Pronunciation quibble

[kernelbogey]

I suspect when you heard Giuseppe pronounced with an 'o' they were talking about someone else.
... and yes, definitely no 'r' in Giovanni. ("Jo'vanni" is OK, as long as Jo isn't pronounced as Joe.)

Interestingly, when compared with Giovanni's fate, native English speakers tend to make a pretty good fist of Giotto.

Do they, by Jove?

[amateur51]

Do they, by Jove?

[Nick Armstrong]

As in "'ay oop m' Bruckner"?

Exactly

Richard, because I think one of the teachers when I was at school there said Sigh-bee-lious

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think one of the teachers when I was at school there said Sigh-bee-lious

Logical: "Siberia" and "Delius"? (Now there's a North Country Rhapsody!)

[ahinton]

Interesting that - we also speak of SE-ville oranges, but the city of Se-VILLE

We may; I don't!

[ahinton]

I've just run all this past Mr Grundy over a quiet drink in The Bull and according to him there's definitely an R in Giovanni.

Eh?...

[PJPJ]

Eh?...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr

[Karafan]

I 'ate you, But-lah!

[Karafan]

The weird pronunciations have spread to Westminster, I see, where some rather toffee-nosed honourable member was rebuked yesterday for pronouncing the new French President's name as "Holland-ay".

Following the rebuke he was required to utter the dread name again and, as the chamber drew its combined breath, he faltered, stumbled and made another hash of it. Other members then jumped on the bandwagon and castigated their colleagues for having pronounced the name of M. Hollande's predecessor so as to rhyme with tea-cosy!

K.

[salymap]

I think Sibelius and Mozart were 'mangled' most in my working life. My music library boss, who should have known better always said Sigh- beel -ius and I have heard several musicians of an older generation say Mow-zar. no implied or actual 't' at all.

[PJPJ]

I knew a charming person who got her vowels and consonants confused; not only did we get Sigh-bee-lious, but Boathaven and, on one occasion, Placenta De Mingo.

And what about the French with their punnish "Gustav Malheur"?

[I was going to write: people who say Sigh-bee-lious will be the finish of me, but thought better of it.]

[Panjandrum]

"Gustav Malheur"?

When anyone says "Show Pan" to me, I say "ok, wok or frying pan?"

[Flosshilde]

[I was going to write: people who say Sigh-bee-lious will be the finish of me, but thought better of it.]

But they do make me sick.

[Flosshilde]

Placenta De Mingo.

After I read this it took me a while to remember what his name really is

[jean]

... and yes, definitely no 'r' in Giovanni...

That's those English RP speakers with their horror of sounding Northern, as I noted above. The people who say lahrtay when they're ordering coffee.

In both cases, the double consonant affects the vowel preceding it - and should be leaned on, to give it its full value.