><BR>And yet, it DOES seem like the common pronunciation is more like jeh-LAH-toe.<BR><BR>Is there a "soft e" sound for unstressed syllables? since clearly for stressed syllables it is an "ay" sound.<BR><BR>For example in Venezia - - but should the first syllable be just as clearly "ay"?<BR><BR>In other words,<BR><BR>vay-NAYT-see-ah?<BR><BR>or veh-NAYT-see-ah?<BR><BR>Curious minds want to know.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>
Oct 6th, 2002, 10:03 AM
#5
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Rex,<BR><BR>The vowel sound in "Jay" (as in the English word "eight")would be written "ei" in Italian. Say say it slowly and you will find that it is a dipthong of a sound similar to "eh" (but more open in Italian, like "eh" said with a smile) followed by "eeee" (notice your mouth start to close when you get to this part) in English. Said in rapid succession, you get the long "A" in English as in "eight". <BR><BR>Since, in Italian, they pronounce the vowels as written, a word pronounced "jay-LAH-toe" would have to be written as "Geilato"; in addition, they do not have the "eh" sound as in "bed", at all. To make the Italian "e" sound, the jaw is less relaxed, and the sides of the mouth pull back (like in a smile). The closest approximation is to act as if you are going to say it like "jay", but go to the "lato" before you are tempted to turn the "ge" into "gei". Hope this make sense.<BR><BR>P.S. Whether you pronounce it "eh", "ei" or the Italian "e", it is never "juh-LA-toe, which is what I hear most often.
Oct 6th, 2002, 01:24 PM
#8
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Too-shay to the humor involved in the highly successful hijacking of this thread.<BR><BR>To continue the (way too pedantic) discussion with Russ (if it makes your head hurt, then just don't read it).<BR><BR>I understand the difference between the dipthong "ei" (as in Dei) and the true Italian "e" - - not "ay" and not "eh", either.<BR><BR>But my question is: is unstressed "e" different from stressed "e"?<BR><BR>My question about Venezia captured it as well as I know how to ask it.<BR><BR>Perhaps you already answered me, when you suggested that it's like jay-LAH-toe - - but move on to the LAH before you get to the "ee".<BR><BR>Perhaps I should have used "j'ai" (as in French) - - rather than "jay" to represent the first syllable.<BR><BR>
Oct 6th, 2002, 05:54 PM
#10
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There ARE two slightly different "e" sounds -- open and closed. The difference doesn't correspond to whether the syllable is stressed or unstressed. Some of it depends upon what region the speaker is from. It's not easy to explain in print, but any good Italian teacher or real course on tape (not a one-hour Italian for travlers) should demonstrate it. But really, you'll be speaking Italian with a foreign accent anyway, so nobody will get all that excited if you don't master the two different sounds, especially since they do have regional variations.
