Wanna B Ur Lovr

[weird_el]

I found a 1920 Kansas census that says Al's grandfather, Matt was from Crnomelj Slovenia. Which of course begs the question how does one pronounce "Crnomelj'?

[Orthography Enthusiast]

I found a 1920 Kansas census that says Al's grandfather, Matt was from Crnomelj Slovenia. Which of course begs the question how does one pronounce "Crnomelj'?

I can never resist a challenge like that. After a little research (very little), the answer seems to be something like "tsernomelzh."

[TMBJon]

Is "tsernomelzh" supposed to be any easier to pronounce than "Crnomelj"??

[Orthography Enthusiast]

Is "tsernomelzh" supposed to be any easier to pronounce than "Crnomelj"??

Not easier, but more correct. Don't want to have any WOWAYers embarrass themselves by casually dropping "Kernomelch" into a conversation. The pronunciation of the final "J" is particularly challenging. I haven't tangled with the International Phonetic Alphabet or linguistics much since college, but best I can tell, the "j" sound is similar to the way Alejandra would pronounce a Spanish word with a "Y." A "J" sound where the airflow isn't stopped, but keeps flowing around the sides of the tongue. Aren't you glad you asked?

[JohnnyLurg]

I found a 1920 Kansas census that says Al's grandfather, Matt was from Crnomelj Slovenia. Which of course begs the question how does one pronounce "Crnomelj'?

I need a link to that please so I can cite it on Wikipedia.

Also, Frankie Yankovic was Slovenian too! Maybe they are related after all...

[weird_el]

Turns out it was the 1920 US Census. The name is spelled "Jankovich" there, but I know it's them because the family configuration is the same.
Al's grandmother is Croatian.

Yankovic is a patronymic name. All it means is Al and Frankie had grandfathers named Yanko, not necessarily the same Yanko.

[Elvis]

Best guess is Serbian. Hey, it's a wiki, somebody with better information can correct it later.

All sources, including Al himself, say he was born in Downey ("Lynwood"). California, so that would make him American.

Dave

[Orthography Enthusiast]

Best guess is Serbian. Hey, it's a wiki, somebody with better information can correct it later.

All sources, including Al himself, say he was born in Downey ("Lynwood"). California, so that would make him American.

Dave

All right, Mr. Picky, Serbian-American.

[TMBJon]

he was born in Downey ("Lynwood")

If we're going to be picky, Downey is not the same place as Lynwood. They're seven miles apart!

[Elvis]

I love this forum!^*

Dave

^{* see previous two responses.}