In our work we use Grewe condensation (condensation of benzyl-substituted octahydroquinoline to morphinan structure). Our chemists pronounce it as "Gryu condensation" which corresponds to English version of reading Grewe. However the chemist Rudolf Grewe was German, so my guess that the correct pronunciation should be "G-r-e-v-e" . Could somebody clarify it?

 

22 minutes ago, ilya12000 said:

In our work we use Grewe condensation (condensation of benzyl-substituted octahydroquinoline to morphinan structure). Our chemists pronounce it as "Gryu condensation" which corresponds to English version of reading Grewe. However the chemist Rudolf Grewe was German, so my guess that the correct pronunciation should be "G-r-e-v-e" . Could somebody clarify it?

I'm intrigued, I have no idea BTW, can you explain why it matters? 

44 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

BTW, can you explain why it matters? 

!

Moderator Note

This is not appropriate. A question was asked, and unless such clarification helps to answer it (and in this case, I can't see how it would), it's off-topic. The OP has no obligation to say why they are asking.

 

2 hours ago, ilya12000 said:

In our work we use Grewe condensation (condensation of benzyl-substituted octahydroquinoline to morphinan structure). Our chemists pronounce it as "Gryu condensation" which corresponds to English version of reading Grewe. However the chemist Rudolf Grewe was German, so my guess that the correct pronunciation should be "G-r-e-v-e" . Could somebody clarify it?

If you google "pronunciation <name>" you will get several websites that offer you the "correct" pronunciation.

In this case, there is quite a bit of variety (groo, grooee, greeva).

This one claims to be the German pronunciation: https://forvo.com/word/grewe/ (close to greeva)

We do have a German-speaking member, so maybe they will be able to confirm that.

But the "correct" pronunciation of a foreign word or name in English is a tricky question. Some languages have sounds that don't exist in English, for example. Should we struggle to pronounce them? And if everyone knows a particular "wrong" (Anglicised) pronunciation, shouldn't we consider that to be the correct way to say it in English. But, then again it really grates when I hear people badly mispronounce names that I am familiar with from the original language. So there is no easy answer!

The trouble is, if you start pronouncing it "correctly" your chemists might not know what you are saying! 

Spell like the colour "grey" and add "where", but swallow the "re" at the end.  Gre(y)whe(re). 

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by chenbeier

2 hours ago, chenbeier said:

Spell like the colour "grey" and add "where", but swallow the "re" at the end.  Gre(y)whe(re). 

I thought Germans didn't have the 'wuh' sound, instead pronouncing it 'vuh' or 'vee' instead of 'wee'

 

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by StringJunky

Listen to the attached file

Grewe.3gpp

7 minutes ago, chenbeier said:

Listen to the attached file

Grewe.3gpp 836.56 kB · 6 downloads

I am willing to bet the native English people will still pronounce it somewhere in between "grieve" and "griewee"  

Maybe, but I am a bloody german and I posted the sound file to clarify.

6 minutes ago, chenbeier said:

Maybe, but I am a bloody german and I posted the sound file to clarify.

Do another one but in a sentence and faster so the OP can show off  

Here a whole sentence for the unbeleavibles.Stimme 1.3gpp

3 minutes ago, chenbeier said:

Here a whole sentence for the unbeleavibles.Stimme 1.3gpp

Just to clarify, I never doubted your German nativeness.

1 hour ago, koti said:

Just to clarify, I never doubted your German nativeness.

I thought he was French.

_{No, he was born in the city of Münster North rhine weshpalia, but he worked at several Univeristies also in Strassbourg France.}

1 hour ago, chenbeier said:

_{No, he was born in the city of Münster North rhine weshpalia, but he worked at several Univeristies also in Strassbourg France.}

I was on about you. Your username looks French.

No it is Chinese 陳貝爾 = Chen bei er

The English pronunciation is something that confuses me up to this day. I still refuse to use the anglicized version, because it does not make a lot of sense. The issue is that most of my chemistry knowledge is still locked in Germany which can be difficult sometimes to switch out. I may or may not have raised a generation of Genglish speaking young graduates...

41 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I still refuse to use the anglicized version, because it does not make a lot of sense.

For a moment I wondered if you think it's names, English, or pronunciation that make no sense.

Then I remembered, it's all three.

Well, I was thinking of names, but point taken.