Re: [math-fun] Pronunciation question
James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Though I?ve been advised that when it comes to pronouncing Dutch vowels it?s impossible for Americans to get it right, so the important thing is to say it in an American accent lest you mislead people into thinking your pronunciation is correct!
People are all the time "correcting" my pronunciation of "Dirichlet," the man best known for proving infinitely many primes are in the form A mod B if A and B have no factors in common, insisting that the t is silent. It isn't. He was German, not French. He was the brother in law of Felix Mendelssohn, the composer who was best known for his wedding march, one of the most recognizable tunes in the world. Small world. To avoid future problems with pronouncing the names of mathematicians, Americans and Brits should try harder to make all future mathematical discoveries. I look forward to learning Smith's proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, or, better yet, Jones's proof of the Adams Hypothesis. It's shameful that we've let someone as unpronounceable as Erdos get so far ahead of us.
you Brits have been in trouble since Ramanujan, no? Wouter. -----Original Message----- From: Keith F. Lynch Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2019 8:20 PM To: math-fun Subject: Re: [math-fun] Pronunciation question James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Though I?ve been advised that when it comes to pronouncing Dutch vowels it?s impossible for Americans to get it right, so the important thing is to say it in an American accent lest you mislead people into thinking your pronunciation is correct!
People are all the time "correcting" my pronunciation of "Dirichlet," the man best known for proving infinitely many primes are in the form A mod B if A and B have no factors in common, insisting that the t is silent. It isn't. He was German, not French. He was the brother in law of Felix Mendelssohn, the composer who was best known for his wedding march, one of the most recognizable tunes in the world. Small world. To avoid future problems with pronouncing the names of mathematicians, Americans and Brits should try harder to make all future mathematical discoveries. I look forward to learning Smith's proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, or, better yet, Jones's proof of the Adams Hypothesis. It's shameful that we've let someone as unpronounceable as Erdos get so far ahead of us. _______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
Ptolemy, more likely ... WFL On 6/15/19, Wouter Meeussen <wouter.meeussen@telenet.be> wrote:
you Brits have been in trouble since Ramanujan, no?
Wouter.
-----Original Message----- From: Keith F. Lynch Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2019 8:20 PM To: math-fun Subject: Re: [math-fun] Pronunciation question
James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Though I?ve been advised that when it comes to pronouncing Dutch vowels it?s impossible for Americans to get it right, so the important thing is to say it in an American accent lest you mislead people into thinking your pronunciation is correct!
People are all the time "correcting" my pronunciation of "Dirichlet," the man best known for proving infinitely many primes are in the form A mod B if A and B have no factors in common, insisting that the t is silent. It isn't. He was German, not French. He was the brother in law of Felix Mendelssohn, the composer who was best known for his wedding march, one of the most recognizable tunes in the world. Small world.
To avoid future problems with pronouncing the names of mathematicians, Americans and Brits should try harder to make all future mathematical discoveries. I look forward to learning Smith's proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, or, better yet, Jones's proof of the Adams Hypothesis. It's shameful that we've let someone as unpronounceable as Erdos get so far ahead of us.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud! Why compound ignorance with inaudibility? On Sat, Jun 15, 2019 at 1:07 PM Fred Lunnon <fred.lunnon@gmail.com> wrote:
Ptolemy, more likely ... WFL
On 6/15/19, Wouter Meeussen <wouter.meeussen@telenet.be> wrote:
you Brits have been in trouble since Ramanujan, no?
Wouter.
-----Original Message----- From: Keith F. Lynch Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2019 8:20 PM To: math-fun Subject: Re: [math-fun] Pronunciation question
James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Though I?ve been advised that when it comes to pronouncing Dutch vowels it?s impossible for Americans to get it right, so the important thing is to say it in an American accent lest you mislead people into thinking your pronunciation is correct!
People are all the time "correcting" my pronunciation of "Dirichlet," the man best known for proving infinitely many primes are in the form A mod B if A and B have no factors in common, insisting that the t is silent. It isn't. He was German, not French. He was the brother in law of Felix Mendelssohn, the composer who was best known for his wedding march, one of the most recognizable tunes in the world. Small world.
To avoid future problems with pronouncing the names of mathematicians, Americans and Brits should try harder to make all future mathematical discoveries. I look forward to learning Smith's proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, or, better yet, Jones's proof of the Adams Hypothesis. It's shameful that we've let someone as unpronounceable as Erdos get so far ahead of us.
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com https://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
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-- Thane Plambeck tplambeck@gmail.com http://counterwave.com/
participants (4)
-
Fred Lunnon -
Keith F. Lynch -
Thane Plambeck -
Wouter Meeussen