Pronunciation of ukulele

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Before I started listening to and playing uke, I never questioned the name of the tiny guitar instrument. It was clearly pronounced yoo-ka-lay-lee. The correct Hawaiian pronunciation is oo-koo-lay-lay. According to hawaiian-words. In Hawaiian, the vowels are pronounced: ah a , eh e , ee i , oh o , oo u and the easiest way to pronounce a Hawaiian word is to break it down into syllables A-lo-ha, or in our case u-ku-le-le.

Pronunciation of ukulele

I was gonna post a link to that video in the comments but you beat me to it! Love it! I cringe everytime I hear a non-Hawaiian say Ook oo lay lay. People do so love proving that they're "right. Mark Kermode makes a point of saying "ook," citing the Hawaiian origin, whereas I generally go with "yook" because that's what performers like Cliff Edwards said. It simply doesn't matter outside of minor linguistic interest and childish point scoring. In the early days there wasn't even a consensus on how to spell the word, let alone say it, as can be seen in sheet music for "When old Bill Bailey plays the ukalele" from and other sources. Pronounce something wrong long enough until it becomes the correct and acceptable. One could easily argue that the '-oke' bit of karaoke was initially a bastardisation of an English word by the Japanese. I think that the one of the beauties of the English language is her ability to borrow words from other languages and use them as her own.

Well, ok, that sounds like a meaningful use of time and energy They managed to strip the King of his power and put it instead in the hands pronunciation of ukulele a new governmental body.

A lie told many times over becomes a truth , and the cool Hawaiian instrument- Ukulele has long been a victim of this. With scores of alternative pronunciations of the word Ukulele doing the rounds, the original version has now been forgotten. Popular does not mean right. The Ukulele has its roots in Hawaii and it is only fair that their pronunciation of the word is deemed the correct one. Fortunately for us, the pronunciations of the repeated letters are the same, making it easy to remember them. How simple is that! While pronouncing the ukulele in a different manner than the authentic Hawaiian version is not a grave offence, and is sure to be accepted across different regions provided that it gets the point across , it is no excuse to endorse the inaccurate version as an accurate one.

Thanks for contributing. Please Log in or Register or post as a guest. Add word Add a pronunciation Add collection Create quiz Log in or Sign up. Learn how to pronounce Ukulele Ukulele. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Ukulele. Very easy. Thanks for your vote! Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it.

Pronunciation of ukulele

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According to hawaiian-words. Two things People are getting bent out of shape about how to pronounce an instrument that's only been around for years and wasn't native to the culture that now "owns" it? I'm part native Hawaiian, and I honestly don't care how you pronounce it. Choose a dictionary. The delightful Jacksonville, Illinois, dulcimer player, Mike Anderson, delights in calling his instrument a "duck-lammer. Oolongtea 6 August at BST. Google seems to favor the English spelling. I think i need to go get a gyro for lunch. People do so love proving that they're "right. In Hawaii -- to be respectful of the correct pronunciation -- I try to always say "ooh koo lay lay" or "ooh koo leh leh," but admittedly in the mainland, when I have done that most people look at me like I'm nuts and so I will often say "you ka lay lee" so they understand what I'm talking about. It an instument a ukulele ,in words how you prononse it , is a different matter comes down to linquistics where you are from ,have you heard a Gordie say ukulele

It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and construction.

Maybe I should just shut up and play! There are some previous similar threads. It's a disrespect of another culture and changing that culture's own word because arrogant people think their culture is superior and is allowed to change another culture. Aside from the Google ads, I don't get paid to write this blog and for reasons of impartiality a not sponsored by brands or stores. Life's too short to get bent out of shape over it. In Hawaiian, the vowels are pronounced: ah a , eh e , ee i , oh o , oo u and the easiest way to pronounce a Hawaiian word is to break it down into syllables A-lo-ha, or in our case u-ku-le-le. I'm just wondering how people feel about this issue. The Ukulele has its roots in Hawaii and it is only fair that their pronunciation of the word is deemed the correct one. Anonymous 5 January at GMT. Sign up now or Log in. How do you pronounce Ukulele, anyway?