s/o: How do you pronounce Gouda (cheese)?

[Stacia]

Now that I am learning about Salisbury, I really need to know how you pronounce Gouda.

I say: hoe-dah (similar to/like the Dutch pronunciation).

Honestly, if I ask for it, most folks look at me like I have 2 heads, seem confused, and eventually ask me if I want goo-duh (or sometimes go-dah).

😄

[Terabith]

Goo-duh

[Spy Car]

I pronounce it the Dutch way.

As at 10:20:

 

Was always a wee struggle at the cheese counter of my favorite market.

Bill

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Goo-duh

Me too.

I also don't pronounce Van Gogh in the original way - most Brits say van-GOFF.

[Matryoshka]

Well, in English I say GOO-dah, and when I'm speaking German I say GOW-dah, which seemed more correct to me... but now I'm learning Dutch, and it's totally not either one of those. Throat clearing at the beginning, then some odd unique to Dutch diphthong. Then the 'da' or at least something similar... 😅 🧀

ETA: I see Bill has attached audio. The way she says it the diphthong sounds like OW, but my Dutch teacher insists there's a subtle difference.  🙄

Edited May 10, 2021 by Matryoshka

[Matryoshka]

17 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I pronounce it the Dutch way.

As at 10:20:

 

 

Of course you do! 😂

(And thanks for including the time stamp!)

[Stacia]

And my Dutch way is different from the video (probably because it's more of a Belgian/Flemish version...?)

[bibiche]

Howda

[prairiewindmomma]

How-duh but the /ow is further back in my mouth than in English

[Innisfree]

Yet another new thing I've learned here... I never heard anything but goodah. 

[Ausmumof3]

Goo dah.  I know it’s not correct but no one would know what I was talking about otherwise.

[Loesje22000]

Like this:

Gouda Kaas.m4a

[TravelingChris]

Howda at home, Gouda in the store so the clerks understand me.

[Junie]

In my head I pronounce it goo-dah, but in reality I never say this word.  We're a Parmesan and cheddar kind of family. :)

[Faith-manor]

I say goo da, and well, it's a gooda cheese! 😁

[KungFuPanda]

My MIL taught my kids to pronounce ‘ricotta’ like Italians. It doesn’t serve them well at all outside the house. They have to repeat themselves the American way or they’re not getting the cheese. In the end communication trumps pronunciation. All they accomplish by being inflexible is a completely pointless conversation to show strangers that they know a thing. It took some work to get them to let this go.  If they spoke fluent Italian it would be fine, but locking onto a handful of words is a bit nuts because there are 1000s of words they pronounce incorrectly by native speaker standards. 

[Miss Tick]

4 hours ago, Loesje22000 said:

Like this:

Gouda Kaas.m4a 24.43 kB · 5 downloads

Hey, is that you? 🙂 Thanks for the audio.

[teachermom2834]

15 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

My MIL taught my kids to pronounce ‘ricotta’ like Italians. It doesn’t serve them well at all outside the house. They have to repeat themselves the American way or they’re not getting the cheese. In the end communication trumps pronunciation. All they accomplish by being inflexible is a completely pointless conversation to show strangers that they know a thing. It took some work to get them to let this go.  If they spoke fluent Italian it would be fine, but locking onto a handful of words is a bit nuts because there are 1000s of words they pronounce incorrectly by native speaker standards. 

I know exactly what you are talking about. Not fun trying to get ricotta or mozzarella from a deli counter by being authentic. It is really a point of pride to correctly pronounce it. My mom was only Italian by marriage but it was a thing. A very big thing. Drove me nuts.

[maize]

28 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

My MIL taught my kids to pronounce ‘ricotta’ like Italians. It doesn’t serve them well at all outside the house. They have to repeat themselves the American way or they’re not getting the cheese. In the end communication trumps pronunciation. All they accomplish by being inflexible is a completely pointless conversation to show strangers that they know a thing. It took some work to get them to let this go.  If they spoke fluent Italian it would be fine, but locking onto a handful of words is a bit nuts because there are 1000s of words they pronounce incorrectly by native speaker standards. 

Imagine how silly we would sound if we tried to give every English word that originated from a different language its original pronunciation? We would be completely unintelligible. 

Anglicized pronunciations of loan words are perfectly normal and correct.

I say goo-duh.

[Spy Car]

7 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Of course you do! 😂

(And thanks for including the time stamp!)

My best friend growing up was Dutch (parents from Indonesia).

Some things rubbed off on me.

Bill

[HS Mom in NC]

Goo duh

[Faith-manor]

Smoked gouda cheese is the gooda est! 😁 🧀

[Spy Car]

How duh you pronounce the name of that cheese?

Bill

[Tanaqui]

The correct way to say a word in English is the way that gets you what you want when you ask for it. Nothing is served by pretentiously holding onto your idea of the "original" pronunciation. It's not like the Dutch and Flemish say "smoothie" any more realistically - and they all have had more education in English than most of us have had in Dutch!

[bibiche]

6 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

The correct way to say a word in English is the way that gets you what you want when you ask for it. Nothing is served by pretentiously holding onto your idea of the "original" pronunciation. It's not like the Dutch and Flemish say "smoothie" any more realistically - and they all have had more education in English than most of us have had in Dutch!

But what happens when you try to do that and the places have apparently just invented their own definitions? One time my sister ordered a chocolate milkshake in Boston and received chocolate milk. Yes, technically it makes sense that you put chocolate syrup with milk, give it a shake and call it a chocolate milkshake, but c’mon!! 

[dsmith]

I pronounce it the way that it will get me the cheese I want in the store, which is goo duh. If I am visiting a location where it is pronounced differently by most people I will change accordingly.😊

[prairiewindmomma]

The thread prompt asked how to pronounce something. Of course we can use whatever pronounciation gets us to communication in a situation. It’s no different than me asking for sih-lan-tro seeds at the garden store and stopping by the taco truck  on the way home and asking for see-lan-tro on top of birria because I am ordering in Spanish because the taco truck guy doesn’t speak English. Most people code switch with whatever languages they have with whomever they are speaking with. Some places I just point, they nod, I hold up fingers for how many. It’s still functional communication.  
 

It’s not pretentious to use one or the other. It’s function. I say how-da in my head because that’s how it got wired in initially (also had Dutch friends growing up), and I have used it more. 
 

Honestly, I have yet to meet a Dutch person over 6 who didn’t speak English and who didn’t have a functional vocabulary in at least three languages. By 12 they often read in English more fluently than some Americans. It’s not a snobbery thing. It’s a functional thing; they have no assumptions that anyone outside of their borders will speak Dutch. 

[Faith-manor]

2 hours ago, dsmith said:

I pronounce it the way that it will get me the cheese I want in the store, which is goo duh. If I am visiting a location where it is pronounced differently by most people I will change accordingly.😊

And this is the way of wisdom! 😁

Edited May 10, 2021 by Faith-manor

[Tanaqui]

3 hours ago, bibiche said:

But what happens when you try to do that and the places have apparently just invented their own definitions? One time my sister ordered a chocolate milkshake in Boston and received chocolate milk. Yes, technically it makes sense that you put chocolate syrup with milk, give it a shake and call it a chocolate milkshake, but c’mon!! 

 

Doesn't Boston have some niche local regionalism for what the rest of us call milkshakes? I feel like they use a different word, in which case it's possible that the server or the kitchen simply thought your sister meant "chocolate milk".

[Tanaqui]

Just googled and yes, it's a regionalism. Milkshake simply means something different in New England than in the rest of the country. It's a bit arrogant to go someplace else, ask for the wrong thing, and then say that they're the ones doing it wrong.

 

[Matryoshka]

3 hours ago, bibiche said:

But what happens when you try to do that and the places have apparently just invented their own definitions? One time my sister ordered a chocolate milkshake in Boston and received chocolate milk. Yes, technically it makes sense that you put chocolate syrup with milk, give it a shake and call it a chocolate milkshake, but c’mon!! 

Yes, the thing with ice cream in it as well is called a 'frappe' here. 😁

[bibiche]

3 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

Just googled and yes, it's a regionalism. Milkshake simply means something different in New England than in the rest of the country. It's a bit arrogant to go someplace else, ask for the wrong thing, and then say that they're the ones doing it wrong.

 

Even if they are? 😜

[bibiche]

3 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Yes, the thing with ice cream in it as well is called a 'frappe' here. 😁

WTH. Now that’s just being perverse. Both a milkshake and a frappe are things that already exist and are *not* what Boston says they are. Are cows called fish? The sky the earth? How can it be rude @Tanaqui when clearly Bostonians are just messing with people?! 😉 

Edited May 10, 2021 by bibiche

[prairiewindmomma]

3 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Yes, the thing with ice cream in it as well is called a 'frappe' here. 😁

Interesting! 
A frappe here has coffee in it—it is coffee (usually instant, made with water at espresso concentration—or espresso itself) + milk + sugar + ice. It’s blended.

[fraidycat]

19 minutes ago, bibiche said:

WTH. Now that’s just being perverse. Both a milkshake and a frappe are things that already exist and are *not* what Boston says they are. Are cows called fish? The sky the earth? How can it be rude @Tanaqui when clearly Bostonians are just messing with people?! 😉 

Totally off topic, but Boston is just it's own little world where lines painted on roads also have no meaning, either. 😂 To the rest if us, they are driving lanes, but in downtown Boston they just "cease to exist". They're there, but they are not used, IME.

[Matryoshka]

33 minutes ago, bibiche said:

WTH. Now that’s just being perverse. Both a milkshake and a frappe are things that already exist and are *not* what Boston says they are. Are cows called fish? The sky the earth? How can it be rude @Tanaqui when clearly Bostonians are just messing with people?! 😉 

We also have this thing where the street signs (if there even are street signs) are only on cross streets.  So, if you don't know the name of the road you're currently on (ie are not from these parts) good luck figuring it out.  Well, at least pre-GPS.  That's put a wrench in it...

[Spy Car]

6 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

We also have this thing where the street signs (if there even are street signs) are only on cross streets.  So, if you don't know the name of the road you're currently on (ie are not from these parts) good luck figuring it out.  Well, at least pre-GPS.  That's put a wrench in it...

I've spent a lot of time over the decades in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and--while they have street signs--the homes have no street numbers or addresses.

Most homes have "names," but getting/giving directions can take some creativity.

Bill

[bibiche]

15 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I've spent a lot of time over the decades in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and--while they have street signs--the homes have no street numbers or addresses.

Most homes have "names," but getting/giving directions can take some creativity.

Bill

Are you kidding me, Bill?! Don’t give Boston any ideas!! 

[Kareni]

4 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Yes, the thing with ice cream in it as well is called a 'frappe' here. 😁

And if you go next door to Rhode Island, it's called a cabinet!

See this comic. (In RI, a grinder is what others might call a sub sandwich.)

Regards,

Kareni

[bibiche]

2 minutes ago, Kareni said:

And if you go next door to Rhode Island, it's called a cabinet!

See this comic. (In RI, a grinder is what others might call a sub sandwich.)

Regards,

Kareni

Wait, a milkshake is called a cabinet?! It’s as if Rhode Island is saying “hold my beer” (or whatever it’s called in those two crazy states). Seriously, New England. 🤦🏻 

[Katy]

I pronounce it, "Snack cheese."  😂

DH buys these packages of 1 or 2 ounce individually wrapped cheeses that are a mix of Gouda & Havarti.  I think maybe he gets them at Sam's Club.

[LAS in LA]

After a year in Germany, the German way: gow-duh. 
And the US deli lady looked at me funny and said, “Oh. You mean goo-duh.”  🤪

[ScoutTN]

10 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Smoked gouda cheese is the gooda est! 😁 🧀

It makes the best cheese grits!

[bibiche]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

It makes the best cheese grits!

Yum. And I wonder what cheese grits are called in New England... 🤔 

[Pam in CT]

22 minutes ago, bibiche said:

Yum. And I wonder what cheese grits are called in New England... 🤔 

"heresy"

Edited May 11, 2021 by Pam in CT

[Laura Corin]

7 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I've spent a lot of time over the decades in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and--while they have street signs--the homes have no street numbers or addresses.

Most homes have "names," but getting/giving directions can take some creativity.

Bill

Welcome to my world.  Where I used to live there were 100 houses, each with a name but no number and also no street name. Google Maps randomly assigned street names for a bit, but we ignored those. So the address was just house name, village name, near town name. Luckily our postcodes designate fewer than twenty houses. There was a map outside the village hall that delivery people would consult. Directions  given started from, 'Where are you in relation to the disused phone box?'

Our new house has a street name, but all the houses are named for a local landmark and only one house has a number - number 1. The rest are called things like, The Mill, Mill House, Mill Bank, Millbank House, Mill Cottage, Mill View, Mill Farm... we know our neighbours pretty well.

[maize]

The street my family lived on in Bolivia had a street name, but house numbers were chosen by the owners--basically pick your favorite number. There were two houses numbered 100 within about a block of each other.

[Pam in CT]

1 minute ago, maize said:

The street my family lived on in Bolivia had a street name, but house numbers were chosen by the owners--basically pick your favorite number. There were two houses numbered 100 within about a block of each other.

That is awesome.  Not efficient, obviously, but there are other values in this world...

[pinball]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Welcome to my world.  Where I used to live there were 100 houses, each with a name but no number and also no street name. Google Maps randomly assigned street names for a bit, but we ignored those. So the address was just house name, village name, near town name. Luckily our postcodes designate fewer than twenty houses. There was a map outside the village hall that delivery people would consult. Directions  given started from, 'Where are you in relation to the disused phone box?'

Our new house has a street name, but all the houses are named for a local landmark and only one house has a number - number 1. The rest are called things like, The Mill, Mill House, Mill Bank, Millbank House, Mill Cottage, Mill View, Mill Farm... we know our neighbours pretty well.

Mill on the Floss...

[Kareni]

17 hours ago, bibiche said:

Yum. And I wonder what cheese grits are called in New England... 🤔 

 

16 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

"heresy"

This truly made me laugh aloud! Thanks for brightening my day.

Regards,

Kareni