Answers.Body: <p>According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fianchetto" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>In chess, the fianchetto (/ˌ<strong>fiænˈtʃɛtoʊ</strong>/; <strong>Italian:
    [fjaŋˈketto]</strong> "little flank") is a pattern of development ...</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Hence English speakers pronounce the "ch" as in "chess" and Italian speakers as in "kettle".</p>
  
  <p>Which suggests that there is no "true, and proper, pronunciation".</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-24T14:34:16.347Z
Answers.Text: +1 for using IPA.  I have trouble even telling what the other answers are trying to get me to pronounce.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Sriotchilism O'Zaic
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Answers.Body: <p><em>Fianchetto</em> is commonly pronounced in English as /fiænˈ<strong>tʃ</strong>ɛtoʊ/ (soft <em>ch</em> as in &quot;cherry&quot;) but the original Italian word is pronounced /fjaŋˈ<strong>k</strong>etto/ (hard <em>ch</em> as in &quot;chaos&quot;). Note the word is cognate to English <em>flan<strong>k</strong></em>.</p>
  <p>It is common for terms borrowed from other languages to take on 'erroneous' pronunciations if the inherited orthography is ambiguous e.g.</p>
  <ul>
  <li><em>cherub</em> (Latin: /k/; English /tʃ/)</li>
  <li><em>pistachio</em> (Italian: /k/; English /tʃ/)</li>
  <li><em>bruschetta</em> (Italian: /sk/; English: /ʃ/)</li>
  </ul>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: iacob
Answers.Body: <p>When in Rome speak Roman.  </p>
  
  <p>They may say fi an Ket oh  in Italy,  but the rest of the world says fi an CHet oh.  </p>
  
  <p>Words change meanings and pronounciations over time and the majority usage eventually wins out.  </p>
  
  <p>I always have heard fi an Chet oh and that is how I say it.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-23T15:46:54.113Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: edwina oliver
Answers.Body: <p>When in Rome speak Roman? Yes, &quot;Let's REN-dezz-voose at the high sih-CHOO-ell (as in choo choo train)&quot;  I think if you're an American player below 2000, it really doesn't matter how you pronounce fianchetto. But, once you become a really good player, then do as the international chess community does. At the master level, the only proper way to ponounce fianchetto is to respect the Italian origin of the word and to say &quot;fee-uhn-KET-toh&quot;. But, you're still free to follow MAGA rules and say &quot;fee-uhn-CHET-toh&quot; if it suits your fancy.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Brazen Zebra
Answers.Body: <p>While I'm not sure exactly how "fēənˈketō" would be pronounced (I'm not a native English speaker), that's more correct as to the pronunciation of the "ch" (following the Italian pronunciation).</p>
  
  <p>The pronunciation written in English would be something like <code>fee-ahn-keh-toh</code>, with the accent on the third syllable (<code>keh</code>).</p>
  
  <p>I just found this <a href="https://forvo.com/word/fianchetto/" rel="noreferrer">website</a> in which there are actual recordings of italian (I hope) people pronouncing it. It sounds pretty good to me.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-24T20:59:14.140Z
Answers.Text: Words borrowed from other languages generally change in pronunciation, so the Italian pronunciation isn't really relevant here.  Though FWIW both [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fianchetto) and [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fianchetto#English) list either pronunciation as valid in English _(with a normal "ch" as the primary one)_
Answers.UserDisplayName: BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-10-21T22:49:47.330Z
Answers.Text: I’m Italian. I confirm the pronunciations on that website are all by Italian speakers and all correct
Answers.UserDisplayName: Luca
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Answers.UserDisplayName: francisco sollima
Body: <p>I have heard "fianchetto" for four decades now, and I have always pronounced it "fēənˈCHetō", but I have heard many people also pronounce it "fēənˈketō".</p>
  
  <p>It is of Italian origin, so I am wondering if there are any Italians out there, especially natives, or anyone really, who can tell me what is the true, and proper, pronunciation.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-24T09:15:00.093Z
Comments.Text: Do you want the " true, and proper, pronunciation" of the word *in Italian*, or *in English*? Note that neither language has a magic infallible oracle of pronunciation - you have to go by what people actually *do*.
Comments.UserDisplayName: AakashM
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-24T09:19:13.500Z
Comments.Text: In Russian, it is transliterated into Cyrillic as _фианкетто_ (_fianketto_) and pronounced with a /k/.
Comments.UserDisplayName: trolley813
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-06-22T21:14:46.763Z
Comments.Text: Interesting question. I wonder how many chessplayers know or care that Budapest (a defense to the Queen's Pawn Game) is pronounced Budapesht? Or how to pronounce the Maróczy Bind?
Comments.UserDisplayName: bof
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-07-25T06:29:30.753Z
Comments.Text: budape[s]t seems OK because that city's name already has an Anglicised form. Likewise the Vienna Gambit. But we do know, I hope, that Pirc is pronounced peerts and not perk, right?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Rosie F
Tags: <terminology><fianchetto><pronunciation>
Title: How is "fianchetto" really pronounced?
ThreadText: # How is "fianchetto" really pronounced?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-23)
  
  I have heard "fianchetto" for four decades now, and I have always pronounced it "fēənˈCHetō", but I have heard many people also pronounce it "fēənˈketō".
  
  It is of Italian origin, so I am wondering if there are any Italians out there, especially natives, or anyone really, who can tell me what is the true, and proper, pronunciation.
  
  **Tags:** terminology, fianchetto, pronunciation
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Do you want the " true, and proper, pronunciation" of the word *in Italian*, or *in English*? Note that neither language has a magic infallible oracle of pronunciation - you have to go by what people actually *do*.  
  > **username_2**: In Russian, it is transliterated into Cyrillic as _фианкетто_ (_fianketto_) and pronounced with a /k/.  
  > **username_3**: Interesting question. I wonder how many chessplayers know or care that Budapest (a defense to the Queen's Pawn Game) is pronounced Budapesht? Or how to pronounce the Maróczy Bind?  
  > **username_4**: budape[s]t seems OK because that city's name already has an Anglicised form. Likewise the Vienna Gambit. But we do know, I hope, that Pirc is pronounced peerts and not perk, right?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_10 on 2020-01-23. Score: 37 | Accepted answer
  
  While I'm not sure exactly how "fēənˈketō" would be pronounced (I'm not a native English speaker), that's more correct as to the pronunciation of the "ch" (following the Italian pronunciation).
  
  The pronunciation written in English would be something like `fee-ahn-keh-toh`, with the accent on the third syllable (`keh`).
  
  I just found this [website](https://forvo.com/word/fianchetto/) in which there are actual recordings of italian (I hope) people pronouncing it. It sounds pretty good to me.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_11**: Words borrowed from other languages generally change in pronunciation, so the Italian pronunciation isn't really relevant here.  Though FWIW both [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fianchetto) and [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fianchetto#English) list either pronunciation as valid in English _(with a normal "ch" as the primary one)_  
  > **username_12**: I’m Italian. I confirm the pronunciations on that website are all by Italian speakers and all correct  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2020-01-23. Score: 29
  
  According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fianchetto):
  
  > In chess, the fianchetto (/ˌ**fiænˈtʃɛtoʊ**/; **Italian:
  > [fjaŋˈketto]** "little flank") is a pattern of development ...
  
  Hence English speakers pronounce the "ch" as in "chess" and Italian speakers as in "kettle".
  
  Which suggests that there is no "true, and proper, pronunciation".
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: +1 for using IPA.  I have trouble even telling what the other answers are trying to get me to pronounce.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2020-01-26. Score: 5
  
  *Fianchetto* is commonly pronounced in English as /fiænˈ**tʃ**ɛtoʊ/ (soft *ch* as in "cherry") but the original Italian word is pronounced /fjaŋˈ**k**etto/ (hard *ch* as in "chaos"). Note the word is cognate to English *flan**k***.
  
  It is common for terms borrowed from other languages to take on 'erroneous' pronunciations if the inherited orthography is ambiguous e.g.
  
  * *cherub* (Latin: /k/; English /tʃ/)
  * *pistachio* (Italian: /k/; English /tʃ/)
  * *bruschetta* (Italian: /sk/; English: /ʃ/)
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2020-01-23. Score: 3
  
  When in Rome speak Roman.
  
  They may say fi an Ket oh in Italy, but the rest of the world says fi an CHet oh.
  
  Words change meanings and pronounciations over time and the majority usage eventually wins out.
  
  I always have heard fi an Chet oh and that is how I say it.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_9 on 2021-07-24. Score: 0
  
  When in Rome speak Roman? Yes, "Let's REN-dezz-voose at the high sih-CHOO-ell (as in choo choo train)" I think if you're an American player below 2000, it really doesn't matter how you pronounce fianchetto. But, once you become a really good player, then do as the international chess community does. At the master level, the only proper way to ponounce fianchetto is to respect the Italian origin of the word and to say "fee-uhn-KET-toh". But, you're still free to follow MAGA rules and say "fee-uhn-CHET-toh" if it suits your fancy.
  
  
  ---
  
  