People all over the world mispronounce words from other languages.

P.S. I meant to say either screech or scream, not "screach."

At a restaurant in L.A., my Roman aunt was "corrected" by the waiter that it was brooshetta. Since then it has become even more of a peeve.

I have a pronounciation question.

In Art History the French painter David has a painting titled "Oath of the Horatii". The Horatii are sons of Horace. I would like to know the correct pronounciation of Horatii. And also Curatii. I heard it pronounced one way on the history channel and another in an art history class. Would it be pronounced differently if one was French rather than Italian? Thanks!!

"Horatii" and "Curiatii" are really Latin, not Italian. When saying them in English, we normally say "Hoe-RAY-she-eye" and "Cue-ree-AY-she-eye." Someone wanting to show off his Latin might say "Hoe-RAH-tee-ee" and "Coo-ree-AH-tee-ee," but I find this pretentious.

In French it's les Horaces et les Curiaces - "oh-rahss" and "cu-ree-ahss," with the "u" in "Curiaces" pronounced in the French way with pursed lips.

In Italian they would be Horazi and Curiazi - "oh-RAH-tsee" and "coo-ree-AH-tsee."

By the way, "Horace" usually refers to the poet Q. Horatius Flaccus, and the Horatii certainly weren't sons of his. (They were, however, sons of a man named Horatius, just as the Smiths would all be sons of a man named Smith.)

All I can say is that I cringe every time I see the Jack in the Box commercial on the tv, pitching the chicken "brew-shetta" ciabatta sandwiches...eew.

To add to it, the "ciabatta" bread is square on these things. I thought "ciabatta" is called as such because the loaf resembles a slipper.

Makes my head hurt, that it does.

thank you!!

What about 'per favore'

The pronounciation guideline in Rick Steves say /per fa-VO-reh/

However, the sound clip in our Fodors website pronounces /PER fah-voh-reh/

So, should we learn from the tape or course instead of from phrasebooks?

Tesoro, My Italian teacher has told me that generally the accent falls on the second-to-the-last syllable in an Italian word.

If I were at the Vatican in Rome and discussing the Laocoon sculpture, that is sometimes spelled lacoon, how would I pronounce it? Would I use the English type pronounciation of la oh ko on? or different?

In Italian he's Laocoonte, pronounced "lah-oh-ko-ON-teh."

There you go...emphasis on the second-to-the-last syllable.

This one seems so simple, but we've been wondering how to pronounce Hotel CASCI in Florence?

From what I've learned, the Italians do not prounce the letter "s" as we do in English. They pronounce the letter "s" as a soft (sort of) long z. Try it that way.

Casci is kah'-she

Just to be clear, is it "KAH-shee"?

Barb_in_Ga is correct. SCI is prounced like "sh" in shut. The accent is on the Ca, which is the second-from-the-last syllable.

I agree with her.

Laocoon is, surely, a Greek name -- pronounced as you would demotic or classical Greek, I am guessing.

Now here is an oddity I encountered again in Italy last week: the pronunciation of Ciao.

I wondered: Is it only in Tuscany or is it more generally that people say Tsao rather than the literal ciao (Chaow).....