How do YOU pronounce vorlauf ?

This came up on another thread, but was O.T., so I thought I'd post it here. I think everybody pronounces kräusen (hope I spelled that right) as KROY zen which I think is correct German pronunciation, but I have heard some people pronounce vorlauf as VOR loff (and various other permutations). If I remember my German lessons (from 40 odd years ago) correctly, it should be pronounced FOR louf (second syllable rhymes with loud) - the v is pronounced like an 'f'.
Of course, wort (assuming it is also a German word) should be pronounced vurt and not wurt, but I've never heard anyone say anything but wurt or sometimes wort (rhyming with short). So how do YOU pronounce vorlauf ?

VORE-LAWF i believe

I like to say it with a bogus Transylvanian accent.


Now eet eeze tyme for zee VOR-lov!

"Purists be purists", I always say. Someone will always find a more "traditional" pronunciation for just about any word. Check etymology websites and you will find a plethora of pronunciations and histories for our language. The fact remains, that pronunciation is not specific to any language or diction; it is specific to culture. So for some Americans ( I am unfamiliar with the percentages) we will pronounce wort, "wort". While other Americans claim the traditional pronunciation is "wert". Either way, ask any linguistic professor and he will tell you that pronunciation is not static, it changes with culture.

So to say that any pronunciation is right or wrong shouldn't be the question. The question should be, does your culture pronounce it Krau-sen or Kroy-zen? When I talk to people I say Krau-sen and Wort and I have never been "corrected". And Im sure others use different pronunciations, the fact remains that these are borrowed from another language, and every time a culture borrows a word, it is changed. ie if a word is borrowed, and not created by a culture, it is subject to bastardization.

We all spell the words the same, because spelling is, more or less, static, while pronunciation is dynamic. The "traditional pronunciation" argument doesn't hold much water when a different culture is pronouncing the word.

Thats just my 0.02$ on the matter. But I, myself, have started a thread on pronunciation, also. For instance, is it "Safe-Ale" or "Sa-falee"?
-Jefe-

Well, a certain homebrewer from eastern MA who happens to be both an exceptional brewer and a German immigrant, pronounces it "WOR-LAUF." So, I'm going with that.

the_bird said:

Well, a certain homebrewer from eastern MA who happens to be both an exceptional brewer and a German immigrant, pronounces it "WOR-LAUF." So, I'm going with that.

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Ever notice when you talk to him, that you start to "think" with a German accent? Sorry, but it's true.

Heck, you could start even more simpler on this - how many people pronounce "wort" like that thing on a witches nose? I don't mind writing it but mostly I sidestep the issue in conversation by not talking about my processes, since my German pronunciations are mostly awful (except for "Ein bier bitte," which I had lots of opportunity to hone to a native accent).

Interesting that your friend pronounces it WORE-LAUF. The question is, would your friend still pronounce it WORE-LAUF if he/she was in Germany? I have noticed that many Europeans and those from the Middle East as well (India, Iran for instance) often pronounce the letter "V" as a "W", but only when speaking English. This is interesting because "V" is often pronounced differently in their native tongue and is certainly not pronounced as "W" in English. In Norwegian, for instance, "V" is simply pronounced "V" as it is in English. However, when they speak English, they may tell me about Wikings of Scandinavia. Not sure what the "W" replacing "V" is all about, but it's interesting as to why it's so widespread. Sorry for the segue...

the_bird said:

Well, a certain homebrewer from eastern MA who happens to be both an exceptional brewer and a German immigrant, pronounces it "WOR-LAUF." So, I'm going with that.

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Are you sure Kaiser used the W

If I remember my German lessons (from 40 odd years ago) correctly, it should be pronounced FOR louf (second syllable rhymes with loud) - the v is pronounced like an 'f'.

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Of course, wort (assuming it is also a German word) should be pronounced vurt and not wurt,

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We don't use the word wort it is called Würze

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

I mispronounce it cuz that's the umerican way.

ClaudiusB said:

We don't use the word wort it is called Würze

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Guess I could have looked that up - it comes from old English wyrt.

You vill pronounce it "WOR-LUAF".... und, you vill like it!

@DeafSmith: you caught it before me, wort may originally have Germanic origins but it is from OE and ME from wyrt.

Oh yes, I say "FOR-lowf" and "low-ter" and "wert"

I call it RIMS.

I pronounce it "for-lawf", took several years of German, and my fiancee was raised speaking Plattdeutsch (Alsaesisch) as her first language.

It is definitely pronounced for-lauf in Hochdeutsch, I took a year in college and lived in Osnabrueck for a year.