Pronounce Jaspar

[stevebop]

Refering to Belgian saxophinst/flutist, is it Bobby Jas-PAR or Bobby Jasper?

Thanks!

[Cyril]

It's Jas-PAR

[BillF]

Shouldn't it be "zhas-par"?

[Tom Storer]

French-speakers such as those in Belgium pronounce it jasPAR, but they also pronounce his first name buhBEE. So you can either go the francophone route and say buhBEE jasPAR, or else you can pretend you're an English speaker and say BOBby JASpar. (Even with English stress, you ought to say Jaspar and not Jasper.)

And as BillF notes, that's a soft J in French.

Edited February 15, 2009 by Tom Storer

[stevebop]

I always pronounced his name Jap-PAR but in listening to a live recording he did in NY, the guitarist Mundell Lowe introduces him as Jasper. That started me wondering.

His birthday is next Friday and I'll be featuring his music on my show.

I didn't want to sound like a jerk.

Thanks for the help. Jas-PAR it is!

[Shrdlu]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

If the latter, it would be "Yaspar".

In any case, if you're American, just pronounce it in the U.S. way. I bet Joe Zawinul's name was not given an Austrian pronunciation when he was in the States.

And then there's George Mraz, originally Jiri.

[BillF]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

[Head Man]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

Was married to Blossom Dearie who died recently.

[Niko]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

wondered the same thing about jacques pelzer this morning - "pelzer" doesn't sound french at all (?), while jacques (and also his daughters name "micheline") sound clearly french...strange culture that is at the same time very segregated and very mixed (first step in antwerp was figure out that while people understood french better than english they stayed friendly only if we used english (second step was to speak english to each other in public - didn't fool many people i guess but did fool those who were seriously offended by hearing german around them))

[BillF]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

wondered the same thing about jacques pelzer this morning - "pelzer" doesn't sound french at all (?)

Doesn't it? What about Claude Luter (say it "loot-air"), celebrated French trad band leader of my youth?

Edited February 16, 2009 by BillF

[Niko]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

wondered the same thing about jacques pelzer this morning - "pelzer" doesn't sound french at all (?)

Doesn't it? What about Claude Luter (say it "lut-air"), celebrated French trad band leader of my youth?

i really don't know... ending stuff with "er" is of course very french but "lz" doesn't feel french too me (in german - so maybe also in dutch - "pelz" is fur, so a "pelzer" could be someone who makes coats (but it is not a common word though))

[J.A.W.]

Was he French Belgian (Walloon), or Flemish?

French. (Born in Liege.)

wondered the same thing about jacques pelzer this morning - "pelzer" doesn't sound french at all (?)

Doesn't it? What about Claude Luter (say it "lut-air"), celebrated French trad band leader of my youth?

i really don't know... ending stuff with "er" is of course very french but "lz" doesn't feel french too me (in german - so maybe also in dutch - "pelz" is fur, so a "pelzer" could be someone who makes coats (but it is not a common word though))

Almost Fur = "pels" in Dutch.

[Claude]

wondered the same thing about jacques pelzer this morning - "pelzer" doesn't sound french at all (?), while jacques (and also his daughters name "micheline") sound clearly french...strange culture that is at the same time very segregated and very mixed (first step in antwerp was figure out that while people understood french better than english they stayed friendly only if we used english

It's very difficult to find out from a person's name whether he/she is flemish or french-speaking. Take for example the former (until a few weeks ago) prime minister - Yves Leterme - who is flemish.

French first names have always been very popular in Flanders (and in the Netherlands), and french and flemish family names exist in both parts of the country.

Edited February 16, 2009 by Claude

[J.A.W.]

It's very difficult to find out from a person's name whether he/she is flemish or french-speaking. Take for example the former (until a few weeks ago) prime minister - Yves Leterme - who is flemish.

Yves Leterme's father was from Wallonia, the francophone part of Belgium, and his mother was from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. He is indeed Flemish, but fluent in both Dutch and French.

Edited February 16, 2009 by J.A.W.