http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dvorak Just click on the litle audio icon and you will know and you can do the same with all the name. I think you will be pretty surprise about some other names.

[dvawr-zhahk DO not put too much emphasise on The K.

 

Everyone around here (by which I mean the 1% of the population that listens to stuff other than modern country or pop music) says it something like soft-D "dvor-zhack".

 

Thanks Machiavel your a prince! That's how I was saying it in my head, I'm rather pleased with myself.

 

Thanks Machiavel your a prince!

You are welcome. Feels good to be called a Prince

 

The radio announcers in my neck of the woods pronounce it almost as three syllables "d-VOR-zhack" which is mmost likely wrong. I still struggle with Debussy. I never quite know where to accent it or how that first vowel is supposed to sound.

I used to mispronounce Penderecki more or less the way it's spelled, but I hear people pronouncing it "Pen-der-EV-ski." I'm not sure where the "v" and "s" sounds come from. Maybe the same place as the "zh" in Dvorak, the "f" in laugh, and the "i" in women.

 

I used to mispronounce Penderecki more or less the way it's spelled, but I hear people pronouncing it "Pen-der-EV-ski." I'm not sure where the "v" and "s" sounds come from. Maybe the same place as the "zh" in Dvorak, the "f" in laugh, and the "i" in women.

Penderecki is pronounced [pɛndɛˈrɛt͡skʲi].

The pronunciation of Lutosławski amuses me, though.

 

I pronounce it like [ˈdvɔr̝aːk]

 

My pronunciation of Debussy is basically Gary Busey with a "duh" in front of it. God help me if I ever have to talk about him.

 

If you do have to, be sure to mention several other composers too, and place the accent on the wrong syllable for all of them. The audience won't know whether to s***t or go blind (as the university swells are fond of saying).

 

Dee-vor-ak. Pen-der-eck-ee. See--bee-lee-oos. Bay-thoven. Mozzzzzzart. Djo-han See-bas-tee-on Bash.

Composer names are easy!

 

Djo-han See-bas-tee-on Bash.

I always thought it was pronounced "Buckh". Any German speakers want to correct me?

 

I've always liked: devorjiak

 

Oh please, pronunciation is entirely subjective. I pronounce 'Dvorak' like this: 'cheeeeez'.

 

you can try the fun list here:

http://www.pronunciationguide.info/thebiglist.html

 

That's an awesome site.

 

http://www.pronunciationguide.info/sounds/dvorak.mp3

 

The correct pronunciation of certain Central European names used to often catch me out and occasionally still do - originally none more so than Hungarian surnames beginning with 'S' and 'Sz' such as the conductors Szell and Solti. Before I heard their names mentioned I assumed the 'S' would be just an 'S' and the 'Sz' more like 'Sh' but not so - just like that quote about spending many years hurling a baseball it turned out to be the other way around all of the time. Drifting away from the OP, the names I still have trouble with now are Irish ones where the spelling is 'Gaelicised' - so many letters that are either silent or have little phonetic logic. My mother's maiden name was Furphy and sometimes it can be spelt O'Foirbhilhe or O'Foirbhthe - what?????