Sound quality

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I didn't know there was more than one way to say "pasta" . How do you say it?

All this, of course, reinforces the view I expressed previously, that British readers should read British books, and American readers American books.

Pah-sta. In several audiobooks I've been listening to, the British readers are saying past-a.

[issybird]

In my current audiobook, Waiting for Snow in Havana, the reader pronounces St. Augustine the saint as if he were St. Augustine the city. Talk about nails on chalkboard! Even if the reader didn't know (and clearly didn't), couldn't someone involved in production have caught this?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Pah-sta. In several audiobooks I've been listening to, the British readers are saying past-a.

British English uses the correct Italian pronunciation of the word, with both "a"'s short. You're pronouncing it as if it were spelled "parsta".

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by HarryT

British English uses the correct Italian pronunciation of the word, with both "a"'s short. You're pronouncing it as if it were spelled "parsta".

Italian pronunciation.

Here are the American and British pronunciations. To my ear, it's the American pronunciation that matches up better with the Italian.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Italian pronunciation.

Here are the American and British pronunciations. To my ear, it's the American pronunciation that matches up better with the Italian.

Whereas to mine, the American pronunciation has a long "a" which is not present in the Italian. Guess it goes to show that what we're used to is what sounds right to us.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I didn't know there was more than one way to say "pasta" . How do you say it?

It's pronounced pah-sta.

[arjaybe]

I just listened to the Italian pronunciation and it sounded like a short a to me.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

It's pronounced pah-sta.

Nope. It's pronounced pahsta.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

I just listened to the Italian pronunciation and it sounded like a short a to me.

It is a short "a". The only way to get an "ah" sound in Italian is to write "ar", as in words like "parma". The "a" is "pasta" (both of them, in fact) is the same as the "a" in "cat". It's not the same sound as the "ar" in "cart".

[Catlady]

I think the Italian pronunciation in that clip matches the American English pronunciation. But in any case, it simply doesn't matter how the Italians pronounce pasta; I'm not listening to a book in Italian. What matters to me is that the British pronunciation is grating and annoying to my American ear.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

It's pronounced pah-sta.

“You’re saying it wrong,” Harry heard Hermione snap. “It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”
”

Excerpt From: J.K. Rowling. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.” Pottermore, 2015. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/QfL09.l