Thread: This is our generation's Sputnik moment -- State of the Union 2011

Starting at 12:33

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon.

The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

This is our generation's Sputnik moment.

Now that you know how to say "sputnik" in English, learn to say "sputnik" in Russian

Russian vs. English
спутник vs. sputnik
[spoot-nik] vs. [spuht-nik]


The full video is here

+1 point to Obama for using the "normal" Americanized pronunciation!

My fascination is more linguistic in nature. To show how the pronunciation changes even if the word originates from another language.
I was partly expecting others to kick in with Russian names being pronounced in English manner during Australia Open

Originally Posted by MasterAdmin

I was partly expecting others to kick in with Russian names being pronounced in English manner during Australia Open

American sports broadcasters now make ridiculous efforts to try and pronounce foreign names like a native would. It's an offshoot of PC and the American obsession with possibly offending someone, as if mispronouncing a foreign name would be offensive - it's really pathetic. So, they'll bend over backwards trying to pronounce some French players name properly then take a break before returning to "Pairis".

Originally Posted by MasterAdmin

My fascination is more linguistic in nature. To show how the pronunciation changes even if the word originates from another language.

There's a simple answer in this particular case - transliteration of «спутник» is "sputnick", which an English speaker would naturally pronounce "SPUHT-nick".

It's less clear in cases where the word changes in ways that can't be explained away by the limitations of transliteration or the sounds available in the English language. I'm sure there are hundreds of examples of this, but I can't think of any at the moment because I'm too tired and should go to sleep instead of posting on this forum

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300° C.

The Russians use a pencil.

Originally Posted by fortheether

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300° C.

The Russians use a pencil.

Haha, funny story, but not true
NASA Space Pen - Did NASA Spend Billions Designing Zero-Gravity Space Pen? - Urban Legends

It reminds me of a sexist joke though...

There are three blondes trapped on an island with a genie, who will grant them each one wish. The first one says "I wish I was a hundred times smarter". The genie grants her wish, she builds a boat and rows across to the mainland. The next one says "I wish I was a THOUSAND times smarter", so the genie grants her wish, she builds a plane and flies over to the mainland. The final one says "I wish I was a MILLION times smarter", so the genie turns her into a man and she uses the bridge.