A good weekend to you. One of the most persistent questions we get is, “Why did you pronounce [fill in the blank] that way?”
How we say the names of people and places can be editorial decisions. Tony Cavin is NPR's managing editor for standards and practices. We asked:
How do you decide how a name should be pronounced? Cavin: It’s a balancing act. We try to call people what they want to be called and things what they are called by those people who know them best. I try to find local pronunciations. But we also need to use language that listeners will understand.
Why did Kyiv go from being pronounced Kee-yev to Keev? We officially changed our pronunciation just before the invasion last year to be more in line with Ukrainian speakers.
Then why don’t we say Paree for Paris, Roma for Rome, or, for that matter, New Awlins for New Orleans or Bahstan for Boston? Paris and Rome and the names of countless other major cities are used so often in English that there are anglicized versions. Even Sylvia Poggioli says Rome. New Awlins and Bahstan are more complicated. That’s how some residents of those cities pronounce the names, but by no means everyone. As a New Yorker, I ask you not to confuse New York’s Houston (HOW ston) street with that city in Texas.
Do you ever see a new name in the news and shudder to think how Scott will mangle it? Simón [pronounced see MOHN, Mexican slang for “yeah man”]. That’s what gets me up and caffeinated first thing every Saturday morning. I need to monitor that fellow very closely.
Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him on Twitter.
Newsletter continues after sponsor message
Stories you may have missed
Hannah
A team of designers and engineers in Houston is constructing a first-of-its-kind, two-story, 3D-printed home. They think of it as a pilot project in pursuit of building cheaper, well-designed, multifamily homes.
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth year, it's time for a reality check on what rapid COVID-19 tests can do — and what they can't. Some experts worry that negative results on the little plastic at-home tests are giving people a false sense of security. Here's what to know.
Edward Tian, 22, thinks ChatGPT — a chatbot that can write a college essay — is both awesome and terrifying. So he created an app to combat the misuse of the AI tool. "We're absolutely at an inflection point," he says. "It's like we're opening Pandora's Box."
Andrew Callaghan, the documentarian behind YouTube's Channel 5 and HBO's This Place Rules, apologized after women came forward on social media to say he sexually assaulted or coerced them. The incident raises questions about Gen Z's tolerance for sexually questionable behavior.
Podcast of the week
Oksana Drachkovska for NPR
In the weeks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a young doctor in Germany read that abortion pills were urgently needed. But getting the life-saving drugs into a country at war meant getting creative. So she and her boyfriend called on friends and strangers to pull off a high-stakes medical mission that unfolded in a legal gray zone. Listen to the story on Rough Translation.
Before you go
Lane Turner/Boston Globe via Getty Image
A new MLK statue in Boston earned a decidedly mixed reaction — ranging from enthusiastic plaudits to consternation and outright jeers.
In a de facto fire sale, Twitter auctioned off "surplus corporate office assets" including furniture, kitchen equipment and a giant neon bird sign.
Trying to spread the word about climate change? Here's a comic for kids about how it's affecting the planet — as explained by kids who are experiencing it.
When Vanessa Foster was stranded in the middle of Alaska, a stranger with bright blue eyes stopped to give her a ride — and changed her life.
Plenty of factors in life contribute to our happiness. But investing in relationships with other people is the most important, this researcher argues.
Listen to your local NPR station.
Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WMFE (edit station).
You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
.jpg)