I hate

Yeah I think people know there's something up with the 'ci' and 'ce' and tend to get it right, but then don't realise that throwing in a 'h' might change something - especially as 'ch' is an established sound in English.

I mean I'm really not faulting people for getting some words wrong sometimes, but consistently mispronouncing it when you're supposed to be knowledgeable in the field... meh.

See also Cervelo

So is that pronounced ‘chervello’? I’ve never said that name out loud so never had the opportunity to cock it up.

"Servello" according to the (Canadian) company.

Its French Canadian so no, doesn't use the Italian rules

Huh. I assumed it was pronounced 'servelo'.

Yeah, presumably since is cer vélo it would be vay-lo rather than vell-o

Or thereabouts

Ok, Kerveyo it is then

This type of discussion is hard without using correct phonetic transcription methods.

And let's not forget that in the UK most of us don't pronounce the R in Cervélo anyway, so who's really "right"?

You mean who’s ‘aight?

'Cervelo' is actually a problem though, because it is kind of Italian and kind of French, and the two languages pronounce it differently. I always thought it was 'Servelo' because the word 'velo' led me to assume French, which means using the 's' would be correct - I never grokked the whole 'cervello' association at all, maybe I'm just not smart enough for the incredible pun. ( @andyp ) (Also, you know, I don't make youtube videos talking about the brand at length)

In any case, it's not entirely straightforward as a a fully Italian name used by an Italian company is.

so who's really "right"?

Canadians

Don't get me started on 'campagnolo'...

Oooh also, just so this is out of the way: 'Peugeot' is not pronounced 'Prrrsho', and the 'e' at the end of 'Porsche' is not silent - it's not French! Every time the 'e' is omitted, Herr - sorry, Dr. - Porsche's face gets a bit sadder.

But I see how those pronunciations are now just accepted fact in English and are unlikely to change.

(Also yes, I get similarly annoyed at e.g. Germans mispronouncing well-known English words. The worst recently was one guy in a podcast constantly saying 'Ávengers', with the stress on the first syllable. HOW. Especially as this person is supposedly a fan of the movies and speaks English too...)

I have a friend who works at Nike, who tells me off every time I fail to pronounce it 'nikee'

'Campy'

Nicky?

Weirdly, it follows ancient Greek pronunciation.

The thing is, how do we know how the ancient Greeks pronounced Nike?

I understand that, but it is probably the same as the 'Prrrrsho' thing, it's just how it's pronounced in English now, no matter what would be 'correct'...

Pergeeot right?

Puuhzhoh

I hate people who get hung up on this sort of pointless shit then refer to Ancient Greece as a way of making themselves look clever.

Pronounce it the right way if you want but is it really something to get upset about if other people don’t get it quite right.

See also: scone vs scone debate etc. Boring as fuck.

Someone get this thread back on track with some proper vitriol.

Don't worry, I do have proper vitriol reserved for people serially mispronouncing 'Bianchi'.

Vitriol is a bit Brighton Rock for this thread, isn't it?

How are you supposed to pronounce that?
Vit rye ol
Vit ree ol