What is the correct pronunciation of Costa Coffee?
Personally I would say the correct way is Cost-a Coffee but I've heard some people use Coast-a.
Which is correct?
pronunciation
New contributor
|
show 2 more comments
Personally I would say the correct way is Cost-a Coffee but I've heard some people use Coast-a.
Which is correct?
pronunciation
New contributor
1
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
1
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
3
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
2
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
1
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
Personally I would say the correct way is Cost-a Coffee but I've heard some people use Coast-a.
Which is correct?
pronunciation
New contributor
Personally I would say the correct way is Cost-a Coffee but I've heard some people use Coast-a.
Which is correct?
pronunciation
pronunciation
New contributor
New contributor
New contributor
asked 2 days ago
RobertEves92RobertEves92
112
112
New contributor
New contributor
1
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
1
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
3
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
2
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
1
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
1
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
1
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
3
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
2
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
1
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
1
1
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
1
1
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
3
3
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
2
2
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
1
1
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
In all the (many) bits of the UK I know it's the same "o" as in "coffee", i.e. short. This is also how we pronounce the Spanish "costa" as in "Costa del Sol" or "Costa Rica". A shift to pronouncing it as "coast" seems unlikely in British English, especially with the extended alliteration (for want of a better term) in the coffee brand
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
add a comment |
Surprise, they’re [ˌɔə̯ɫkɚˈɻɛ̝t̚]!
Many, many other actual pronunciations of this word can be
found among native speakers of different regional accents.
Each one is “correct’ for that accent and speaker, even
should this differ from one’s own.
Not only is English a pluricentric language
spoken natively by some 400 million people all across the globe,
even within a given geographical region, notable pronunciation
differences abound between that region’s own numerous internal
dialects.
There can therefore be no single “correct” pronunciation of
a word for all native speakers everywhere. This holds as true
of common words like
all
and
right,
mother
and
daughter,
warm and
bath,
as it does for less common ones.
When you discover evidence that native speakers of differing
origins, educations, or occasions all say the same word
differently, that does not mean that one accent’s pronunciation
for that word is “correct” and the others are “incorrect”. A
case in point is that you’ll never get everyone to say the word
coffee the same way.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get folks to agree on what
the “correct” pronunciation is of words like like route or
roof is. Each native speaker will doubtless say that their way
is “correct”, but only those with the most severely provincial
of viewpoints would dare call alternate pronunciations from
other native speakers “incorrect”.
You might imagine that the perceived “owner” of a name has an
annointed right to determine what is the “correct” way to say
that name, but even here you can sometimes be wrong. That’s
because with proper names like those of people, cities, or
businesses, this picture becomes even muddier. Anna, Charles,
Melbourne, and Oregon are all naturally pronounced differently
in some accents than in others. You will never get a non-rhotic speaker
to say Charles the way its rhotic owner says it. Or just because Anna herself may
happen to use the same vowel there as she uses in apple does
not mean that someone of a different accent who always uses
the vowel from father for that word is somehow “incorrect”.
Proper names originally from a different language than English
are sometimes even more subject to variation, as these are not
necessarily only variations by dialect alone. Rather, educated
native English speakers with experience in language the word
was borrowed may pronounce that word closer to how it is said in
the other language. Think of Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Louisville,
Lyons, Lima, New Orleans, Santiago, Colombia, Chile.
The particular sound that seems to be concerning you here, the
stressed vowel from the first syllable of the word Costa,
happens to be a sound that varies dramatically between English’s
many regional dialects.
This is further complicated by varying impressions of how
assimilated the word has been into English from its Romance
roots.
It may sound just like the word coaster in some dialects
but like the word caster in others. Some may rhyme it with how
they say pasta. It might even sound like the last two words in
the sentence “That’ll sure cost her”, or rhyme with the first
two words in “Lost a penny?”
Each version is “correct” in that accent. That’s why all native speakers’ pronunciations of a word are “correct”.
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
Word pronunciations may vary depending on the broader phrase in which the word appears or on particular local historical factors. In California, where I live, a great many local place names are of Spanish origin. Often the standard native English pronunciations of these names indicate little awareness of Spanish pronunciation preferences—and yet these English pronunciations persist alongside pronunciations of the same or similar words or names that are not local and reflect a much stronger awareness of common Spanish pronunciation.
For example, whereas most (though not all) native English speakers in the San Francisco Bay Area pronounce the country name Costa Rica with a long o (KOAST-uh REEK-uh), and (back in the 1980s) many pronounced the anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan insurgency known as the Contras with a long o ("Koan-truhs"), they almost universally pronounce the East Bay county name Contra Costa with short o's ("KON-truh KOS-tuh").
Likewise, I have never heard a native English speaker in the Bay Area pronounce the last name Allende (in reference to Salvador or Isabel Allende) with an l sound rather than a y sound for the ll (the pronunciation is usually approximately "I-YEN-day"). Yet almost all native English speakers here pronounce the city name Vallejo with an l sound ("Vuh-LAY-ho"). (Note that they do use the Spanish-preferred h sound for the j.)
Further, most native English speakers here pronounce the familiar name of the artist Raphael in three syllables (approximately "Rof-I-EL" or "Raf-I-EL") but they pronounce the second word in the city name San Rafael in two syllables (approximately "Ruh-FEL").
The conclusion I draw from these (and similar) inconsistencies is that pronunciation is largely an aurally received phenomenon, and it is received from different sources at different times—rather than being formulated systematically and cross-checked consistently on the basis of identical or similar spelling. The name Costa Coffee is not one that I've encountered previously, so when I first met it in print (just now), I had no idea whether people who are familiar with it generally pronounce it with a long o or a short one. But the fact that people may be inclined to pronounce it different ways in different places doesn't surprise me at all.
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
add a comment |
Going back to the roots, the term Costa is an Italian surname which has nothing to do with Costa Rica or other coasts along which coffee plants are grown.
Costa in Italian is pronounced as cost - with a final a as in alpha. Any variant, elongation of vocals etc. are purely local interpretation of the term. (British, Americans or else)
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops.
Brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Lambeth, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1960s. Costa branched out to selling coffee in 1978, when its first store opened in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
add a comment |
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
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oldest
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In all the (many) bits of the UK I know it's the same "o" as in "coffee", i.e. short. This is also how we pronounce the Spanish "costa" as in "Costa del Sol" or "Costa Rica". A shift to pronouncing it as "coast" seems unlikely in British English, especially with the extended alliteration (for want of a better term) in the coffee brand
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
add a comment |
In all the (many) bits of the UK I know it's the same "o" as in "coffee", i.e. short. This is also how we pronounce the Spanish "costa" as in "Costa del Sol" or "Costa Rica". A shift to pronouncing it as "coast" seems unlikely in British English, especially with the extended alliteration (for want of a better term) in the coffee brand
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
add a comment |
In all the (many) bits of the UK I know it's the same "o" as in "coffee", i.e. short. This is also how we pronounce the Spanish "costa" as in "Costa del Sol" or "Costa Rica". A shift to pronouncing it as "coast" seems unlikely in British English, especially with the extended alliteration (for want of a better term) in the coffee brand
In all the (many) bits of the UK I know it's the same "o" as in "coffee", i.e. short. This is also how we pronounce the Spanish "costa" as in "Costa del Sol" or "Costa Rica". A shift to pronouncing it as "coast" seems unlikely in British English, especially with the extended alliteration (for want of a better term) in the coffee brand
answered 2 days ago
Chris HChris H
17.2k43174
17.2k43174
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
add a comment |
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
2
2
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
I think the comments are right in that Americans are confused by the pronunciation of Costa Rica (a country which Americans know produces coffee, and which we often pronounce coast-a-reeca, but which dictionaries say is pronounced cost-a-reeca in the U.K.).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
@Peter quite possibly, I've been to Costa Rica and met lots of Americans there, but don't recall any of them saying the country name
– Chris H
2 days ago
add a comment |
Surprise, they’re [ˌɔə̯ɫkɚˈɻɛ̝t̚]!
Many, many other actual pronunciations of this word can be
found among native speakers of different regional accents.
Each one is “correct’ for that accent and speaker, even
should this differ from one’s own.
Not only is English a pluricentric language
spoken natively by some 400 million people all across the globe,
even within a given geographical region, notable pronunciation
differences abound between that region’s own numerous internal
dialects.
There can therefore be no single “correct” pronunciation of
a word for all native speakers everywhere. This holds as true
of common words like
all
and
right,
mother
and
daughter,
warm and
bath,
as it does for less common ones.
When you discover evidence that native speakers of differing
origins, educations, or occasions all say the same word
differently, that does not mean that one accent’s pronunciation
for that word is “correct” and the others are “incorrect”. A
case in point is that you’ll never get everyone to say the word
coffee the same way.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get folks to agree on what
the “correct” pronunciation is of words like like route or
roof is. Each native speaker will doubtless say that their way
is “correct”, but only those with the most severely provincial
of viewpoints would dare call alternate pronunciations from
other native speakers “incorrect”.
You might imagine that the perceived “owner” of a name has an
annointed right to determine what is the “correct” way to say
that name, but even here you can sometimes be wrong. That’s
because with proper names like those of people, cities, or
businesses, this picture becomes even muddier. Anna, Charles,
Melbourne, and Oregon are all naturally pronounced differently
in some accents than in others. You will never get a non-rhotic speaker
to say Charles the way its rhotic owner says it. Or just because Anna herself may
happen to use the same vowel there as she uses in apple does
not mean that someone of a different accent who always uses
the vowel from father for that word is somehow “incorrect”.
Proper names originally from a different language than English
are sometimes even more subject to variation, as these are not
necessarily only variations by dialect alone. Rather, educated
native English speakers with experience in language the word
was borrowed may pronounce that word closer to how it is said in
the other language. Think of Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Louisville,
Lyons, Lima, New Orleans, Santiago, Colombia, Chile.
The particular sound that seems to be concerning you here, the
stressed vowel from the first syllable of the word Costa,
happens to be a sound that varies dramatically between English’s
many regional dialects.
This is further complicated by varying impressions of how
assimilated the word has been into English from its Romance
roots.
It may sound just like the word coaster in some dialects
but like the word caster in others. Some may rhyme it with how
they say pasta. It might even sound like the last two words in
the sentence “That’ll sure cost her”, or rhyme with the first
two words in “Lost a penny?”
Each version is “correct” in that accent. That’s why all native speakers’ pronunciations of a word are “correct”.
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
Surprise, they’re [ˌɔə̯ɫkɚˈɻɛ̝t̚]!
Many, many other actual pronunciations of this word can be
found among native speakers of different regional accents.
Each one is “correct’ for that accent and speaker, even
should this differ from one’s own.
Not only is English a pluricentric language
spoken natively by some 400 million people all across the globe,
even within a given geographical region, notable pronunciation
differences abound between that region’s own numerous internal
dialects.
There can therefore be no single “correct” pronunciation of
a word for all native speakers everywhere. This holds as true
of common words like
all
and
right,
mother
and
daughter,
warm and
bath,
as it does for less common ones.
When you discover evidence that native speakers of differing
origins, educations, or occasions all say the same word
differently, that does not mean that one accent’s pronunciation
for that word is “correct” and the others are “incorrect”. A
case in point is that you’ll never get everyone to say the word
coffee the same way.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get folks to agree on what
the “correct” pronunciation is of words like like route or
roof is. Each native speaker will doubtless say that their way
is “correct”, but only those with the most severely provincial
of viewpoints would dare call alternate pronunciations from
other native speakers “incorrect”.
You might imagine that the perceived “owner” of a name has an
annointed right to determine what is the “correct” way to say
that name, but even here you can sometimes be wrong. That’s
because with proper names like those of people, cities, or
businesses, this picture becomes even muddier. Anna, Charles,
Melbourne, and Oregon are all naturally pronounced differently
in some accents than in others. You will never get a non-rhotic speaker
to say Charles the way its rhotic owner says it. Or just because Anna herself may
happen to use the same vowel there as she uses in apple does
not mean that someone of a different accent who always uses
the vowel from father for that word is somehow “incorrect”.
Proper names originally from a different language than English
are sometimes even more subject to variation, as these are not
necessarily only variations by dialect alone. Rather, educated
native English speakers with experience in language the word
was borrowed may pronounce that word closer to how it is said in
the other language. Think of Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Louisville,
Lyons, Lima, New Orleans, Santiago, Colombia, Chile.
The particular sound that seems to be concerning you here, the
stressed vowel from the first syllable of the word Costa,
happens to be a sound that varies dramatically between English’s
many regional dialects.
This is further complicated by varying impressions of how
assimilated the word has been into English from its Romance
roots.
It may sound just like the word coaster in some dialects
but like the word caster in others. Some may rhyme it with how
they say pasta. It might even sound like the last two words in
the sentence “That’ll sure cost her”, or rhyme with the first
two words in “Lost a penny?”
Each version is “correct” in that accent. That’s why all native speakers’ pronunciations of a word are “correct”.
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
Surprise, they’re [ˌɔə̯ɫkɚˈɻɛ̝t̚]!
Many, many other actual pronunciations of this word can be
found among native speakers of different regional accents.
Each one is “correct’ for that accent and speaker, even
should this differ from one’s own.
Not only is English a pluricentric language
spoken natively by some 400 million people all across the globe,
even within a given geographical region, notable pronunciation
differences abound between that region’s own numerous internal
dialects.
There can therefore be no single “correct” pronunciation of
a word for all native speakers everywhere. This holds as true
of common words like
all
and
right,
mother
and
daughter,
warm and
bath,
as it does for less common ones.
When you discover evidence that native speakers of differing
origins, educations, or occasions all say the same word
differently, that does not mean that one accent’s pronunciation
for that word is “correct” and the others are “incorrect”. A
case in point is that you’ll never get everyone to say the word
coffee the same way.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get folks to agree on what
the “correct” pronunciation is of words like like route or
roof is. Each native speaker will doubtless say that their way
is “correct”, but only those with the most severely provincial
of viewpoints would dare call alternate pronunciations from
other native speakers “incorrect”.
You might imagine that the perceived “owner” of a name has an
annointed right to determine what is the “correct” way to say
that name, but even here you can sometimes be wrong. That’s
because with proper names like those of people, cities, or
businesses, this picture becomes even muddier. Anna, Charles,
Melbourne, and Oregon are all naturally pronounced differently
in some accents than in others. You will never get a non-rhotic speaker
to say Charles the way its rhotic owner says it. Or just because Anna herself may
happen to use the same vowel there as she uses in apple does
not mean that someone of a different accent who always uses
the vowel from father for that word is somehow “incorrect”.
Proper names originally from a different language than English
are sometimes even more subject to variation, as these are not
necessarily only variations by dialect alone. Rather, educated
native English speakers with experience in language the word
was borrowed may pronounce that word closer to how it is said in
the other language. Think of Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Louisville,
Lyons, Lima, New Orleans, Santiago, Colombia, Chile.
The particular sound that seems to be concerning you here, the
stressed vowel from the first syllable of the word Costa,
happens to be a sound that varies dramatically between English’s
many regional dialects.
This is further complicated by varying impressions of how
assimilated the word has been into English from its Romance
roots.
It may sound just like the word coaster in some dialects
but like the word caster in others. Some may rhyme it with how
they say pasta. It might even sound like the last two words in
the sentence “That’ll sure cost her”, or rhyme with the first
two words in “Lost a penny?”
Each version is “correct” in that accent. That’s why all native speakers’ pronunciations of a word are “correct”.
Surprise, they’re [ˌɔə̯ɫkɚˈɻɛ̝t̚]!
Many, many other actual pronunciations of this word can be
found among native speakers of different regional accents.
Each one is “correct’ for that accent and speaker, even
should this differ from one’s own.
Not only is English a pluricentric language
spoken natively by some 400 million people all across the globe,
even within a given geographical region, notable pronunciation
differences abound between that region’s own numerous internal
dialects.
There can therefore be no single “correct” pronunciation of
a word for all native speakers everywhere. This holds as true
of common words like
all
and
right,
mother
and
daughter,
warm and
bath,
as it does for less common ones.
When you discover evidence that native speakers of differing
origins, educations, or occasions all say the same word
differently, that does not mean that one accent’s pronunciation
for that word is “correct” and the others are “incorrect”. A
case in point is that you’ll never get everyone to say the word
coffee the same way.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get folks to agree on what
the “correct” pronunciation is of words like like route or
roof is. Each native speaker will doubtless say that their way
is “correct”, but only those with the most severely provincial
of viewpoints would dare call alternate pronunciations from
other native speakers “incorrect”.
You might imagine that the perceived “owner” of a name has an
annointed right to determine what is the “correct” way to say
that name, but even here you can sometimes be wrong. That’s
because with proper names like those of people, cities, or
businesses, this picture becomes even muddier. Anna, Charles,
Melbourne, and Oregon are all naturally pronounced differently
in some accents than in others. You will never get a non-rhotic speaker
to say Charles the way its rhotic owner says it. Or just because Anna herself may
happen to use the same vowel there as she uses in apple does
not mean that someone of a different accent who always uses
the vowel from father for that word is somehow “incorrect”.
Proper names originally from a different language than English
are sometimes even more subject to variation, as these are not
necessarily only variations by dialect alone. Rather, educated
native English speakers with experience in language the word
was borrowed may pronounce that word closer to how it is said in
the other language. Think of Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Louisville,
Lyons, Lima, New Orleans, Santiago, Colombia, Chile.
The particular sound that seems to be concerning you here, the
stressed vowel from the first syllable of the word Costa,
happens to be a sound that varies dramatically between English’s
many regional dialects.
This is further complicated by varying impressions of how
assimilated the word has been into English from its Romance
roots.
It may sound just like the word coaster in some dialects
but like the word caster in others. Some may rhyme it with how
they say pasta. It might even sound like the last two words in
the sentence “That’ll sure cost her”, or rhyme with the first
two words in “Lost a penny?”
Each version is “correct” in that accent. That’s why all native speakers’ pronunciations of a word are “correct”.
edited 2 days ago
answered 2 days ago
tchrist♦tchrist
108k28290464
108k28290464
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
1
1
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
I agree with most of what you say here, except the part about personal names. If someone named Anna doesn’t like her name pronounced with the can vowel and uses the father vowel (e.g., Elsa’s little sister), then people who say her name with the can vowel are just as incorrect as if they call her Beth or Steve. They may be pronouncing the name ‘Anna’ correctly, but they’re not pronouncing her name correctly.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet I chose that one because of personal experience. My aunt Anna, being Polish, has the father vowel there. But her husband, my uncle, who knows no other languages than English and Danish (where he did his postdoc) randomly calls her by both versions and she never complains. I try to use her vowel myself, but a lot of people flip-flop without even realizing they're doing it because somehow those aren't phonemic distinctions for them there. I don't understand it myself. Maybe it’s like saying José with [h] not [x], which English basically lacks.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
Of course, if the person in question is indifferent (as most are), it doesn’t really matter much; but if they do have an opinion (remember Aundrea from 90210?), then it does need to be their preference that determines what’s correct.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@JanusBahsJacquet How do you get a non-rhotic speaker to pronounce Charles the way its rhotic-speaking owner does? This is the sort of thing I’m concerned with.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
If Charles is really adamant about including an audible r, then by force. It’s not like non-rhotic speakers are unable to pronounce syllable-final r. If they refuse, then it’s them being rude, not Charles. I’ve never actually met anyone who was bothered by non-phonemic differences, though, but I have met several Julies who were annoyed at being called Julia (or vice versa), and also a few Anthonies who were annoyed at being /ˡanθəni/ instead of /ˡantəni/ – both phonemic differences.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
2 days ago
|
show 2 more comments
Word pronunciations may vary depending on the broader phrase in which the word appears or on particular local historical factors. In California, where I live, a great many local place names are of Spanish origin. Often the standard native English pronunciations of these names indicate little awareness of Spanish pronunciation preferences—and yet these English pronunciations persist alongside pronunciations of the same or similar words or names that are not local and reflect a much stronger awareness of common Spanish pronunciation.
For example, whereas most (though not all) native English speakers in the San Francisco Bay Area pronounce the country name Costa Rica with a long o (KOAST-uh REEK-uh), and (back in the 1980s) many pronounced the anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan insurgency known as the Contras with a long o ("Koan-truhs"), they almost universally pronounce the East Bay county name Contra Costa with short o's ("KON-truh KOS-tuh").
Likewise, I have never heard a native English speaker in the Bay Area pronounce the last name Allende (in reference to Salvador or Isabel Allende) with an l sound rather than a y sound for the ll (the pronunciation is usually approximately "I-YEN-day"). Yet almost all native English speakers here pronounce the city name Vallejo with an l sound ("Vuh-LAY-ho"). (Note that they do use the Spanish-preferred h sound for the j.)
Further, most native English speakers here pronounce the familiar name of the artist Raphael in three syllables (approximately "Rof-I-EL" or "Raf-I-EL") but they pronounce the second word in the city name San Rafael in two syllables (approximately "Ruh-FEL").
The conclusion I draw from these (and similar) inconsistencies is that pronunciation is largely an aurally received phenomenon, and it is received from different sources at different times—rather than being formulated systematically and cross-checked consistently on the basis of identical or similar spelling. The name Costa Coffee is not one that I've encountered previously, so when I first met it in print (just now), I had no idea whether people who are familiar with it generally pronounce it with a long o or a short one. But the fact that people may be inclined to pronounce it different ways in different places doesn't surprise me at all.
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
add a comment |
Word pronunciations may vary depending on the broader phrase in which the word appears or on particular local historical factors. In California, where I live, a great many local place names are of Spanish origin. Often the standard native English pronunciations of these names indicate little awareness of Spanish pronunciation preferences—and yet these English pronunciations persist alongside pronunciations of the same or similar words or names that are not local and reflect a much stronger awareness of common Spanish pronunciation.
For example, whereas most (though not all) native English speakers in the San Francisco Bay Area pronounce the country name Costa Rica with a long o (KOAST-uh REEK-uh), and (back in the 1980s) many pronounced the anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan insurgency known as the Contras with a long o ("Koan-truhs"), they almost universally pronounce the East Bay county name Contra Costa with short o's ("KON-truh KOS-tuh").
Likewise, I have never heard a native English speaker in the Bay Area pronounce the last name Allende (in reference to Salvador or Isabel Allende) with an l sound rather than a y sound for the ll (the pronunciation is usually approximately "I-YEN-day"). Yet almost all native English speakers here pronounce the city name Vallejo with an l sound ("Vuh-LAY-ho"). (Note that they do use the Spanish-preferred h sound for the j.)
Further, most native English speakers here pronounce the familiar name of the artist Raphael in three syllables (approximately "Rof-I-EL" or "Raf-I-EL") but they pronounce the second word in the city name San Rafael in two syllables (approximately "Ruh-FEL").
The conclusion I draw from these (and similar) inconsistencies is that pronunciation is largely an aurally received phenomenon, and it is received from different sources at different times—rather than being formulated systematically and cross-checked consistently on the basis of identical or similar spelling. The name Costa Coffee is not one that I've encountered previously, so when I first met it in print (just now), I had no idea whether people who are familiar with it generally pronounce it with a long o or a short one. But the fact that people may be inclined to pronounce it different ways in different places doesn't surprise me at all.
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
add a comment |
Word pronunciations may vary depending on the broader phrase in which the word appears or on particular local historical factors. In California, where I live, a great many local place names are of Spanish origin. Often the standard native English pronunciations of these names indicate little awareness of Spanish pronunciation preferences—and yet these English pronunciations persist alongside pronunciations of the same or similar words or names that are not local and reflect a much stronger awareness of common Spanish pronunciation.
For example, whereas most (though not all) native English speakers in the San Francisco Bay Area pronounce the country name Costa Rica with a long o (KOAST-uh REEK-uh), and (back in the 1980s) many pronounced the anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan insurgency known as the Contras with a long o ("Koan-truhs"), they almost universally pronounce the East Bay county name Contra Costa with short o's ("KON-truh KOS-tuh").
Likewise, I have never heard a native English speaker in the Bay Area pronounce the last name Allende (in reference to Salvador or Isabel Allende) with an l sound rather than a y sound for the ll (the pronunciation is usually approximately "I-YEN-day"). Yet almost all native English speakers here pronounce the city name Vallejo with an l sound ("Vuh-LAY-ho"). (Note that they do use the Spanish-preferred h sound for the j.)
Further, most native English speakers here pronounce the familiar name of the artist Raphael in three syllables (approximately "Rof-I-EL" or "Raf-I-EL") but they pronounce the second word in the city name San Rafael in two syllables (approximately "Ruh-FEL").
The conclusion I draw from these (and similar) inconsistencies is that pronunciation is largely an aurally received phenomenon, and it is received from different sources at different times—rather than being formulated systematically and cross-checked consistently on the basis of identical or similar spelling. The name Costa Coffee is not one that I've encountered previously, so when I first met it in print (just now), I had no idea whether people who are familiar with it generally pronounce it with a long o or a short one. But the fact that people may be inclined to pronounce it different ways in different places doesn't surprise me at all.
Word pronunciations may vary depending on the broader phrase in which the word appears or on particular local historical factors. In California, where I live, a great many local place names are of Spanish origin. Often the standard native English pronunciations of these names indicate little awareness of Spanish pronunciation preferences—and yet these English pronunciations persist alongside pronunciations of the same or similar words or names that are not local and reflect a much stronger awareness of common Spanish pronunciation.
For example, whereas most (though not all) native English speakers in the San Francisco Bay Area pronounce the country name Costa Rica with a long o (KOAST-uh REEK-uh), and (back in the 1980s) many pronounced the anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan insurgency known as the Contras with a long o ("Koan-truhs"), they almost universally pronounce the East Bay county name Contra Costa with short o's ("KON-truh KOS-tuh").
Likewise, I have never heard a native English speaker in the Bay Area pronounce the last name Allende (in reference to Salvador or Isabel Allende) with an l sound rather than a y sound for the ll (the pronunciation is usually approximately "I-YEN-day"). Yet almost all native English speakers here pronounce the city name Vallejo with an l sound ("Vuh-LAY-ho"). (Note that they do use the Spanish-preferred h sound for the j.)
Further, most native English speakers here pronounce the familiar name of the artist Raphael in three syllables (approximately "Rof-I-EL" or "Raf-I-EL") but they pronounce the second word in the city name San Rafael in two syllables (approximately "Ruh-FEL").
The conclusion I draw from these (and similar) inconsistencies is that pronunciation is largely an aurally received phenomenon, and it is received from different sources at different times—rather than being formulated systematically and cross-checked consistently on the basis of identical or similar spelling. The name Costa Coffee is not one that I've encountered previously, so when I first met it in print (just now), I had no idea whether people who are familiar with it generally pronounce it with a long o or a short one. But the fact that people may be inclined to pronounce it different ways in different places doesn't surprise me at all.
answered 2 days ago
Sven YargsSven Yargs
111k19239496
111k19239496
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
add a comment |
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
2
2
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
You're in the Bay Area so you still even have a “short o”! Folks from Southern California have lost all rounding there completely, replacing both the CLOTH vowel and the THOUGHT vowel with the FATHER one. Hearing them say this as [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] with nothing but AH there is pretty jarring to those of us unused to it, but so it goes.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
add a comment |
Going back to the roots, the term Costa is an Italian surname which has nothing to do with Costa Rica or other coasts along which coffee plants are grown.
Costa in Italian is pronounced as cost - with a final a as in alpha. Any variant, elongation of vocals etc. are purely local interpretation of the term. (British, Americans or else)
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops.
Brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Lambeth, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1960s. Costa branched out to selling coffee in 1978, when its first store opened in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
add a comment |
Going back to the roots, the term Costa is an Italian surname which has nothing to do with Costa Rica or other coasts along which coffee plants are grown.
Costa in Italian is pronounced as cost - with a final a as in alpha. Any variant, elongation of vocals etc. are purely local interpretation of the term. (British, Americans or else)
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops.
Brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Lambeth, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1960s. Costa branched out to selling coffee in 1978, when its first store opened in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
add a comment |
Going back to the roots, the term Costa is an Italian surname which has nothing to do with Costa Rica or other coasts along which coffee plants are grown.
Costa in Italian is pronounced as cost - with a final a as in alpha. Any variant, elongation of vocals etc. are purely local interpretation of the term. (British, Americans or else)
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops.
Brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Lambeth, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1960s. Costa branched out to selling coffee in 1978, when its first store opened in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
Going back to the roots, the term Costa is an Italian surname which has nothing to do with Costa Rica or other coasts along which coffee plants are grown.
Costa in Italian is pronounced as cost - with a final a as in alpha. Any variant, elongation of vocals etc. are purely local interpretation of the term. (British, Americans or else)
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops.
Brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Lambeth, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1960s. Costa branched out to selling coffee in 1978, when its first store opened in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
answered 2 days ago
user240918user240918
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Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
add a comment |
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
Some native speakers of English have no /ɔ/ phoneme at all, nor even /ɒ/, so they can only hear and say /ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi/ there. To them [ˈkɔstə ˈkɔfi] sounds identical to [ˈkɑstə ˈkɑfi] and so that is the only thing they can hear and reproduce. It’s the phonemic wiring in their brains, which is really really hard for untrained people to ever get around.
– tchrist♦
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
@tchrist - that’s normal. I never heard Tom Cruise pronounced correctly in Italy...
– user240918
2 days ago
add a comment |
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1
This may be a recent American interest which has caused the "Coasta". Whitbread have recently sold the company to Coca Cola. And Americans are very fond of their long 000000s. Notice how Donald Trump calls Emanuel Macron - "Macrone".
– WS2
2 days ago
1
And yet they manage to pronounce coffee with a short O..... Surely then it should be Costa Coffee or Coast-a Coe-ffee (Or Coasta Covfefe in the case of President Trump)
– RobertEves92
2 days ago
3
Here in America we are familiar with the "coast" pronunciation of Costa Rica. So (we think) "Costa Coffee" is a clever variant of that.
– GEdgar
2 days ago
2
This Costa ad pronounces it cost-a. (Around 50 seconds in.)
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
1
However they pronounce it. If they pronounce it "eflax" that's still the correct pronunciation, since it's their name.
– Hot Licks
2 days ago