Curry / Aussprache von Fremdwörtern

Why do Germans normally pronounce the word Curry differently from the English pronunciation – after all, the latter contains no foreign sounds. Is it the spelling that puts them off? Do all nationalities have this problem with words with foreign spelling?

The large Duden confirms my impression from watching German TV cooks that the main pronunciation is a bit like Körri, with a secondary pronunciation more like the English one.

1) ‘koeri (the o and e are supposed to be joined)
2) ‘kari

Perhaps Phonoloblog would know?

5 thoughts on “Curry / Aussprache von Fremdwörtern

  1. Surely the “r” in the English pronunciation of “curry” is not a typical German “r”. I’d expect the former to be an apico-domal approximant (maybe an apico-alveolar tap or trill in the North), while the latter is a uvular trill.

    My (American, inland North) pronunciation is probably even more unamiable to German phonology: I have a syllabic r in the first syllable, so I say [‘kr.i].

  2. Yes, you may be right that the R is causing the problem. Germans do have difficulty pronouncing the English r, whether their own r is uvular or a trill or whatever, and that may help cause the vowel problem.

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