• Fushuan [he/him]@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    Trilingual here, if it’s clear that someone is trying to say it correctly (as would be said by anyone of the native language) even if they mispronounce it they get a pass.

    If you come to my city and call it Saint Sebastien you are going to get very weird looks. If you call it San Sebastian or even better, Donostia, even mispronounced most local will smile because you are fucking trying.

    Yes there are some phonemes that don’t exist in other languages but it’s clear when outsiders say them wrong while trying vs wrong and they don’t bother to make a similar sound. It’s about respect.

    I would say Munchen since its how my German friends told me that should be said.

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      if it’s clear that someone is trying to say it correctly (as would be said by anyone of the native language) even if they mispronounce it they get a pass

      It’s not about “getting a pass”, it’s about what’s the best way to say it for a given audience. In most cases, that’s how the language you’re currently speaking says the thing. If you’re a Brit, in London, talking to another Brit about Zaragoza, you shouldn’t pronounce it the way Castilian Spanish speakers would say it because the person you’re talking to is not likely to recognize the name when spoken like that.