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Piezo

#22
The folks at Ernie Ball call it Pye zo. I call it Pee ay zo. Never heard anyone call it Pee zo or Pee eht zo. And I really don't care what it's called. I have one on my Bongo and my hearing is too damaged from earplug neglect to even notice much of a difference when I dial it in.

But I've another word to add to our game here. Kala. Was just in Hawaii where Ukeleles are king... and I was surprised at the pronunciation. Not what I thought, but I may very well have been alone with what I thought. Any guesses?
 
#27
SoComSurfing said:
Ugh. While I appreciate your effort to rid the TB community of this pet peeve of mine, I'm afraid it's a losing cause. It especially doesn't help that when I worked in an acoustic specialty store we had reps for companies like FISHMAN and K&K, who specialize in this type of electronics, pronounce it "pye-zo." :scowl:
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This is what set me off this time. No offense to the the poster, who is an excellent player and a fine human being, I'm sure.
 
#29
Munjibunga said:
That guy is an idiot.
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I just thought it was amusing as "pie-zo" is pretty much standard in the US from what I've heard (as in your YouTube clip)

Your pronunciation is probably close enough, although if you take into account the fact that the term is originally Greek, then "pee-ay-zo" would be correct. There's no "t" sound in a single "z" in Greek as far as I'm aware (there is in some other Mediterranean languages). Just saying.

Over here in the UK, though, the common pronunciation of this is "pye-eet-zo"!

Spot on with Neutrik and Neumann (as they're both German). I guess that raises an interesting question, though. Is the "correct" pronunciation of something that has roots in one language but then gets adopted by another always defined by the way it is spoken in the original language? Or is a general consensus in the second language of a differing pronunciation enough to make that way "correct"? I think the answers to these questions would be yes and no respectively with a proper noun like Neutrik. But for words in wider usage, then the second option is probably closer to actual usage.
 
#30
bassybill said:
I just thought it was amusing as "pie-zo" is pretty much standard in the US from what I've heard (as in your YouTube clip)

Your pronunciation is probably close enough, although if you take into account the fact that the term is originally Greek, then "pee-ay-zo" would be correct. There's no "t" sound in a single "z" in Greek as far as I'm aware (there is in some other Mediterranean languages). Just saying.

Over here in the UK, though, the common pronunciation of this is "pye-eet-zo"!

Spot on with Neutrik and Neumann (as they're both German). I guess that raises an interesting question, though. Is the "correct" pronunciation of something that has roots in one language but then gets adopted by another always defined by the way it is spoken in the original language? Or is a general consensus in the second language of a differing pronunciation enough to make that way "correct"? I think the answers to these questions would be yes and no respectively with a proper noun like Neutrik. But for words in wider usage, then the second option is probably closer to actual usage.
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I say "piezo" in Italian. (I know the root is Greek.) I'd settle for "pee ehzo."
 
#31
SoComSurfing said:
Ugh. While I appreciate your effort to rid the TB community of this pet peeve of mine, I'm afraid it's a losing cause. It especially doesn't help that when I worked in an acoustic specialty store we had reps for companies like FISHMAN and K&K, who specialize in this type of electronics, pronounce it "pye-zo." :scowl:
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I'm "in the biz" and hear it all the time.

I remember reading a guitar book when I was a kid that actually said something along the lines of "piezo (pronounced with a heavy Greek accent)" so I had a feeling it was 'pee-eht'-zoh' but always said pie-zoe so as not to sound like a nerd in front of all those suit n tie dudes when they come in the store or call.
 
#32
Rebop said:
I'm "in the biz" and hear it all the time.

I remember reading a guitar book when I was a kid that actually said something along the lines of "piezo (pronounced with a heavy Greek accent)" so I had a feeling it was 'pee-eht'-zoh' but always said pie-zoe so as not to sound like a nerd in front of all those suit n tie dudes when they come in the store or call.
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OK, how about this? Are there any Greeks (not geeks) on the board here? I mean Greek people who live in Greece. Let's let a Greek person settle it once and for all.

OK, if you put a word like piezometric into Google translator from English to Greek, the piezo part is pee-ehzo. (Use the speaker thingy.)

OK, put in piezo, then translate it from English to Italian. Then do the speaker thingy. So I'm just going to keep saying it Italian style. Try it in German, too. Those Italians and Germans got it going!
 
#34
Munjibunga said:
OK, many of us have basses with piezoelectric (piezo) pickups.

It's not pronounced "pye - zo." It's not pronounced "pee - zo."

It's pronounced "pee - eht - zo."
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But that's THREE whole syllables and it'd just be so much easier to do it in two. Sure, the easy way is wrong but think of all the time and energy you'll save just slurring your words.
 

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