How to Spell Ubuntu?

[litmux]

Hello there, I've heard different people spell Ubuntu in different ways. So how do you really spell ubuntu?
a-bun-too or you-ban-too or how?

[MisterGaribaldi]

*scratches head*

Um... is this a trick question? Seriously.

[raja.genupula]

its U B U N T U (you-bun-2) for reading .

[ubudog]

Here's Nelson Mandela (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-3Eh65kkA).

[wojox]

ooh-bun-too
and it's pronounce. You already spelled it correctly.

[cariboo]

Moved to the Cafe, as it isn't a support question.

[MisterGaribaldi]

Here's Nelson Mandela (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-3Eh65kkA).

I wonder how many recent school graduates (especially in the U.S.) have no idea who Nelson Mandela is. (I also wonder how many couldn't point to Africa on a map.)

[lisati]

Here's Nelson Mandela (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-3Eh65kkA).

Slightly longer version here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7iOKZe9oN8)

[villalcalde84]

I think that this video used to be in earlier versions of Ubuntu, as i recall. Am I right?

[karish1990]

You bun too

[asifnaz]

I have heard many people pronouncing it aa-bun-too . So i thought I was wrong pronouncing it you-bun-too

[sffvba[e0rt]

http://youtu.be/8EADF3TCaK4

http://youtu.be/ZzDN3YPucpU

http://youtu.be/2bV4MVMrN-g

http://youtu.be/7fJF5UIS_hE

Got to love the Youtubes...


404

[MARP1961]

It doesn't really matter does it? Surely the purpose of language is to communicate? Why don't we all pronounce it as we would in our own languages? If you are African, you will probably pronounce it the original African way. If you are from the USA, UK, Australia etc. it would make more sense to pronounce it in a way more natural to your own English language.

It is phonetically awkward in English; but I suggest two alternatives:

'Oo-bun-too' or 'Uh-bun-too'.

'You-bun-too' seems less obvious to me.

[BeRoot ReBoot]

If it's pronounced "ooboontoo", than spelling it "ubuntu" is wrong, pure and simple. I've taken to using the "ubanto" spelling and pronouncing it as "you-bun-toe" myself. It sounds much more natural in English than attempting to pronounce it in African.

[x-shaney-x]

'Oo-bun-too' or 'Uh-bun-too'.


This ^

Though lately I tend to spell/say it "You-ni-teh" (I'm from Yorkshire).

[winh8r]

From Wikipedia:


Ubuntu ( /ʊˈbʊntuː/ oo-BOON-too)[5][6] is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software, using its own desktop environment. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu ("humanity towards others").[7] Ubuntu is designed primarily for use on personal computers, although a server edition also exists.

[Paqman]

If it's pronounced "ooboontoo", than spelling it "ubuntu" is wrong, pure and simple. I've taken to using the "ubanto" spelling and pronouncing it as "you-bun-toe" myself. It sounds much more natural in English than attempting to pronounce it in African.

Surely you jest.

[yetiman64]

If it's pronounced "ooboontoo", than spelling it "ubuntu" is wrong, pure and simple.....
Spelling and pronunciation: If you think that is wrong "pure and simple" then --this poem-- (http://pauillac.inria.fr/%7Exleroy/stuff/english-pronunciation.html)about English spelling and pronunciation is gonna frazzle your brain badly. :p

Edit: personally I spell it and pronounce it as per the Wikipedia quote in post 16.

[Linuxratty]

ooh-bun-too
and it's pronounce. You already spelled it correctly.

I pronounce it that way..Never seen it spelled other than the way it's spelled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8yrOAjfKM

[doorknob60]

I spell it like Ubuntu, just like everyone else does, and everyone that doesn't spell it that way is wrong...never seen any problems with that. Pronounciation though? I pronounce it oo-bun-too which I'm pretty sure is wrong, but I don't care :P

[Linuxratty]

I pronounce it oo-bun-too which I'm pretty sure is wrong, but I don't care :P

Same here..And I don't say Leenux I say Liinux...
Tomato tamato...No biggie.

[swright007]

If saying it oo-boon-too is good enough for Nelson Mandela, who is from Africa, then it is good enough for me.

[Paqman]

If saying it oo-boon-too is good enough for Nelson Mandela, who is from Africa, then it is good enough for me.

This.

It's a silly word that doesn't get any less silly if you pronounce it wrong, so why not just say it right?

We've got to find a way of stopping Mark Shuttleworth from naming things. What made him think such a difficult to pronounce word would be a good brand name for a distro? Between this and oneiric I think he gets some kind of weird lulz from rampant mispronunciation.

[Gone fishing]

Somewhere between 'Oo-boon-too' or 'Uh-bun-too'. Is right, the word is a Bantu word and I know it from Sesotho, and Sindabele having lived in Zimbabwe and Lesotho since 1989.

The word isn't silly and is an appropriate concept for Ubuntu OS.

[Elfy]

Thread moved to Recurring Discussions.

[Paqman]

The word isn't silly and is an appropriate concept for Ubuntu OS.

Concept is great, word is (to a native English speaker's ears) very silly.

[jwbrase]

What made him think such a difficult to pronounce word would be a good brand name for a distro?

It's not at all difficult to pronounce if you've had any exposure to any language other than English at all. In almost every language other than English "u" is pronounced as we pronounce "oo". A good rule of thumb is "if it doesn't look English, pronounce 'a, e, i, o, u' as 'ah, ay, ee, oh, oo'".

"But", "bury", "fury", and "union" are much harder to pronounce for non-native speakers than "Ubuntu" is for an English speaker, because of the fact that A) we don't use the pronunciation most of the rest of the world does for "u", and B)we don't even have a consistent pronunciation for "u".

[philinux]

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/03/tell-us-how-you-pronounce-ubuntu/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+d0od+%28OMG%21+Ubuntu%21%29

[PapaGary]

I wonder how many recent school graduates (especially in the U.S.) have no idea who Nelson Mandela is. (I also wonder how many couldn't point to Africa on a map.)
And, how many know the difference between spell and pronounce?

[litmux]

So how do you pronounce Ubuntu ? see What I mean, I got three answers which one is right?
ooh bun tu
or you bun tu
or ooo bun tu!!!

[litmux]

I think It's pronounced oo boon tu I guess thats what it said on their website.

[lisati]

Surely you jest.
^^^ This
(and stop calling me Shirley!)

As others have noted, it's not an English word, so the usual multitude of confusing guidelines for pronouncing English words don't apply.