On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:47:39 +0100, Neil Williams
wrote:

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:48:52 +0100, Guy Gorton
wrote:

Tourists and natives alike are asked in this country to pronounce the
new name for Abbey as San-tan-daire. I asked the staff whether they
would look at the cal-en-daire on the wall, and whether I could
ten-daire a 5 pound note. Sensible answers were prohibited by
management.

Presumably, though, pronouncing it as "Santanduh" would be as
incorrect as the other examples in this thread. It is after all a
Spanish company named after a Spanish place.

Neil

Santander is an addition to the English language if it is to be used
for a British institution, which is quite distinct from the use of the
word as a place name in foreign parts.
There are many foreign owned business in this island, but most are not
known by the owner's foreign title, although some come close, such as
EDF ( Électricité de France) now with fingers in many pies.
Another French outfit has now rebranded itself as Veolia but it did
not impose Compagnie Générale des Eaux on customers of Three Valleys
Water and other companies it has owned for years.

Sorry to be on my hobbyhorse! The change from Abbey to Santander
really annoyed me, not least because of the indecent haste with which
the Abbey name was buried which meant being issued with replacement
plastic for cards not due to expire for a long time, with all the
hassle that causes for regular automated payments.

Guy Gorton