Instead of providing you some Friday links that I, exclusively, find
interesting, instead I would like to ask you a question. Your answers matter.
Our company name is ‘MIPRO Consulting.’ The first bit, the ‘MIPRO’ part, proves to be difficult for many when it comes to proper pronunciation. My question to you is how would you say ‘MIPRO’? Is it:
A. My-pro
B. Mee-pro
C. Mih-pro
D. Holy cow, did Tiger Woods have a bad week or what?
Please answer in the comments. Next week, I’ll provide the correct answer.
But wait! There’s more!
Are you a grammar geek? Word nerd? Something grammar-related that rhymes with ‘dork’? Then you’ll love this.
David Foster Wallace, one of my favorite writers ever, taught a nonfiction workshop at Pomona College. For it, he had a 10-question grammar worksheet entitled:
IF NO ONE HAS YET TAUGHT YOU HOW TO AVOID OR REPAIR CLAUSES LIKE THE FOLLOWING, YOU SHOULD, IN MY OPINION, THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT SUING SOMEBODY, PERHAPS AS CO-PLAINTIFF WITH WHOEVER’S PAID YOUR TUITION
If you want to test your grammar chops, check it out. Once you’re done (or you give up), look at the answers. I got 8/10.
How did you do?
Have a great weekend, everyone.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
The correct pronunciation is C, “mih-pro” as you say. A less ambiguous spelling for the company name would be “mippro”.
If I’m wrong, and the correct answer is A or B, well, people with funny made-up brand names that don’t conform to my idea of standard English pronunciation get no sympathy whatsoever.
I would say My-Pro.
I agree with Dave. I would say My-Pro.
I’ve always said “Mee-pro” when I think of MIPRO.
Also: NO WAY you got 8/10‽ I got a 0/4, clicked to the answers, and Instapaper’d his essay. http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/DFW_present_tense.html
Considering “MI” as an abbreviation for Michigan, the correct pronunciation would be “Mih-pro”. We don’t say “My-chigan.”
But I think “My-pro” plays better, ear-wise. “Mih-pro” sounds like it might be the name of a new flu vaccine.
Sean,
I knew the problem with 8/10 sentences, but couldn’t explain all of the reasoning why the problem was a problem. Nonetheless, I found the problems and fixed them more or less properly. Can I explain the reasoning behind each? Not very well in some cases.
Guess it depends on what getting one ‘right’ means.
– Jeff
When I read it I assume its “My-Pro”
If you live in Japan – it will come out MEE-poo-roh. Pronunciation is most definitely affected by the underlying culture. Example: Brits say: MEE-thane, people in the US say: meh-thane. Another example: How would you say McDonalds in Japan? Ma-ku-dough-naru-dough!
My-Pro… as in “which pros do I hire to help me implement and optimize my enterprise software???, Why, MIPRO, of course!”
Mee-pro. However that always seems to close to Wipro the Indian consulting company.
Jeff here is my take…
A: Mi-pro
Micro-professional consulting -> Mipro
Sorry about the spello.. You should use the edit plugin., which allows users to edit comments for upto 10 minutes etc.
I have heard it pronounce several different ways but more often than not most people look at MiPro and pronounce it mee-pro.
The correct answer is ‘my-pro’ — long i sound. In our daily conversations, however, we often hear ‘mee-pro’ and a few ‘mih-pro’s, hence the reason for this post.
Thanks, everyone, for commenting.
{ 1 trackback }