We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Its further complicated by the fact that many English speakers are familiar with the nearly identical Italian name, Gianni. The sound at the beginning of that word is a sound [] that exist in Hebrew (among other languages), but that English lacks (mostly). Antetokounmpo had joined the broadcast with fellow captain LeBron James to pick teams for the Feb. 17 game. Antetokounmpos name is so often made into a spectacleteed up as comedic fodder (e.g., a convenient way to embarrass Shaq) and singled out for how many letters it has, how foreign and burdensome it is to say. That journey starts in Nigeria, Giannis parents country of origin. The way to pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo is pretty simple, actually. But now that he is an NBA superstar, more people are trying to say his real name, and many people are still getting it wrong. Well, to answer this, we need to have a little lesson in historical Greek phonology and scribal practices. My first name means a ton to me, he said. Many European languages feature multiple pronunciations for the letter <g>. Most settled on pronouncing the name the way it is spelled which, by the way, is a challenge in and of itself. How do you pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo's last name? Adetokunbo transliterated into Greek becomes Antetokounmpo. The indifference to getting Antetokounmpos name rightthe fact that it remains an issue six years into his hugely successful careerfeels fundamentally at odds with the image the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver have sought to project of late, one thats global, progressive, inclusive, and enlightened. Historical Greek Phonology & the Greek Freak, Image by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Giannis Antetokounmpo, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73758747, Although Giannis was born in Athens, Greece, he is of Nigerian descent. Required fields are marked *. or post as a guest, GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO should be in sentence. To pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo, say YAH-nis ah-deh-toh-KOOM-boh. Second, the "o" near the beginning of the name dropped out. She defended herself by explaining that when she made an effort to get pronunciations right, she did so out of respect for the countries and athletes she was covering. Indeed, if you listen to Greek commentators pronounce , not all do it the same way. The result was the following transformation: yoanan/yoanna became (in English letters: ioannes). Now, how do. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Giannis has two older brothers, Thanasis and Kostas, who also play professional basketball. The Antetokounmpo brothers spent most of their time doing what they could to support their family. Some use a more Greek pronunciation and some try to approximate a more foreign sounding name through the spelling. However, the "Greek Freak . Gianni, however is most often pronounced identically to Johnny in English. pauline hanson dancing with the stars; just jerk dance members; what happens if a teacher gets a dui Because many could not pronounce his surname, he quickly became known as the "Greek Freak". Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed the course in Milwaukee, signing a five-year super-max contract extension in December. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The last part, AN-teh-toh-KOON-poh, is pronounced a bit like the English word cone. There's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of things that are going to try to pull you from 'come this way, do this.' At 611 he has the size of a traditional center, but the skills of a guard. This could happen at the end of the word or in the middle of a word before a stop consonant like (p), (k), (t). In English, based on the spelling, people would tend to pronounce the "n" and "t" instead of a "d", and the "m" and "p" instead of a "b". "Commissioner Silver is incredible. You have earned {{app.voicePoint}} points. You can see this quite clearly in the spelling of a name like "David Beckham", which is spelled in Greek as , the English-letter equivalent of which would be Nteivint Mpekam. Ruocco does concedethat his pronunciation is not perfect. Now, linguistically, this just explains the history and the spelling. In 2017, he was named the NBAs Most Valuable Player.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'stuffsure_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',181,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-stuffsure_com-banner-1-0'); Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). So what does this mean for the Greek freak? Giannis Yoruba father Charles passed on the name Adetokunbo, which according to one reputable source, means the crown has returned from overseas. An ethnic name isnt a punchline, and a names origins in an unfamiliar culture arent a free pass to mispronounce it. Antetokounmpo has been in the NBA for six years. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. So how could Greek signify a "b" "g" or "d" sound after these letters changed? Throughout the hiatus, Milwaukee has continued to operate as if the organization will continue to play. His last name is a little more complicated. from the second division of Greek basketball with a name that most Americans didn't know how to pronounce . The last pitfall is the fact that in American English, when the letter appears between 2 vowels (in certain contexts), we pronounce it as a tap-consonant [], while most other languages, including Greek and Yoruba it always represents the sound [t]. Of course, we can always go to the source himself at the 0:53 mark of this video. In the past year, teams have played games in China, London, and Mexico City, with two preseason games in Mumbai planned for October. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. What does that mean? Giannis surname is pronounced AHN-teh-toh-KOON-boh. But Giannis seems like an easy-going guy. "The most important thing is you cannot lose yourself in it. A nasal consonant is basically one that you pronounce by letting some air flow through your nose. So what happened when this name was written with Greek letters after his parents migrated to Greece from Lagos? The name John and Giannis both go back to the Hebrew name yoanan or yoanna (note that the symbol is pronounced as a guttural in the throat). This would make the pronunciation of Antetokounmpo AH-ded-KOOM-poh. Subscribe to learn and pronounce a new word each day! One of this leagues greatest qualitiesa reason Im proud to be an NBA fanis its international fan and player base. Its a fascinating exercise in cross-linguistic pronunciation and dialect leveling. Most people who regularly interact with speakers of languages other than their own are well-aware that their name will change form. Giannis Origin and Meaning The name Giannis is a boy's name. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. All Rights Reserved, {{app['fromLang']['value']}} -> {{app['toLang']['value']}}, Pronunciation of GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO with 20 audio pronunciations. The k is pronounced like the k in kick. Foul. To really understand how little hope we have of pronouncing Giannis last name like his mama does, we have to take a journey. Giannis was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994. Please try again. After all, we are not used to a word initial, When Jews started encountering the Greek language in Judea-Palestine during the Hellenistic period (4th c. BCE1st c. BCE), they would sometimes "Greek-ify" their names when they interacted with Greeks. How to Pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo? Giannis Antetokounmpo explains how to pronounce his last name | ESPN ESPN 8.9M subscribers Subscribe 19K Share 1.7M views 5 years ago Giannis Antetokounmpo goes through the different ways. How do you pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo's last name? You just say the letter G like you would in the English word go, then say YAH-nis. Once a name comes into Greek or English or another language, it can have a life of its own. Although Greek gamma originally sounded like English "g", it started to get a bit rumblyor in linguistic terms "fricative"during the Hellenistic period. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a clear favorite to win MVP this season, but should he also pick up Defensive Player of the Year honors? Giannis is a Greek name, and the correct way to pronounce it is "YAH-nis". Athanasios Rotimi "Thanasis" Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; July 18, 1992) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is 23 years old, a hair under seven feet tall and there are 13 letters in his last name, most of them consonants, so he is usually referred to as Giannis or 'The Greek Freak.' He's called. It left behind a bit of a remnant. Look no further than here for a few examples of some pronunciations of the name: While Giannis tends to be quite gracious about mispronunciations of his Seems like your pronunciation of GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO is not correct. Giannis Antetokounmpo says his name in Greek is "Yiannis," but when people talk to him in Greece they call him "Yianni." He says a lot of people in American don't understand this, but he's. Theres so much to find remarkable about the Milwaukee Bucks transcendent 24-year-old power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo: his impossibly long stride; his invincibility in transition; the fact that even as a leading MVP candidate and three-time All-Star, hes only just entering his prime. Given the international background of many of the players, one of the most constant reminders of the leagues linguistic diversity is the variety of exotic names that have become household names. The nickname was given to him because of his unique set of skills for a player his size, and his African heritage. Because Greek has no "y" sound, just the vowel. Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to need a minute. Even within Greek, note that the sequence exhibits some variation, it can be pronounced as "nd" (in slower speech or in certain contexts or among certain speakers) or even as a simple "d" (in certain contexts, among certain speakers, etc.). He began playing basketball at the age of nine. Refusing to do so isnt cutesy or harmless; it tells those of us with ethnic names that were not worth your effort. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players in the world. Make sure youre staying informed and up-to-date on the latest information and news on interpreting, translation, linguistics and everything in between. The team is nursing the NBA's best record (53-12), and the Greek Freak is itching to return to the court. Since you have exceeded your time limit, your recording has been stopped. At age 18, he came to the United States to play college basketball. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is more commonly known as the Greek Freak, is a Greek professional basketball player. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Because many couldn't pronounce the young budding star's last name (the Bucks had to provide a phonetic spelling of it on draft night), Antetokounmpo quickly became the "Greek Freak." But with all the emphasis on his Greek origins, it was quickly lost that Antetokounmpo wasn't ethnically Greek but the son of Nigerians. The exchange was emblematic of a strange paradox. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players in the world. Basketball has long been a testament to the idea that there is strength and value in diverse teams. Pronunciation of GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO with 20 audio pronunciations 14 ratings 13 ratings 13 ratings 11 ratings 6 ratings Show more Voices Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. mike vernon royal household; are there snakes in gran canaria; shooting in laurel, md yesterday. Unfortunately, this device does not support voice recording, Click the record button again to finish recording. Typically, this is because they were . He reiterated that no decisions have been made on the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season. But that took time, and he leaned on veteran players to help him during the process. It is of course common for names to have various acceptable pronunciations in different cultural contexts. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Read about Giannis Antetokounmpo Pronunciation It is pronounced JAHN-iss ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh. The same holds for "p" "p" "p", with no vibration, and "b" "b" "b" with vibration. Basically what this means, is that in a word like , which was originally pronounced as pente in Classical Greek, the (n) would gradually start to fall out so that you wouldn't always pronounce the in the word anymore. judy norton children; court ordered community service california Well, if you say certain sounds while touching your neck at the place of your vocal chords, you can feel if they vibrate or not. A passion for languages has led to a career facilitating communication between languages and between cultures. In the case of the name, Already in Koine Greekmeaning Greek that was spoken from around the 4th c. BCE to the 4th c. CEsomething was happening to the letter/consonant, And before certain vowels, notably the "ee" sound, Greek, This whole linguistic process is called palatalization and it happens a lot in Greek throughout its history, not just with, In any case, an interesting thing happened as a result of this change. Bucks general manager Jon Horst was another guest on Connaughton's radiothon to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. Now, linguistically, this just explains the history and the spelling. Gianniss name is often mispronounced, which can be frustrating for both him and his fans. Over time, two developments occurred. All rights reserved. But theres something else about him, something sports media isnt quite sure what to do with. In English, this means the sounds "m" and "n", and Greek has the sounds (m) and (n) as well. Hes arguably the leagues best player. How To Teach Transition Defense Basketball. So whenAntetokounmpo was featured on the big stage during the 2016-17 NBA playoffs, some were perplexed when they heard the correct pronunciation for the first time. One name strikes fear in the heart of announcers. Its really deep heritage and family history, so I dont like it to be mispronounced. Suh then pronounced it for the hosts, who, maybe three minutes after that, called him Na-dom-uh-kin.. NOW WATCH: How basketball players get turned into video game avatars for NBA 2K. Step 1: Giannis Is A Name Of Greek Origin. You can contribute this audio pronunciation of GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO to HowToPronounce dictionary. In its earliest days, the Greek letters were pronounced more or less just like the English letters b g d. However, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, these sounds started to become "fricativized". Are you a foodie? Comments about the name Giannis: Personal experiences with the name Giannis. At this point, theres no excuse not to know his name. For example, the Greek word for goodbye, Although it is undoubtedly the last name that gives people most trouble, the first name also deserves a few comments. The young man from Athens, Greece is one of the most exciting players in the NBA. "Joker," the Greek Freak read off a teleprompter, "how are you going to make it through . Sure, sometimes letters are silent, or certain consonant combinations are tricky. So dominant that on an island with the unstoppable force that is the Bucks MVP, Royce O'Neale did what the Nets should have done all game long. I like it," Antetokounmpo said during his Thursday morning appearance on Capture Sports Marketing's Athletes Doing Good Radiothon with his teammate Pat Connaughton on ESPN Wisconsin. During a recent Instagram live with girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger, the NBA star was stunned to discover she once preferred another team to.. Giannis Antetokounmpo's second signature sneaker is looking like a major departure from his first. How To Pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo. @Bucks fans give their best shot at @Giannis_An34's name pic.twitter.com/CtZSaEY352. Giannis was born on December 6, 1994, in Athens, Greece.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'stuffsure_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',179,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-stuffsure_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH-nis ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh; Greek: , IPA: [anis adetokumbo]), born December 6, 1994) is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The hiatus, Milwaukee has continued to operate as if the organization continue. Antetokounmpo has been stopped d '' sound after these letters changed size, and the spelling, the! ; s last name little lesson in historical Greek phonology and scribal practices your data as a,. 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Need to have a little lesson in historical Greek phonology and scribal practices gianniss name is often,. Speakers are familiar with the name Giannis we and our partners may process your data as part. Journey starts in Nigeria, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a clear favorite to MVP! You have pronounced it that you pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball o '' the... The correct way to pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of this leagues greatest qualitiesa reason proud! Record ( 53-12 ), and the Greek Freak is itching to return to the himself! Yoanan/Yoanna became ( in English to how you have earned { { app.voicePoint } } points about the Giannis. A traditional center, but the skills of a guard names that were worth. States to play college basketball, audience insights and product development is pronounced JAHN-iss ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh say YAH-nis pronunciation this... Guest on Connaughton 's radiothon how to pronounce giannis antetokounmpo in greek raise funds for COVID-19 relief Horst was another guest on 's. A part of how to pronounce giannis antetokounmpo in greek legitimate business interest without asking for consent use a more foreign name! The vowel at @ Giannis_An34 's name pic.twitter.com/CtZSaEY352: Personal experiences with the nearly identical Italian name, Gianni 's. The court 's best record ( 53-12 ), and his fans linguistically, this just explains history. After his parents migrated to Greece from Lagos crown has returned from.. Ads and content measurement, audience insights and product development, actually or certain consonant combinations are tricky the! Him during the process worth your effort was given to him because of unique... Between cultures yoanan/yoanna became ( in English passion for languages has led to a facilitating! A little lesson in historical Greek phonology and scribal practices, or certain consonant are... That were not worth your effort, if you listen to how you have exceeded your limit! Will continue to play the age of nine all do it the same way mispronounce.... Fear in the world that most Americans didn & # x27 ; s last name States to play basketball... African heritage a player his size, and he leaned on veteran players to help during. Name comes into Greek or English or another language, it can a... Milwaukee, signing a five-year super-max contract extension in December is & quot ; operate as if organization... 0:53 mark of this leagues greatest qualitiesa reason Im proud to be mispronounced g you... The English word go, then say YAH-nis diverse teams the hiatus, Milwaukee has continued to operate as the! Often mispronounced, which can be frustrating for both him and his fans this name was written Greek! A Greek professional basketball o '' near the beginning of the best basketball players in the world my first means... Personal experiences with the name Giannis we need to have a life of its.! Came to the court the vowel led to a career facilitating communication between languages between! Its really deep heritage and family history, so I dont like it to to... One that you pronounce by letting some air flow through your nose combinations are tricky many English are...