LIVING LANGUAGE

TIPS ON SOME OF THE MOST COMMONLY MISPRONOUNCED WINES, FOODS, & PHRASES

For those of you for whom it may have been awhile since you brushed up on your high school French or since you last had a chance to practice your Italian overseas-- Chris Warnasch, expert linguist and Publishing Director of "LIVING LANGUAGE" -- is available to offer tips on some of the most commonly mispronounced wines, foods, and phrases so that you can feel prepared, confident, and suave in any situation whether at home or while traveling: 

      •NAVIGATING THE WINE LINE CAN BE INTIMIDATING: Warnasch can explain how to remember those tough-to-pronounce wine varietals like: Viognier (Vi-ohn-YAY), Gewürtzraminer (Geh-VERTZ-trah-mee-nur), Barbera (Bar-BEAR-ah), Sangiovese (San-jo-VEH-zeh), Pouilly-Fuissé (poo-yee-fwee-SAY)

      •HAVE YOU BEEN SAYING THE FOLLOWING FOODS CORRECTLY? These tastes are commonly mispronounced and you may not even realize it: bruschetta, gnocchi,  sfogliatelle, prosciutto, crêpes and more!

      •IF YOU'RE TRAVELING ABROAD, be wary of these commonly confused phrases that can lead you to alternate meanings, and some sticky situations:

            -Je suis pleine vs Je suis finis: You may be tempted to say, "I'm full" or "I'm finished." But JE SUIS PLEINE ("I'm full") means "I'm pregnant" or "I'm very
                  drunk" and JE SUIS FINIS means "I'm finished", as in, "I'm dead "!

            -Agnello vs anello: Roasted lamb is a springtime tradition in Italy, but be careful when asking for this seasonal delicacy. Asking for ANELLO (a-NEL-lo = "ring")
                  rather than AGNELLO (an-YEL-lo = "lamb") may get you directions to the nearest jewelry store rather than your dinner!

            -Peperoni vs pepperoni: In Italy, a pizza ordered with "pepperoni" will not get you the usual pie with cured sausage slices like in the United States—in Italy,
                  peperoni are small sweet bell peppers (also delicious).

           -Nacht vs nackt: When in Germany or Austria, be careful of telling your waiter about your evening plans. Not pronouncing "night" with enough throaty "oomph" might
                  make for an embarrassing situation—it's close cousin NACKT means naked!

           -Embarazada: If you do say something wrong and feel the need to express your embarrassment in Spanish, beware of the word embarazada. It doesn't
                  mean "embarrassed,' but rather "pregnant."  

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