Bokeh

[TCampbell]

My understanding on the topic is that when the word was first pinched for use by Photo Techniques magazine, the direct translation should have been written "boke". But recognizing that English speakers would pronounce just like "poke" (silent "e") they added the "h" to emphasize that it was supposed to be pronounced as a two-syllable word... "bo keh".

I agree with Limr -- English speakers are going to tend to put the emphasis / accent on one syllable and that's going to be the first syllable. We'll naturally pronounce it: bō′·kŭh even though it's supposed to be pronounced bō'·kě' with equal emphasis on both syllables and the final "e" pronounced similar to how you would pronounce the final "e" in genre -- or the "e" in mechanism.

 

[gsgary]

I don't bloody say it

 

[peter27]

Is there any chance of putting a glottal stop to this thread?

 

[robbins.photo]

I don't but if I had to I'd probably say it bo-kuuuh with a cross between a midwestern and southern twang.

I think I'm going to flunk the quiz.

Oh crap.. there's a quiz? I knew I should have stayed home and studied last night. Ok.. Bokeh.. hmm.. Well, being a redneck I think the only way I'm allowed to pronounce it is Bo (as in Bo Pelini, football coach) followed by Kaw -in the same pissed fashion a bird makes when you throw a rock at him and miss.

 

[JacaRanda]

BaBaBooey!

 

[table1349]

 

[pixmedic]

Must-ache
Nik-on
Bok-eh
to-MAH-to

As the only British person in the thread (and thus the only one able to pronounce anything correctly unlike you people out in the colonies) those above are the proper pronunciations

its all gone to pot over here since we did away with the Queens English....

 

[pixmedic]

How do you say it?

bay-cun

 

[limr]

Well, there are parts of the U.S. that speak a version of English that preserves forms that British English has long changed.

Plus they say ore-GAN-o instead of o-REG-a-no and put the /h/ sound in 'herbs' and that sounds funny

 

[Derrel]

Well, there are parts of the U.S. that speak a version of English that preserves forms that British English has long changed.

Plus they say ore-GAN-o instead of o-REG-a-no and put the /h/ sound in 'herbs' and that sounds funny

So those folks must also say al-you-MIN-E-YUM , instead of aluminum, right? Please cheque into that for us, won't you? ;-0 I do hope these dreadful awful, punny efforts will not adversely affect or otherwise colour your opinion of me.

 

[minicoop1985]

Bokay. Because, honestly, I had no idea what it was called until... September or so.

BBC America. We speak English. *cue Gordon Ramsay* Now F*&K OFF.