(no subject)

[moon_custafer]

There’s been an extensive billboard campaign in Toronto, for a product called Iögo, that focuses on the umlaut. In the words with umlauts I know how to pronounce (noël, maïs), the meaning of the accent seems to be “pronounce this vowel separately, don’t run it together with the vowel in front of it.” Help me out here, etymologist – am I correct in this? If I am, then Iögo should be pronounced “I-o-go,” like Iowa or iodine; but it’s yogurt, so I think they want you to say it “yogo,” and it’s another case of the umlaut being purely for effect, like in Mötorhead.

While I’m ranting, have we calmed down about “literally” yet? I think the next word to be officially redefined will be “fragrant.” I don’t think in the past decade I’ve ever seen it used except as an ironic euphemism for “foul-smelling.” Then again, fragrance still means perfume, which may keep fragrant in the ironic euphemism category instead of letting it slip over into literally meaning stinky.

/word rant

Also, I now want someone in Iowa to start pushing for the state to be renamed Iöwa, thus making it 82% cooler in the public estimation.

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Doesn't the umlaut sometimes turn an o from /o/ as in boat to the vowel-sound in fur (without the /r/, or course)? I can't think of any real examples off the top of my head, but I think it can appear in German over a lone /o/ rather than one that is, or looks as though it is, part of a diphthong.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

You're probably right -- most of the examples I can think are from French, as I don't speak German.