BigSister wrote:
Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone! I think I get it now - it sounds like we kind of all have different regionally accepted pronunciations. That said, consensus does seem to imply that I should keep my hard 'g' and switch the b to a p. I'll try to pronounce it as p (perger) instead of b (burger) now. No offense meant with my original pronunciation, of course - it's just how I grew up hearing it pronounced as a kid, and I assumed that was the right way. It's going to be really hard to break the habit of pronouncing it with a b - it's been ingrained in me for over a decade! But I'm sure I'll figure it out.
Another way that might make it easier for you to pronounce Mr. A's name in 'American' is to think of it as ASPERger (with a hard g, of course!)
Or better yet, just refer to it as A.S.and see how many people nod their heads knowingly... all the while giving you that blank stare of total bewilderment.
Never mind how other 'english' speakers massacre our language. My Granny was from England before she emigrated to Canader. She used to call me Petaw, but my name is Peter. Let's see... she couldn't pronounce the 'r' in my name, but she couldn't NOT pronounce a
nonexistent 'r' when she named the country where she lived for over three quarters of her 98 years. I'm inclined to take the 'jer' suggestion with a grain of salt.
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