How does one pronounce Suntour's Superbe?
09-10-15, 07:00 AM
#26
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I wonder. I never heard anyone claim to know the proper pronunciation of Superbe. I feel the same way as @acoffin.
Drifting ... I was taught that the Sugino company pronounced its name with a hard 'g'. Until then, I was saying Sujeeno....
Drifting ... I was taught that the Sugino company pronounced its name with a hard 'g'. Until then, I was saying Sujeeno....
Most people pronounce it like the drinks, "Ginger Ale" or "Gin" using a "J" sound as in "Jack" or "John." But why not use a real "G" sound as in "Girl" or "Good?" Since her name contains two "Gs" which begin each syllable of the name, the pronouncing of her name could be mixed up using the "G" as in "Girl" for both, or one sound with the first G and the other sound for the second g.
If I ever start my own bike frame company, I think I'll name the men's version "Jack" and the women's version "Jinjer."
Don't you just love the nuance of the English language?
Now back to "Superbe!"
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09-10-15, 08:28 AM
#27
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I've always pronounced it like the French word of the same spelling.
09-10-15, 11:32 AM
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soo-PERB if you're Anglophone, and more like szu-PAIRB if you are Francophone.
And it's Throatwarbler-Mangrove, if you're a Monty Python fan.
And it's Throatwarbler-Mangrove, if you're a Monty Python fan.
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09-10-15, 01:46 PM
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I guess that explains Spirt front derailleurs too......
09-10-15, 03:10 PM
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I've actually never said it out loud or heard it but in my head I always read it as super bee like the car offered by dodge. I had a boss that was a mopar enthusiast and think of him when I read it to myself.
09-10-15, 03:30 PM
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Fortunately, no one on YouTube ever mispronounces anything.
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09-10-15, 04:28 PM
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09-10-15, 05:16 PM
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Good thinking--go to the source. Did you find a Suntour video with the correct pronunciation? I haven't looked.
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09-10-15, 05:24 PM
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09-10-15, 06:46 PM
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This doesn't always work. For example, if you listen to a Japanese market commercial for Nikon cameras, they'll pronounce it the correct way of course (ni-ko-n, close to "knee-cone" or "nee-kohn"). But if you listen to a commercial for the American market, they give in and go with "nye-kahn" like in the Paul Simon song. And for the Brits they follow their "nick-on" pronunciation (and Brits claim they can't hear the difference between that and how they Japanese say it: how they can't hear the difference between the "knee" and "nick" baffles me).
Which is "correct?" To me the Japanese way of course, but others may make a good argument that once a product crosses borders, it can rightly be called however the locals prefer.
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09-10-15, 06:52 PM
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Checked YouTube, this was all I could find, but it led me to something completely different.
09-10-15, 07:14 PM
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Sue Purr Bee, with each syllable given the same pronunciation time and emphasis. That's the way I've always pronounced it, because that's the way I've always preferred to say it. If that's not right, tough. Who knows enough to correct me? No one.
09-11-15, 03:19 AM
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I've never ridden my bike with Superbe bits.
The other bike's components that I do ride I pronounce super bee PRO
Though strangely the triple front derailleur isn't Pro like the other components, just Superbe. Just noticed that.
The other bike's components that I do ride I pronounce super bee PRO
Though strangely the triple front derailleur isn't Pro like the other components, just Superbe. Just noticed that.
09-11-15, 10:58 AM
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And I think you're right on the pronunciation - French or English are both OK but none of this SUPERBEE crap.
Although "Superbe Pro" doesn't really roll off the tongue.
09-11-15, 11:09 AM
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It is actually a French word meaning 'superb'.
The correct pronunciation is 'sue PAIR (buh)'.
The 'buh' is hardly pronounced, just meant to imply an audible B sound. If there was no e, the French pronunciation would be 'su PAIR' (silent B), but I don't think there is such a word.
'Superbee' and superbay' are nonsensical mispronunciations. It reminds me of visitors from a certain country South of here who I have spoken to who call a well-known Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer 'Jee - ONT' as if it were a French word or Company. If they had intended it to be the French word it would have been 'Géant'
The correct pronunciation is 'sue PAIR (buh)'.
The 'buh' is hardly pronounced, just meant to imply an audible B sound. If there was no e, the French pronunciation would be 'su PAIR' (silent B), but I don't think there is such a word.
'Superbee' and superbay' are nonsensical mispronunciations. It reminds me of visitors from a certain country South of here who I have spoken to who call a well-known Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer 'Jee - ONT' as if it were a French word or Company. If they had intended it to be the French word it would have been 'Géant'
Last edited by Wilfred Laurier; 09-11-15 at 11:14 AM.
09-11-15, 03:37 PM
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But according to the Nikon example above, the French pronunciation may not apply given we are referring to a component made by a Japanese manufacturer using a French model name. Maybe someone can seek the counsel of their local kentetsu for some sage insight into this urgent matter.
It is actually a French word meaning 'superb'.
The correct pronunciation is 'sue PAIR (buh)'.
The 'buh' is hardly pronounced, just meant to imply an audible B sound. If there was no e, the French pronunciation would be 'su PAIR' (silent B), but I don't think there is such a word.
'Superbee' and superbay' are nonsensical mispronunciations. It reminds me of visitors from a certain country South of here who I have spoken to who call a well-known Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer 'Jee - ONT' as if it were a French word or Company. If they had intended it to be the French word it would have been 'Géant'
The correct pronunciation is 'sue PAIR (buh)'.
The 'buh' is hardly pronounced, just meant to imply an audible B sound. If there was no e, the French pronunciation would be 'su PAIR' (silent B), but I don't think there is such a word.
'Superbee' and superbay' are nonsensical mispronunciations. It reminds me of visitors from a certain country South of here who I have spoken to who call a well-known Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer 'Jee - ONT' as if it were a French word or Company. If they had intended it to be the French word it would have been 'Géant'
Last edited by plonz; 09-11-15 at 03:41 PM.
09-12-15, 09:26 AM
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09-12-15, 09:53 AM
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