It's actually a word (name of a city) and not an acronym. Say it as burr-no. Click here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brno

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Thanks for the quick reply sophia.

 

As usual the answer lady is correct.

 

Not only the correct answer, but style and panache!

 

I tried to post the link of it being pronounced but that didn't work for some reason.

 

On your Wiki article link, just click "listen" next to the sideways bell thing. To sound Czech, Brnomann described the "r" sound as a rolling r, but it's not the same as a Spanish rolling r. European languages have sounds that are not used in English or American English, so we just say burr-no.

 

so we just say burr-no.

skip that u, there is no sound between b and r;
say "brr - no" with an o shorter than if you said "no" in English.

 

ok.. while we're on the subject (and this has probably been covered a zillion times.. sorry for my laziness)...

how do you pronounce CZ? I keep wanting to say "Chay Zed" just to sound sophisticated.

 

Joe, I say "Cee-Zee". The Brits would say "Cee-Zed" I believe. If you wanna be "cool", say "Charlie-Zulu".

 

I think Dairyman and Ira say "Cee Zed" and they are they are in the opposite hemisphere from "sophisticated."

 

This was

Something I wondered about too. I thought it was an acronym as well! So now I know it is a good shooting rifle and a city to boot! whoed a thunk it!!:bthumb: Doug

 

If you want to impress your friends at the bar, Pilsner (actually Pilsen or Plzen) is a city too.

 

I'm not pronouncing the u anymore than Sophia was. "burr" is how you pronounce the word burr.

 

Let's see-

She is a world renowned expert on CZ's and a linguist to boot. I learned about Czech geography the first time I Googled Brno. Only then did I know it was also a place.

 

If you've ever had the pleasure of speaking to Denny you'll hear the correct pronunciation. As an American with limited abilities I have a hard time getting the roling RRs to work, try as I might.

 

In Australia,we say "Bruno".

 

LOL, but that does not make it right....about 90% of Americans do too, cracks me up every time I hear it.

 

A lot of it has to do w/ when in your lifetime you learned to make certain sounds. My cubicle partner at work was born in Vietnam & lived there until he was 12. He is now in his early 40’s, speaks excellent English but can’t say (for example) “zero”. It comes out as “yero”. Apparently the “Z” sound we use in English isn’t used in Vietnamese & his mouth can’t train itself to make that sound.
My late father was born in the US but grew up speaking Slovak (very close to Denny’s Czech). A running gag between he & my youngest brother was to get my Dad to say “thumbtack”. Even after nearly 70 years of speaking English he still said it as “dumdak”. He didn’t learn English until he went to school at the age of 6 & prior to that never learned the “th” sound; it isn’t used in Slovak.
Now my wife & I grew about a mile & ½ from each other & speaking only English of the Midwest American variety. One of us says “wash” & the other “warsh”. Don’t know where that came from.