Why do Americans say Nikon and Canon differently ?

[fcimbar]

[No message]

 

[hikerdoc]

If you find it ridiculous, you dont have to comment here. This thread is purely linguistic not political or anything. Reşying on wiki as a source of info is simply a joke. Totally amateur. First you'd best learn the meaning of wiki.

Probably not the worst, but not intended to be an academic reference. You miss my point that from a linguistic standpoint we are arguing the proper "english?" pronunciation of anglicized words originally consisting of sounds and symbols not even existing in our own alphabet and regional speech patterns. I have worked with physicians of Iranian descent and they say neither eye-ran or i-rahn, but rather a much sweeter rolling and almost musical word. We are arguing as to whose incorrect pronunciation is more correct. In the case of Nikon we are not actually even dealing with an actual Japanese word.

Perhaps it would be best if you just present the words in their native alphabet here and give us the proper and definitive pronunciation.

Here is a perhaps more high brow reference which says essentially the same thing as the wiki article:

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www.iranchamber.com

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www.iranchamber.com

Signing off, off to play with my nye-kahn

 

[Glen Barrington]

You can't quantify culture! How people SPEAK is cultural, it is NOT scientific.

 

[Jay Jenner]

As far as I know, having spent a small amount of time in Japan, Nikon is supposed to be pronounced like Neek-kon. Thats how they say it Japan. It is odd that in the Uk we say it like that but my friends from the USA say Nye-kon.

Canon is a different matter. When the company started out it was called Kwanon, until a PR person told them that this name was not going to go down well in the international market place as it sounds a bit too ....eastern and cheesy for western markets. So how about calling it Canon instead. Righto said the execs...and thus it was so.

Also when I was in Japan (and this was 30 years ago mind you) Sony was pronounced Sonny, as with a short emphasis on the 'O' so that is how I pronounced it for years, and people would ask me why I said it like that - and I would tell them that is how I heard it in Japan, and they should know.

Whether this is all still the case I cannot say. Although the Japanese are a proud and noble race and like things to be correct, I also think that the marketing and PR execs are saying, call it what you want, just buy more.

 

[fcimbar]

I said different. I did not say wrong. If I meant wrong I would write wrong. Is that clear enough ?

 

[fcimbar]

"As far as I know, having spent a small amount of time in Japan, Nikon is supposed to be pronounced like Neek-kon. Thats how they say it Japan. It is odd that in the Uk we say it like that but my friends from the USA say Nye-kon.

Canon is a different matter. When the company started out it was called Kwanon, until a PR person told them that this name was not going to go down well in the international market place as it sounds a bit too ....eastern and cheesy for western markets. So how about calling it Canon instead. Righto said the execs...and thus it was so.

Also when I was in Japan (and this was 30 years ago mind you) Sony was pronounced Sonny, as with a short emphasis on the 'O' so that is how I pronounced it for years, and people would ask me why I said it like that - and I would tell them that is how I heard it in Japan, and they should know.

Whether this is all still the case I cannot say. Although the Japanese are a proud and noble race and like things to be correct, I also think that the marketing and PR execs are saying, call it what you want, just buy more.

 

[fcimbar]

But some cultural things can and are explained by science.

 

[fcimbar]

Sometimes it is best to go back to photography and enjoy it. I'll do the same
BTW
Nippon + Ikon = Nikon /nikoɴ/ /knee-con/
also UK /ˈnɪkɒn/ or US /ˈnaɪkɒn/

 

[pavi1]

You got a point here. Those companies lead you there or they follow your pron. Chicken and egg thing

Like Cheby and Ferd.

 

[RealPancho]

….who is Chinese, greet me one day with, "Heh-ro, Flank," even though he has lived in the USA for many years. And no, friends, I am not exaggerating one bit. "Heh-ro Flank" - exactly like that.

Hey, no problem. You couldn't find a nicer guy than Dr. Chen.

 

[wasserball]

Say it right. The i is long, therefore it is Ny, not Ne. If it is pronounced ne, then Nikon would have been spelled Nekon.

and Porsche is Por-sha, two syllables, not Porshs.

 

[dinoSnake]

Say it right. The i is long, therefore it is Ny, not Ne. If it is pronounced ne, then Nikon would have been spelled Nekon.

and Porsche is Por-sha, two syllables, not Porshs.

Indeed. Razzing the troops a bit, we could repeat the history: that "Nikon" was derived from "Zeiss Ikon" and we certainly don't say "Zeiss Eekon", nor do we say "Eecon" when we mean "icon" as in an image or representation. So simply adding a "N" to "icon" gives you the American pronunciation of "Nye-kahn".

Wasn't that simple? ;-) LOL

 

[RealPancho]

Say it right. The i is long, therefore it is Ny, not Ne. If it is pronounced ne, then Nikon would have been spelled Nekon.

and Porsche is Por-sha, two syllables, not Porshs.

Indeed. Razzing the troops a bit, we could repeat the history: that "Nikon" was derived from "Zeiss Ikon"

According to Wikipedia, it is derived from "Nippon Kogaku" and the Zeiss brand "Ikon."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon

But the first syllable of "Nippon," as any Japanese would tell you, is pronounced, "nee," as in "The Knights Who Say…," and the single vowel "i" in German is never pronounced "eye," but is always pronounced either "ee" or "ih." It is only in combination with other letters, as in the "ei" in Zeiss, that it is pronounced with long "eye" sound.

and we certainly don't say "Zeiss Eekon", nor do we say "Eecon" when we mean "icon" as in an image or representation. So simply adding a "N" to "icon" gives you the American pronunciation of "Nye-kahn".

Which is fine for Americans like me, but it is not how the Japanese pronounce the name of this Japanese company.

Wasn't that simple? ;-) LOL

 

[bluelemmy]

American and Japanese cats are useless at pronouncing Nikon and Canon. English cats pronounce Nikon miau and Canon meow and that's the only correct way.

If you doubt me, show me one cat who has a Nikon camera who says Nikon, or a cat who has a Canon camera and says Canon. The great thing about cats is their ability to make complex things simple. For example, my cat Eric has simplified the name of my Nikon DS 453 SX MFT APS- C SD 36 Mk3 to miauo. Why couldn't Nikon have thought of that?

 

[dinoSnake]

Say it right. The i is long, therefore it is Ny, not Ne. If it is pronounced ne, then Nikon would have been spelled Nekon.

and Porsche is Por-sha, two syllables, not Porshs.

Indeed. Razzing the troops a bit, we could repeat the history: that "Nikon" was derived from "Zeiss Ikon"

According to Wikipedia, it is derived from "Nippon Kogaku" and the Zeiss brand "Ikon."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon

But the first syllable of "Nippon," as any Japanese would tell you, is pronounced, "nee," as in "The Knights Who Say…," and the single vowel "i" in German is never pronounced "eye," but is always pronounced either "ee" or "ih." It is only in combination with other letters, as in the "ei" in Zeiss, that it is pronounced with long "eye" sound.

and we certainly don't say "Zeiss Eekon", nor do we say "Eecon" when we mean "icon" as in an image or representation. So simply adding a "N" to "icon" gives you the American pronunciation of "Nye-kahn".

Which is fine for Americans like me, but it is not how the Japanese pronounce the name of this Japanese company.

Wasn't that simple? ;-) LOL

 

[wasserball]

Say it right. The i is long, therefore it is Ny, not Ne. If it is pronounced ne, then Nikon would have been spelled Nekon.

and Porsche is Por-sha, two syllables, not Porshs.

Indeed. Razzing the troops a bit, we could repeat the history: that "Nikon" was derived from "Zeiss Ikon"

According to Wikipedia, it is derived from "Nippon Kogaku" and the Zeiss brand "Ikon."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon

But the first syllable of "Nippon," as any Japanese would tell you, is pronounced, "nee," as in "The Knights Who Say…," and the single vowel "i" in German is never pronounced "eye," but is always pronounced either "ee" or "ih." It is only in combination with other letters, as in the "ei" in Zeiss, that it is pronounced with long "eye" sound.

and we certainly don't say "Zeiss Eekon", nor do we say "Eecon" when we mean "icon" as in an image or representation. So simply adding a "N" to "icon" gives you the American pronunciation of "Nye-kahn".

Which is fine for Americans like me, but it is not how the Japanese pronounce the name of this Japanese company.

Wasn't that simple? ;-) LOL

--
Frank

You forget that it wasn't a Japanese company, it was a Japanese TRADE NAME. The company only took the name "Nikon" as the official corporate name in 1988; the Nikon name was created for the western market.

Absolutely. America is probably Nikon's biggest market. We can pronounce Nikon anyway we want. The customer is always right.

 

[timo]

You say patayto, I say potahto.

Except that no one says potahto, not even the British. Despite what the songwriter wrote.

 

[Gozgah]

Why stop at Nikon and Canon?
Every time I watch "Top Gear UK" ( as opposed to "Top Gear US" - yeah, there is one of that too -on History Channel of all places) it cracks me up listening to Jeremy, James, and Richard pronouncing Prius, Nissan or Hyundai (with the proper British pronunciation I'm sure ) but so different than what they're called in US or in other parts of Europe.

Oh well, to each his own.

TTFN

 

[dinoSnake]

You say patayto, I say potahto.

Except that no one says potahto, not even the British. Despite what the songwriter wrote.

If that is what you believe then you do not get around the full United States. I've heard "potahto" as well as the much more common "pahtatah", never you mind "patayto".

 

[timo]

You say patayto, I say potahto.

Except that no one says potahto, not even the British. Despite what the songwriter wrote.

If that is what you believe then you do not get around the full United States. I've heard "potahto" as well as the much more common "pahtatah", never you mind "patayto".

I stand corrected.

I wonder why that politician fellah pronounces his name 'Bainer'. Can't he speak German?
--
tim

 

[gollywop]

American and Japanese cats are useless at pronouncing Nikon and Canon. English cats pronounce Nikon miau and Canon meow and that's the only correct way.

If you doubt me, show me one cat who has a Nikon camera who says Nikon, or a cat who has a Canon camera and says Canon. The great thing about cats is their ability to make complex things simple. For example, my cat Eric has simplified the name of my Nikon DS 453 SX MFT APS- C SD 36 Mk3 to miauo. Why couldn't Nikon have thought of that?

Mew.

--

gollywop