La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Listen above for how to pronounce kalanchoe (ours pictured at top). San Geraldo and I both always pronounced it something like kuh-LAN-show and, as you might know, we don’t agree on much when it comes to pronunciation. We had never heard it any other way until SG was watching videos about plant care the other day and heard the supposed most common American pronunciation. How do you pronounce it? Like us? Like the recording? Or in some entirely different way?
I told San Geraldo we are now going to pronounce it the British way because it’s closer to how we always pronounced it in the first place and we won’t have to try very hard. Besides, he noticed it rhymes with “talent show” (with the “T” dropped) which might, possibly, make it easy for him to remember (although I know I’ll have to remind him of the clue).
The Spanish pronunciation is ka-lan-CHO-eh which is what I automatically assumed because it’s consistent with Spanish pronunciation conventions. And, since I know someone will ask, the word comes from the Cantonese Chinese phrase kalan chau, which means “that which falls and grows.”
We had planned to return to La Bandera this morning because we’ve got slim pickings at home for breakfast. There’ll be a supermarket delivery this evening. But I looked out the window and saw they still hadn’t set out their tables and chairs. According to the web, they open at 8. I phoned and was told they’re closed Tuesdays.
I surprised myself with a 2-hour walk Monday afternoon. The heat didn’t feel oppressive. Today is supposed to be hotter. So, I plan to mostly stay home in the AC and drill. The walls in our apartment are brick, stucco, cement, and metal, and our battery-powered Black & Decker drill is only sometimes strong enough for a particular spot. I have started a number of holes but never got very far. So, we bought a new “professional” Bosch drill at Leroy Merlin. And now I’ve got the power to go deep. (I hope.)
Escucha arriba cómo se pronuncia kalanchoe (la nuestra en la foto de arriba) en inglés de ambos inglaterra y de los Estados Unidos. San Geraldo y yo siempre la pronunciábamos algo así como ka-LAN-sho y, como sabrás, no nos ponemos de acuerdo en casi nada en cuanto a pronunciación. Nunca la habíamos oído de otra manera hasta que SG estaba viendo vídeos sobre el cuidado de las plantas el otro día y oyó la supuesta pronunciación americana más común. ¿Cómo la pronuncias tú? ¿Como nosotros? ¿Como en la grabación? ¿O de alguna forma completamente diferente?
Le dije a San Geraldo que ahora lo vamos a pronunciar a la manera británica porque es más parecido a como siempre lo hemos pronunciado y así no tendremos que esforzarnos mucho. Además, se dio cuenta de que rima con “talent show” (sin la “T”), lo que podría facilitarle recordarlo (aunque sé que tendré que recordarle la pista).
La pronunciación en español es ka-lan-CHO-eh, que es lo que asumí automáticamente porque coincide con las convenciones de pronunciación del español. Y, como sé que alguien preguntará, la palabra proviene de la frase en chino cantonés kalan chau, que significa «aquello que cae y crece».
Teníamos pensado volver a La Bandera esta mañana porque no tenemos mucho que comer en casa para desayunar. Esta tarde nos harán un reparto del supermercado. Pero miré por la ventana y vi que todavía no habían sacado las mesas y las sillas. Según la web, abren a las 8. Llamé y me dijeron que cierran los martes.
El lunes por la tarde me sorprendí dando un paseo de dos horas. El calor no era sofocante. Se espera que hoy haga más calor, así que planeo quedarme en casa con el aire acondicionado y taladrar. Las paredes de nuestro apartamento son de ladrillo, estuco, cemento y metal, y nuestro taladro Black & Decker a batería solo a veces tiene la potencia suficiente para ciertos puntos. He empezado a hacer varios agujeros, pero nunca he avanzado mucho. Así que compramos un taladro Bosch “profesional” nuevo en Leroy Merlin. Y ahora tengo la potencia necesaria para llegar hasta el fondo. (Eso espero).
• Una de las begonias rex. Se pronuncia begonia rex.
• Aunque San Geraldo tenía todo lo necesario para almorzar ayer, no había hecho la compra y no tenía nada para el postre. Sacó galletas digestivas, chocolate negro para hornear, y mermelada de albaricoque. Después, ya no quiso. No me quejé. Admito que me molestó que el chocolate de la parte superior izquierda estuviera colocado boca abajo.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
If you eat the one that is face down first, the rest all match. Problem solved. When I am working in the kitchen and one does not look right, that is the chef’s quality control sample.
I like how you think!
David,
My three were on the right, so I started off with those. Then, when SG told me I could have them all, I had to quickly work my way to that one.
Ohhh
I had no idea of the change of pronunciation. It’s a pretty plant!
Love the color of the flowers.and it’s hot here too buy yesterday it was less oppressive. The smoke from the fires was still in the air, though…
XOXO
Sixpence,
The smoke looked awful and so unhealthy. Hope it’s better now. We’re headed for over 108F today.i have never heard anyone pronounce kalanchoe the way they say is correct in American English. So strange
I like kal-AN-cho, right or wrong!!
I also like that the upside piece of chocolate somewhat annoyed/unnerved you!
Bob,
Have you ever heard kalanchoe pronounced any other way? This was a major surprise to us both. It’s still bothers me that the chocolate was placed incorrectly.
Ohhhh, thank you so much for that pronunciation clarification!! That has always been “that plant name I don’t know how to say” and then in my mind I’d go through a couple of different tries… ha! Now, I’m going to have to use that video site to find out how to pronounce satiety, which is driving me nuts.
I love your photos… always… clear, colorful, bright, interesting….ahhhhhh 🙂
Judy C,
I just tried satiety. Sounds so odd.
I have never heard an American pronounce Kalanchoe the way that clip does. Everyone I know pronounces it like the British except the emphasis is on the second ‘lan’ syllable. ka-LAN-cho (hard ch, not sh). Your make-do dessert looks fine but I’d have thought you would be disturbed by the jam sliding off, not the way the chocolate lays.
Ellen Abbott,
That’s been our experience, too. So surprising
And, yes, the messy jam bothered me but the incorrect placement of the chocolate bothered me even more. I forgave the jam for sliding off as it was walked over to the table.
Cantonese… wow; I just assume that words ending in things like -choe are transliterations from Greek. Shows what I know… The upside down chocolate would have bothered me too. I’d eat it, but then I would be bothered by the lack of symmetry. So I’d have to either align them in a horizontal row or eat another one to restore the balance… before I ate the rest of them. Then I wold be bothered by the futility of the whole business and ask myself why I’m like that. It ain’t easy being me…
Wickedhamster,
You and me both!
I also note the paradox of a video on pronunciation with such a weird, and I assume electronic, voice.
Wickedhamster,
Yes, and that was the one I found most clear. They all sounded like bots.
Well, unbeknownst to me, I have been pronouncing kalanchoe the British way!
Michael,
I say. Well done, old chap.
To my surprise, I’ve always pronounced it “the American way” – like Hamster, I thought it was from Greek, so automatically the “ch” would be said like a “k”. Now I know it’s actually from Cantonese, I am going to be in a tizz.
Good job I am never going to buy one. Jx
Jon,
I’m amazed. You’re the only person I know who pronounces it the American way, except for the online experts. I assumed it was of Latin origin, which was of no help to me since I never learned Latin.
I’ve never even heard of a Kalanchoe, but its pretty orange blossoms remind me of the orange and yellow cowslips that grew wild where I grew up!
Tundra Bunny,
I guess it’s not a common houseplant in the Tundra.
The English version suits xxx
finlaygray,
Is that how you pronounced it before?
I don’t think I’ve ever had occasion to say “kalanchoe” out loud. Or even read it in a book or something.
Debra,
Such a common houseplant wherever we’ve lived. Odd that no one we knew pronounced it correctly.
These biscuits! YUMMY!!!! They look delicious.
But the Penetration…. I’m not asking questions on that one.
Mistress Maddie,
I thought you’d be the first to ask about penetration.
So rarely does “kalanchoe” come up in conversation, that I don’t think I ever pronounced it out loud. As for how I mentally pronounced when I come across it reading, to paraphrase what Linus told his sister Lucy, I BLEEPED across it.
Kirk,
Oh, I know those words I’ve bleeped across for years.
I had no idea that it existed let alone how to pronounce it properly
Adam
Nekorandom.com
Adam,
Well now you can impress people in garden centers. Or confuse them, given that I’ve never ever heard anyone pronounce it that way.
I used to say kaLANcho, then I was firmly corrected to kaLANko. Which I now say and people say yes, that, but nobody corrects me back.
That creepy YouTube guy is not always right, anyway. So there. Boud
Since most of our pronunciations are based on British ones, I would have to go with their way of saying Kalanchoe as well. Will have to go to local nursery to see if they have any.