Have you seen the new Jag UR?

North American television ads for Jaguar seem to take pains these days to pronounce the British car manufacturer's name correctly. Apparently, this makes Jags sound like fancy imported cars, now that the legendary Coventry marque is owned by Ford Motor Company.

But Jaguar is not the only car company whose corporate name or model names are mispronounced by many--if not most--of their customers. As featured in the last two issues of AAA's Westways magazine online, some common mispronunciations of car company names and car model names were compiled by the editors of the Kelley Blue Book.

Frequently Mispronounced Car Company Names

Audi

* Correct pronunciation: Ow-dee
* Frequent mispronunciations: Aw-dee, Ah-dee
* August Horch founded Audi in 1909. Why "Audi"? It's "Horch" translated into Latin.

Hyundai

* Correct pronunciation: Hun-day
* Pronunciation used by 99.9 percent of consumers: Hun-dye

Isuzu

* Correct pronunciation: Ee-su-zu (preferred), I-su-zu (acceptable)
* Frequent mispronunciations: Eye-su-zu, Ee-zu-su
* Just think "Susan" and you'll have it.

Jaguar

* Correct (i.e., British) pronunciation: Jag-yu-wahr
* American pronunciation: Jag-wahr (unacceptable, but tolerated by the company as long as the person is interested in buying the car)
* Frequent mispronunciation: Jag-wyre

Porsche

* Correct pronunciation: Por-shah
* Frequent mispronunciation: Porsh
* "Porsche" is the surname of the company's founder, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, which is one reason Porsche aficionados are almost rabidly intolerant of anyone who mispronounces the name.

Scion

* Correct pronunciation: Sye-on
* Frequent mispronunciations: Sky-ahn, Skee-ahn
* "Scion" means "descendant" or "heir," which makes sense since Toyota is the parent company.

Volvo

* Correct pronunciation: Vuhl-voh
* Frequent mispronunciations: Vol-voh, Vall-voh, Voh-voh
* Why "vuhl" and not "vol"? It's another one of those Latin words (see "Audi," above). "Volvo" in Latin means "I rotate."

Frequently Mispronounced Car Model Names:

(Porsche) Cayenne

* Correct pronunciation: Kye-ann
* Frequent mispronunciations: Kay-ann, Shy-ann
* Why Cayenne? Think cayenne peppers: hot, hot, hot!

(Saturn) Ion

* Correct pronunciation: Eye-ahn
* Frequent mispronunciation: Ee-uhn

(Nissan) Murano

* Correct pronunciation: Mur-ah-noh
* Frequent mispronunciations: Mur-ay-noh, Myur-ah-noh
* Named after the elegantly sculpted Italian glass.

(Volkswagen) Phaeton

* Correct (i.e., British) pronunciation: Fay-tun
* Frequent mispronunciation: Fay-uh-tun, Fee-tun, Pay-toon
* The name comes from Greek mythology and symbolizes the desire to tread new paths. A VW that can top out near 100 large? That qualifies as a new path.

(Toyota) Prius

* Correct pronunciation: Pree-us
* Frequent mispronunciation: Prye-is
* From the Latin word meaning "preview" or "to go before."

(Buick) Terraza

* Correct pronunciation: Ter-ah-zah
* Frequent mispronunciations: Ter-ay-zah
* Buick reportedly chose this name for its new van because consumers said the name conveyed a sense of luxury, ruggedness, comfort, and strength.

(Volkswagen) Touareg

* Correct pronunciation: Toor-eg
* Frequent mispronunciations: Toh-ar-eg, Toh-ar-eg
* Named after a nomadic tribe that lives in the Sahara Desert. The word literally means "free folk."

[We had more to say about the Touareg name last year in this post on Wordlab.]

The editors of Westways add these notes:

The plural for "Lexus" is "Lexuses," not "Lexi." And, according to Rob Mitchell, director of corporate communications for BMW, the nickname for a car made by BMW is "Beemer" (never "Beamer"), first used with BMW motorcycles. "Bimmer" (pronounced the way it looks) is a frequently used (and acceptable) alternative.

Incidentally, Jaguar began as a "model" name for a William Lyons' SS automobiles, which had a Swallow design on a chassis built by Standard Motor Company, with a Standard engine. Swallow/Standard, SS, get it? According to the Company History on Jaguar's website:

In 1935 the "Jaguar" name sprang upon the scene for the first time with a completely new saloon and sports car range.
...
For the new chassis and engine unit, Lyons designed a fresh body style, less flamboyant than previous models, yet still stylish. Indeed it was closer to contemporary Bentleys which cost nearly four times the price! Sophistication was increasing, and now customers were offered four doors for the first time on an SS. Indeed so different were the new models that it was felt that a new model name was needed. The Company´s advertising agency suggested "Jaguar" and though Lyons took some persuading, it was finally adopted. Thus the new cars would be known as SS Jaguars. The "Jaguar" name was an ideal choice for feline grace and elegance, combining docility with remarkable power and agility. The cars have matured and developed to justify the analogy in every way.

Congratulations to the Guardian on the launch of its new newsblog, from which we got the idea for this post.