# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  How do you pronounce schottische

## Adam Tracksler

my new favorite tune to play is Sunflower Schottische, but how the heck do I pronounce Schottische??

I don't want to sound like a fool...

Thanks, ad

----------


## Bob_Blackman

I've usually heard "SHOT-ish," at least when pronounced by Americans. Seems like I once heard a Scots musician say "shot-EESH."

----------


## Lefty&French

scottish n.#f. 

 1872; mot angl. «#écossais#», par l'interm. de l'all. Schottisch# 

¨#Danse de bal du XIXe#s., à quatre temps, variante de la polka.

----------


## 8ch(pl)

It's German.

The first syllable takes a SH with a hard C. the E on the end is pronounced Like a Short A, but drawn out just a bit.

----------


## Dan Cole

Shot - ish - Uh (like in upper, or umpire). Same goes for Porsche, It's not Pour-sh. It's Pour-SH-uh.

----------


## John Flynn

I found one source online that says it's German, but also found several that say it was originally a Bohemian folk dance. The historic primary language of Bohemia is Czech. Now the dance is done all over the world, with each country having it's own pronounciation. My mandolin teacher, Curtis Buckhannon, who plays "Sunflower Schottische" on the Cafe' MP3 and also plays a lot of other schottisches, pronounces the word "SHOT-ish," as Bob said above.

----------


## EdSherry

Like MandoJohnny and others, I've always heard it pronounced "SHOT-ish," without the "uh" ("SHOT-ish-uh") suggested by Tke878. The word origin (etymology) indicates that it is a Continental (German or otherwise) reference to "Scottish."

----------


## jamface

I was born and lived in Scotland until I was 19. I have heard and pronounced it scotEEsh, with the accent on the second syllable. James Scott Skinner one of the most famous Scots fiddlers has some notes, now in Aberdeen University library, which refer to the Highland Schottische, the German Schottische and the Military Schottische in which he describes the steps in these three dances, but says nothing about pronunciation. I seem to remember Jimmie Shand and his band playing loads of these in his weekly slot on Scottish radio in the 1960s. That must have been where I picked up my pronunciation.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

In Scotland I've heard it as 'shiteesh' and sometimes 'skiteesh'. Never 'shot'.

There is a popular dance called the Highland Schottische.

----------


## Lefty&French

This dictionnary doesn't agree with my "Scot..." pronunciation! Hear it:

http://www.yourdictionary.com/schottische

This one too:

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/schottische

----------


## John Ritchhart

ES KA HOT ISH CHEEE! The sound you make when the line in front of you backs up and stomps on your Tony Lamas.

----------


## Jim Kasperson

Atracksler, are you thoroughly confused yet? I am.

----------


## John Ritchhart

OK seriously. I've always heard it pronounced Shot ish.

----------


## GVD

In U.S. dance circles it is pronounced Shot ish. In other parts of the world YMMV.

GVD

----------


## Martin Jonas

Well, it's certainly a German word, namely the German for "Scottish". #I can tell you how it's pronounced in German (roughly "Shot-tish-shay", three syllables with the stress on the first syllable and the final "e" both unvoiced and long -- a phonem that doesn't exist in English). #But of course that doesn't mean that this is the "correct" pronunciation for a schottische played at a Scottish session, or an old-time jam. #Whatever pronunciation the local community in question uses, that's the correct one.

Martin

----------


## mandolooter

I took a listen and it sounds like shah-vish to me...I wanna hear the song tho!

----------


## JGWoods

> Shot - ish - Uh (like in upper, or umpire). Same goes for Porsche, It's not Pour-sh. It's Pour-SH-uh.


Hey I used to be a Porsche Audi mechanic - or as we used to pronounce it "Poor Shoddy mechanic"
yup, I was.

----------


## mandolooter

good one JG

----------


## Adam Tracksler

well, curtis buckhannon has one on the mp3 page... thats where i first heard it and fell in love. it will also be a mandojam tune this month.

----------

