Pronounce the family name right, damn it.

VOGT-MOWR 1

How many products have you seen that devote a line to explain pronunciation?

VOGT-MOWR 2

 

These photos were provided by someone inquiring whether I had information about this electrically-powered device which was manufactured @1930 by my grandfather’s and great uncle’s company mentioned in this post a year ago. If anyone does, please pipe up. No company product information is available to me.

I can tell you that the family name is more often than not pronounced differently than the label demands, Voit being the most common. There have been some extreme interpretations. In summer camp I once missed my call to perform at a diving competition when the announcer called my turn: “Tick Vog (as in fog)-Tee”. Who the hell was that?

If you really want to get down to it, the label still gets the pronunciation wrong. In German the hard v sound doesn’t exist, so: Phote.

As for the object made by VOGT, is it pronounced like “how” with a following “er”? I hear it, the PHOTE-MAUER.

5 comments to Pronounce the family name right, damn it.

  • Bob Van Dyke

    I really liked the Indian telemarketer who called me last year looking for
    MR Van dick key…..

  • Hi Tico,

    My German wife says she would pronounce your name with the ‘g,’ too.

    Almost sounds like “foak’d.”

  • tico

    Hi Brian,

    Yes, I have heard the name very nicely pronounced just that way by a lovely German woman once. Your spelling is right on the money. thanks.

  • tico

    You liked him so much you sent him a genuine turtleneck.

  • Companies here use call centres in remote countries for their customer services. This gets some odd pronunciations of Law – Lowe, Lau, Lord (?!) The scots do it the best as it’s apparently a Scottish name – means ‘hill’.

    great little mawr – wonder if it still runs …

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