How do you pronounce NIKON?

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Andrew: since someone's bound to say: I'm pretty sure that's an F5 - all-in-one large body (the F6 has a separate battery pack), replacable viewfinder and a lever for the rear release. I hesitate only because mine's quite beaten up, so it doesn't look quite like that.</p>

[jbg]

<p>Second option. And it's never pretentious to pronounce it <strong>the right way</strong> (@ Sanford Gerald).</p>

<p>Americans tend to pronounce things as there's no other language, in my experience. Curt Wiler is spot-on - most of the world is pronouncing it as it should be pronounced: "nee-kawn" (or "knee-con").</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<blockquote>

<p><em>Second option. And it's never pretentious to pronounce it <strong>the right way</strong> (@ Sanford Gerald).</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Perhaps not pretentious if you just say it that way yourself...but start correcting people about something as trivial as this will make you come across as an a-hole. </p>

<p>How many Americans try to pronounce Volkswagen like a German would?</p>

[rafael_s]

<p>When I hear someone say "knee-con" it sort of reminds me of the people who pronounce Target stores as Tar-jay. You just want to roll your eyes.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Agreed Ivan. There is no pretension in correct pronunciation. It's #2<br /> Some other common ones:<br /> Konica is Ko-nee-ka, not Con-na-ka<br /> Sinar is See-nar, not Sigh-nar<br>

You don't have to go around correcting people, but if someone, like the OP asks, then the correct pronunciation is the proper response. </p>

<p> </p>

[jbg]

<p>I don't know how to quote someone here (sorry for that).<br /> ---<br /> Andrew Gilchrist wrote: <em>"Perhaps not pretentious if you just say it that way yourself...but start correcting people about something as trivial as this will make you come across as an a-hole.</em><br /> <em>How many Americans try to pronounce Volkswagen like a German would?"</em><br /> ---<br /> I never said anything about correcting people all the time, because I'd definitely look like an a-hole. Agreed. Just that <strong>saying it right can never be pretentious</strong>. Doing something right doesn't say much about you (most of the time, when it comes to trivial things as this is, at least), unlike when you do things the wrong way - ;).</p>

<p>It's not the question "how many Americans (or I'd rather try not to pick a nation as a whole, but people in general if I may) pronounce something the right way, but rather why don't they start pronouncing things the right way?". <strong>It really isn't that hard</strong>. You just need to want to learn something the right way! Education doesn't fall from the sky just like that, sadly.<br>

<br /> I hope we agree that educating yourself to understand different cultures and things in general should be the goal. Why that doesn't happen IS the right question if you ask me.<br>

Defending the lack of knowledge can't be the way, however you put it.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"Americans tend to pronounce things as there's no other language, in my experience."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ivan, I'm guessing your experience doesn't include having actually spent much time in America. This country is so large and diverse there is no single "typical" American in any sense, including pronunciations.</p>

<p>Here in Texas alone there are separate and distinct accents, pronunciations and idiomatic expressions divided not only along racial, linguistic and nationalistic lines but along regional lines. Even among a limited sampling group of my own extended family I hear different vocal inflections and pronunciations of common phrases and words, depending on which part of Texas they're from.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>"I hope we agree that educating yourself to understand different cultures and things in general should be the goal."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I do appreciate irony. Especially considering how predictably divisive these "How do you pronounce 'Nikon'" threads have proven to be over the years. It ranks high in the Top Ten list of predictably divisive discussions, just below "Film vs. Digital" and other popular bones of contention in the "Oh, look, it's this thread again" genre of the webscape. It would be easier to count the number of such pronunciation threads that *didn't* digress into generalizations about culture, nationalism, education, etc.</p>

[dan_south]

Although the Japanese and Europeans pronounce it NEE-kon, the ads in the US pronounce is as I always have, i.e.

rhymes with HIGH-con. Ashton Kutcher can't be wrong! ;-)

[hankh]

Funny that many say nigh- con camera and knee-cor lens!

[dan_south]

>> there are lots of countries in America, so which language would you choose? spanish, english, portuguese.......?

 

Not to forget quebequois and a few hundred native languages. I wonder what the correct pronunciation for Nikon is in

Navajo. ;-)

[sunny boaz]

<p>I do remember way back in 2007 Nikon itself began to use the number 2 Pronunciation when they began advertising to English speaking, and Non-English speaking countries including E.U outside Japan and Asia, until then it had been number 1, though.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>It is kind of funny that I would have learned to say "Neek-core" and "Nigh-conn" even though they have the same origin. </p>

<p>How about the popular sneaker company...Nigh-key or Nick-key? -key or -keh? Different of course since the origin is Greek. But easy to see how we get bombarded with words with similar spelling that might properly be pronounced differently.</p>

<p><em><strong>Ivan</strong></em>, I <em>did agree with you </em>that it's not pretentious in and of itself. Given the choice between right and wrong, generally better to be right. And some people will pick up on right answers and right behavior without being told. So by all means in most cases, if one knows better, no need to do it wrong just to fit in unless there's an obvious disadvantage in doing so.</p>

<p>The issue becomes when people start thinking of this sort of correctness as some sort of badge of honor and looking down on those who aren't 'in-the-know'...perish the thought that internet forums might attract any such participants. For many folks its not enough to just be right--they need to evangelize! I know quite a few people (family members included) who take a little <em>too </em>much pleasure in correcting spelling, grammar, etc.--one supposed it makes them feel superior.</p>

<p>When I mentioned 'Americans', it's only because I am one and thought the particular example I provided was somewhat similar, a case where Americans learned to pronounce it the way that came naturally rather than trying to cough out sounds that aren't part of their normal speech. I was not trying to say that American behavior is to be singled out.</p>

<p>People can appear pretentious when they unnecessarily throw use foreign words in place of perfectly good native-language equivalents to make themselves appear better-educated. It is often the habit to unnaturally <em>exaggerate </em>the foreign-sounding pronunciation when doing so. I suspect however that most of the time people who know the speaker would gauge pretentiousness based on more than just a single delivery of one word. Another example that comes to mind is how most Americans would pronounce Paris, France. Many Americans know that the French would say "Pah-ree, Frahnse", rather than "Pair-riss, Frannce"...people will make a big deal about the country name but allow the city name to remain Anglicized.</p>

<p>One of the other posters mentioned the eye-roll-inducing French-i-fying of 'Tarj-ay'. I don't think this is the same thing at all. Everyone I've heard do this was doing it in good humor--taking something decidedly ordinary and making it sound exotic, all in good fun. I don't think it has anything to do with proper pronunciation or not.</p>

<p> </p>

[jbg]

<p>Lex Jenkins, you actually guessed <strong>wrong</strong>. :) But, that is what usually happens when people are guessing for the sake of their argument. I have spent quite enough time in America and I know what I'm talking about. I've even lived in Texas for two years. I've traveled quite a bit actually all around the world and know how things have their names which should be pronounced right. Now, if you can't accept that, that's cool. I don't care how are you going to say something - whatever you say reflects on you, not me.<br /> Talking about education and culture isn't generalization - it's essential if you're going to talk about anything meaningful.</p>

<p>I'm sure you can appreciate the difference between knowing how to say something right and having different accents, pronunciations, languages, lingual expressions and what not. Right? <strong>Diversity is a good thing, but using that as an excuse for the lack of knowledge and understanding is nothing more than a flawed reasoning, I'm afraid.</strong><br /> There is the right way of saying Nikon. It isn't hard to say it the right way - lol. No matter how many countries there are in the world, how many languages people speak in Texas, whether there are aliens among us or not... company with the name "Ford" should be pronounced as "Ford" - lol.<br /> It has nothing to do with Americans nor Aliens, it has to do with common sense and education (motivation to learn).</p>

<p>Also, there's nothing ironic in understanding other cultures, Lex. It's a matter of respect and a basis for any kind of communication. That is the whole point of this debate so to speak. <strong>Respect and a possibility for communication.</strong> You can't have either if you view the world only through <em>your way</em>.<br /> If you can't take the time to learn to say my name right (for example), how can you be my friend and respect me? There can't be communication without the desire to understand and learn about "others". It's the same with poor Nikon.</p>

<p>Andrew Gilchrist, you're explaining the obvious. Of course there are all sorts of people out there: some are killers, some take themselves too seriously, some are a-holes, some are smart, some are not so smart... <em>some like to correct others every chance they have and look down on others, some don't...</em> some like to eat a lot, some like to climb mountains... What is your point here? lol</p>

<p>You're taking a hypothetical situation "what if" and arguing with that, when the whole thing is fairly simple: <strong>pronouncing something the right way is NOT pretentious per se</strong>. What some people might do or not, is completely irrelevant here, unless you think I'm one of those? Even then, there is the correct way of pronouncing "Nikon" - lol.</p>

<p>I'm not sure if you're saying, that because SOME people might take every chance to correct someone and pretend to be smart cause of it, we should all say things the wrong way? LOL You know, if some are pretentious, doesn't mean we should all stop to do the right thing in fear of not becoming one of them - LOL.</p>

[ty_mickan]

<p>adidas = ah-dee-dah<br>

porsche = por-sha<br>

niche = neesh<br>

cabrolet = cab-ro-lay<br>

aluminium = al-u-min-ee-um</p>

 

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Ivan, perhaps way too much of what I'm saying should be obvious to most. Was not actually trying to argue against your point--and explicitly made a point of agreeing with it. I've already spouted more than most will care to read so will stop now.</p>

<p><strong>Ty</strong>, it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum#Etymology">my understanding</a> that "aluminum" is accepted usage alongside with the UK-favored "aluminium" -- not just a pronunciation difference but spelled differently as well. Think this may be a case where scientists might have zigged while commercial market zagged. And the dictionary I checked had <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cabriolet">cabr<em><strong>i</strong></em>olet</a> = ca-bree-o-lay. Not sure if there are regional differences on that one.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"If you can't take the time to learn to say my name right (for example), how can you be my friend and respect me?"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If your personal standards can't accommodate variations in pronunciations of names without your feathers getting ruffled then you should probably avoid Rio Vista and Joshua, Texas. Or talking to anyone in Texas named Beauchamp. But who knows, they might actually appreciate your correcting them on their ignorance.</p>

<p>While you're busy conforming the language to a particular standard you might also want to put an end to the abominable practice some Texans (mostly the older generation along the Gulf and Piney Woods) have of pronouncing the word shrimp as s'rimp. That one still makes me wince, but I've learned to ignore it.</p>

<p>After you've repaired that offense to the language you can start on the redundant rhotics some Texans employ by adding an 'uh' after words like "car", "far" or simply the letter R. It would make communication far'uh more efficient if folks didn't have to waste time looking for the car'uh in the parking lot outside the bar'uh.</p>

<p>Finally, you might convince my ex-spouse that a single layer cake baked in a flat pan is a sheet cake, not a sheath cake. But it may require a conquest of the northeastern Oklahoma region to root out the source of that particular inflection.</p>

[jared1]

<p>IMO regardless of how people say it, how has Nikon authorized it's pronunciation in its training/advertising campaigns?<br>

If in North American a decision was made on a corporate level to use nigh-con rather than knee-con, wouldn't then Nikon have encouraged and even trained the N.A. market to pronounce the name of their company based on regions and what was more acceptable to the particular market they are serving.</p>

<p>Intelligent advertising and marketing if you ask me.</p>

[osfania]

<p>It's nee-kon in most of the world, including Germany and other parts of Europe. It's nee-kor for the lenses, too.</p>

[rossb]

<p>Brand X</p>

[vikingman]

<p>Most large companies take a great deal of care to use names for their products which are acceptable in the target countries for the product. Hence products in America may well have different names to products in Europe or Asia. I am sure that Nikon will be happy to trade in America under whatever pronunciation is easiest for the American people to say and recognise and will not be trying to correct pronunciation. Indeed from the evidence of previous posts this is obviously the case. If Nikon are happy with it why should we bother about 'correcting' others pronunciation?<br>

The globalisation of the English language has meant that English is used in many different ways - go to India, Singapore, Australia etc etc and see how the language varies. The trick is to go with the attitude of trying to fit in wherever you go and not export your own little ideas of what things should be. My own countrymen (UK) are the worst at this, trying to correct everyone as to what 'proper' English is, but other are guilty too..... A little bit of cultural awareness, humility and give and take goes a long way.<br>

Let's not worry about the pronunciation, I'm sure that Nikon don't! </p>

[Sanford]

<p>Now I know why I can't understand what the hell all those customer service people are talking about even though they are speaking English.</p>

[g-man1]

Like from the song by Paul Simon, Kodachrome. The USA/Canadian way.

 

Nikon is from Ikon, and it's "eye-khan."

The Japanese mispronounce it.

Just like Nikon screwed up the mount on their rangefinder when they stole it

from Contax.

 

But that's just my opinion, even though its right.

[ruslan]

<p>In Russia everybody pronounces [nikon]. </p>

[dan_south]

<p>Since someone mentioned Nikkor...</p>

<p>Nikon = NIGH-kahn<br>

Nikkor = nik-CORE</p>

<p>At least that's my humble interpretation.</p>

 

[miguel_martinez4]

<p>I know what improper english sounds like! Trust me, I've been speaking it for a while ;-)</p>

<p>In spanish, by the way, there are no short vowels and long vowels, just vowels. Thus, everybody in Spain says Nick-on. And Casio is using the short a as in cat, i as in nick, o as in dog vowels. So I was shocked when an english officemate said "Car-sye-oh". Shocking!. The funniest example in spain is perhaps Nike. It's mostly the posh and pretentious say "Naiki". Well, maybe people that have lived long enough in english-speaking countries do so. Most of the people say "Naik", in part because they don't know the name comes from the greek goddess of victory... in which case it should be Nick-eh.</p>