The correct pronounciation of Vibram

I spent some time today calling various stores asking if they had Treks in stock. Each time, the conversation went like this:

Me: Hello, could you tell me if you have any black size 43 VEEBRAM Treks in stock?

Salesperson: Ummm... oh, you mean Veyebrams?

Me: Yes. For the record, it is pronounced "Veebram."

Salesperson: But that's not how it is spelled.

Me: I know. The company is Italian.

Salesperson: Oh. Okay, let me check our stock of Veyebrams.

I've heard it mispronounced by reporters, salespeople, runners, and pretty much everyone. For the sake of my sanity, please do what you can to educate people... IT'S VEEBRAM, damn it!!!!
 
I know it's V E E BRAM.  V

I know it's V E E BRAM. V I BRAM sounds better though. But since I am a perfectionist, I am forced to say V E E BRAM.
 
While I know it's pronounced

While I know it's pronounced veebram, when discussing the shoes with the uninformed, I always say veyebram, since most people know that name from the soles the company makes for everything from work shoes to cowboy boots. Vibram has been making soles forever, and nearly everyone has worn a pair of shoes or boots with them and seen the logo. It makes the five fingers seem a little more acceptable and less alien.

When my five toed fairy slippers have the same logo as my rattlesnake cowboy boots and my work boots, it can help keep me from getting my ass kicked on a construction site or at a barrel race. LOL
 
I always pronounced it wrong,

I always pronounced it wrong, starting from way back in the day when people were bragging about the Vyyyyyyyyybram soles on their hiking boots.
When I heard Jason say VEEEbram the night of the record setting indoor race while conducting the seminar in his school cafeteria, it took me about three seconds to realize that he would be the one to know, so I've tried my best to call 'em that ever since. It felt a little goofy the first few times, but now when I talk to people about their VEEbrams , they think I'm just weird.
But when I' m barefoot at a race I get all the street cred I need, and the wearer follows my lead. When the barefoot runner goes with the Italian pronunciation, so goes the neoprene junkie.
 
BFWendyBird wrote:I lived in

BFWendyBird said:
I lived in Italy for 3 years so Veebram it is :) Just don't get me stared on Teeeevas



Teva is easy. I lived in Israel for only half the time you were in Italy, but the language is purly phonetic. Only one way to say teva ("nature") in Hebrew. teh-vah, like we all do.

The only confusion is whether or not one is talking about the sandal manufacturing company or the pharmaceutical giant!
 
 For years and years I only

For years and years I only heard it called Veyebrams from all the hiking boot stuff and only recently ever heard of it called Veebram for the first time. Veyebram still sounds better to me has a better Vibe...haha...I usually call them toe shoes to the uninformed.
 
Hold onto your shoe

Hold onto your shoe strings...no wait, er uh. Anyway, Vibram also makes the soles to Brooks running shoes. Yikes!
 
No way are you really gonna

No way are you really gonna tell me that it's actually pronounced Brokes?
 
 Thats funny LB!!  I have

Thats funny LB!! I have been saying Vibrams and Tevas wrong for a while until I heard the Italian guy who ran Boston in the Bikilas say it correctly. I heard Tevas pronounced on the radio so I changed.

Its like Quinoa. WTF. How are we to know how to pronounce it if we are the only ones in our circle saying it :)

At least I am saying it right now!
 
 it's tough when we get ahold

it's tough when we get ahold of a foreign company over here. as americans we are some of the laziest people linguistically on the planet so correct pronunciation of something like a company's name is not a priority. you look at the word vibram and our language says to automatically make the I a strong vowel so Veyebram is born. Then some smug Italian tries to tell us after all these years that we're saying it wrong just because these goofy toe shoes caught on. that wont cut it here in the states so i have a feeling your, and my, fight to have the world say it correctly is a pointless battle.

i correct people and they do just what your store clerk did. they go "hmmm...ok and then keep saying vibram". it's like when you hear a song and get the lyrics wrong so you're singing it with the wrong words and then you find out what the correct words are but you can't change it because that's not how you learned it...or is that just me?
 
   Teva (a romanization

Teva (a romanization of the nature", "?????")

The customer service people probably could'nt read Hebrew,

but the above snatched from Wiki spells it out phoneticaly. "Tev-ah"
 
"You say either and I say

"You say either and I say either, You say neither and I say neither
Either, either Neither, neither, Let's call the whole thing off.

"You like potato and I like potahto, You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto, Let's call the whole thing off

"But oh, if we call the whole thing off Then we must part
And oh, if we ever part, then that might break my heart

"So if you like pyjamas and I like pyjahmas, I'll wear pyjamas and give up
pyajahmas
For we know we need each other so we , Better call the whole off off
Let's call the whole thing off."

Louis may have had something there ;-)
 
In Tennesee my Bro in law

In Tennesee my Bro in law calls them vaybreems.

All y'all want to go on down to the Walmart and pick up a set of them thar vaybreems to wear huntin' deer?
 
I am still confused on how to

I am still confused on how to pronouse Bikila. I would think "bu kee luh" but when I ordered mine the girl at zombierunner told me it was, "buh kee lay". Cannot figger out where she is getting "lay" from! Any thoughts?
 

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