How come all of my professors at Waterloo pronounced Robert Koch's last name with a hard "ch" instead of the correct way, which is more like "ck"? Were they unfamiliar with proper Germanic pronounciations, or did they just want to avoid saying something that sounded like an important part of the male anatomy in a class full of giggling undergrads?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Leora's Question of the Day
How come all of my professors at Waterloo pronounced Robert Koch's last name with a hard "ch" instead of the correct way, which is more like "ck"? Were they unfamiliar with proper Germanic pronounciations, or did they just want to avoid saying something that sounded like an important part of the male anatomy in a class full of giggling undergrads?
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3 comments:
I don't know who Robert Koch is but I know how to pronounce his surname and your profs got it right! The correct pronunciation sounds more like the Hebrew "chet" and nothing like "ck". And the interesting fact for the day: "Koch" actually means cook in German.
Your comrade who knows all there is to know about the pronunciation of German surnames :)
What do they teach you in high school in Germany, if you don't know who Robert Koch is? We basically only learn about famous Canadians, the rest of history be damned. But just so you know, you have every reason to feel national pride because Robert Koch was the founder of bacteriology, who identified specific microorganisms including the ones that cause cholera, tuberculosis and anthrax, bringing about the Germ Theory of Disease.
And as grateful as I am for your advice, now I'm confused because the professors at my new university pronounce it with a "ck". So would I rather be correct or suck up to my profs?
Well, let's look at your options, shall we?
You could
a) be a complete smartass and draw your professors' attention to their wrong pronunciation of the name of one of their heroes
b) help out your professors who have been dreading the lessons on Robert Koch because they just feel sooo embarrassed having to say **ck in front of giggling undergrads and they will therefore be eternally grateful that you have shown them a way to circumnavigate that particular embarrassment
c) you could just keep your new found knowledge to yourself and secretly and silently revel in your superior knowledge of the pronunciation of obscure surnames
d) start a new club promoting the burning issue of fighting for the right of right pronunciation. I am sure that there are many people out there with slightly unusual names who fight a daily battle against ignoramuses mispronouncing their names. I, for one, would like people to acknowledge that my name is EliSabeth, not EliZabeth!!!!!
I am sure that you as a scientific and rational person will be able to work out this conundrum of "how do i tell my prof" and that you will come up with a good solution (if not, try to consult the bacteria or whatever microorganisms you may have swimming around in petri dishes).
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