Are there any guns you can't pronounce?

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Tribal

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Are there any guns that you have trouble pronouncing, either because they're in some complicated foreign language or because they're "too simple" ?

For instance, I have no idea how to pronounce "FAL." Is it "F-A-L" or "Fahl" (or "fail")?

I pronounce Mateba as "muh tayba," but I've heard "muh teeba" and "mah-te-bah" before.

Similarly, for Heckler & Koch, do you say "HK" or "H&K" ?

I know this is kind of a silly post, but discovering that .454 Casull is pronounced like "kuh-sool" and not "castle" got me thinking.
 
I have no earthly clue how to pronounce Česká Zbrojovka (none, zip, nada). But I sure do like their toys.
:)
 
I pronounce it as one word FAL (rhymes with pal).

But when the military channel did their "10 best combat rifles" show, they always referred to it by the letters F - A - L.

Got me...
 
I have no trouble pronouncing ANY gun names. If I don't know one, I'll make it up. As long as I look like I know what I am talking about, you'll second-guess yourself if you pronounce it otherwise. After all, you are probably doing the exact same thing. :)


All kidding aside, I do try to find the correct pronunciation.

But there are some things I just ain't gonna do. I don't like trying to make words out of the letters of a rifle name such as:

FAL is F-A-L to me, not Fal.

WASR is a W-A-S-R, not a Wasr

CETME is a C-E-T-M-E, not a Cetme.

After all, I don't think ANYONE (I hope) says that an AR-15 is an Arh-15 or a AK-47 is an Aak-47.

To me, same thing, same rules.


-- John
 
Well, "arrgh-fifteen" would sound a bit piratey for most of us. I'm okay with acronyms which sorta-kinda look like words (CETME = "set me" and WASR "wasser"), but "FAL" seems to be in the gray zone.

As for Koch, I've always heard it to rhyme with "notch," although I'd guess the Germans rhyme it with "spoke."

Maybe when someone asks what we have we ought to just hand it to them and say "Here, see for yourself!"
 
I have my version, but I've heard Garand pronounced several ways .......

"Gear-and"
"Gay-rand"
"Gaar-rand"
 
Carbine, I alway say "car-bean" (rhymes with "seen") but I've heard "car-bine" (ryhmes with "nine").

I'd really like to know which is correct. "FAL" or "Eff-Aye-El" is something that, I think, people will overlook. But I feel like if I've been saying carbine wrong, I might as well be asking to look at the dealer's "pees-tolls" and "riflés"
 
Franchi: [fran-chi] or [fraun-key]
Baikal: [Bi-cal] or [Bay-cal]
Sakko: [Sock-oh] or [Say-ko]
Aya: [A-Y-A] or [Aya, like hey-ya]
clip: [magazine] or [mag]
carbine: [car-bean] or [car-bine, like pine]

Except for the stupid "clip" joke, the only one of these I think I know is Sakko. I read in a gun rag that it's "sock-oh."
 
Still not sure I pronounce "Mosin Nagant" correct...I've always called it a MOE-zin nuh-GANT... :confused:

On other guns mentioned:

I always pronounced 'Koch' as "cotch" - d'oh...

Garand as GUH-rand.

Carbine as "car-bine, like pine"

How about the SPAS-12? Is it S-P-A-S, or "spass" as I pronouce it?
 
I always said "H and K," because I feel inclined to pronounce Koch as "Cock," and I can't say that without chuckling. I say "Wazzer" and "Set-me" just because the military habit is to make a word out of every single acronym. (i.e. CSOOW is "sea-sow").
 
A few months ago, I posted an audio feed (in video form) on weaponvideos.org that includes correct pronunciation of a few names you guys brought up. Here it is:

http://www.weaponvideos.org/viewvideo/266/Odd_and_misspronounced_gun_names_pronounced__1_/

Probably the biggest error here is that "Koch" in this case is a German name, and in German, "ch" makes a sound like someone who is getting ready to spit. Since this sound does not exist in the English language, the substitute is the "k" sound. In addition, the "O" in German makes the sound that the capitol "O" makes in English. The actual English pronunciation for Koch is: kOk (exact way we say the word: "Coke")

Other things to remember in names from those languages:

The "r" sometimes makes a hard "th" or "d" sound. In this case, the "r" is often used as an English substitute for a letter in the Russian alphabet that looks sort of like a cross between a backward capitol "R" and a capitol "A"

The "J" in most Slavic/east European Languages makes the same sound the "y" makes in English.

The "s" in most east european languages makes the same sound as "sh" makes in English.

The "a" makes the "o" sound in these languages.

In some of these languages, the "W" sometimes makes the "v" sound.

Further examples of these sounds being used:

Janos is pronounced: yon-Osh

Wallachia is pronounced: vol-o-kE-o

Hunedoara is pronounced: hUn-e-dOor-o
 
Here's what I've picked up in all the wrong places

I love waiting forever to find out the post went in 3 times
 
Last edited:
Here's what I've picked up in all the wrong places

FAL is an acronym that is short enough to say each letter, F, A, L.
Sako is indeed socko
Franchi is Fronky
Mosin Nagant is moZEEN naGON
Correia knows what to call H und K and will be glad to tell you
Baikal is byKOLL
AyA is Spanish for two names beginning with A, so may be Ah ee Ah
and John Garand called himself GArund
Carbine is KARbeen in these parts
and Walther is Walter by any other name
CZ is KESka zbroyOVka and
Makarov is maKOrov
Tikka is TEEka

Now, will someone tell me how to pronounce Fazakerly?
 
For instance, I have no idea how to pronounce "FAL." Is it "F-A-L" or "Fahl" (or "fail")?
Click to expand...

If it's a FN given name and not an abbreviation, then it's "fol"

CZ is KESka zbroyOVka and
Makarov is maKOrov
Click to expand...

Keska is actually pronounced: "kesh-ko

Makarov is pronounced: mo-kor-Ov (note that the "mo-k" is usually said the way we say "MaC" in "MaCdonalds."
 
Koch rhymes with loch. Otherwise, it's orthodox (IMO) to say cock. Doing it any other way is but a childish attempt to avoid a seemingly dirty word. My German dictionary transliterates it as /kɔx/; that's a short vowel there.

Č = engl. Ch as in Chip
á = engl. A as in Father
j = engl. Y as in Yellow

Saiga = not Sega
Barnaul = barn owl (IMO)
Walther = Valter (IMHO)
Makarov = maKARaf

With a name like mine, let me tell you:
Spelling is based on pronunciation, not the other way around. If it's not English, the rules you know don't necessarily apply. Exceptions to this are acronym-based words like laser, and of course, FAL.
 
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