The Immitation Game

[Cloverjo]

I didn't know whether to put this in Film or Science, but I think a science person might be more likely to know the answer so I put it here.
I saw the film about Alan Turing the other day, and noticed that when the character played by Keira Knightley was talking about Euler's theorem, she pronounced it "you-ler". Every maths teacher at all levels that I have known has pronounced it "oyler". Was this a mistake by the film-makers, or was his name pronounced "you-ler" back in the 30s/40s? (Can't imagine why it would change) Or has every maths teacher I've known been wrong?
Just interested.

[Old_Geezer]

I've always pronounced it "you-ler". Maybe it's an Anglicisation ?

[Calibax]

Euler was Swiss German and would definitely have pronounced his name OYler.
I assume YOUler is an Anglicised version.

[Canary42]

I think I would rather take the maths teachers' version - film makers aren't the best arbiters of correctness these days. Personally I have never come across it, so can't offer an opinion, and having had a look at it on Wiki, it's well beyond my ken anyway :-(

[bhg481]

Oyler was the pronunciation where I worked - it cropped up frequently and was used by a lot of people.

[Peter Pedant]

It is definitely oiler jus' like that head shrinker 'froyd'

yew - ler I was told was uneducated even for an illiterate mathematician

I used to say owl-ah having more Dutch than German, coz I knew it wasnt 'oy' but wasnt sure at a pinch what it mutated to.

Thank God the film wasnt about radioactivity - have you ever tried to pronounce Marie Curies' maiden name ?

or wave mechanics - de Broglie derails most people ( duh broy is close enough )

[ToraToraTora]

it is the job of the British to mispronounce all foriegn words especially names. It's a role we have always taken seriously especially back then. For example when I was a kid it was Nessals not neslay for a well known confectionary company. I've always said Euler but I know that is the wrong pronunciation but I cant help it! It's like Beyonce, when I say it, it rhymes with nonce!

[itlawyer]

At school in the 70s it was you-ler. At university oiler (and maths tutors were pedantic about that sort of thing). Joan Clarke (the character played by Keira Knightley) had a first from Cambridge. German speakers would have been big in the maths game in the early 20th century, present at Cambridge and would have promoted the Swiss pronunciation of Euler. Probably a mistake then.

[Peter Pedant]

O god IT when I changed skools and in phys
I talked about vay-bers per sq metre

the phys teacher said: oh lardy dar arent we ? everyone around here says wee-ber

and being shy sensitive and artistic at that time, I DIDNT say

this is a physics clarss , right ?

[Peter Pedant]

Yah IT the thing about Turing is that when he was interviewed somewhere he said he didnt know what the Intermediate Value Theorem was,

and when told - immediately offered three proofs.

I mean god how can you do a cge math degree and not know that for chrissakes ?

[shoota]

'Eulanspiegel' is pronounced 'Oylenspeegal' so I would say 'Oyler' is correct.

[Cloverjo]

Thanks everyone. Looks like a mistake by the film-makers, then.

[con-amca]

Another irritating mispronunciation (to me, at least) is made by nearly all British sports commentators when referring to the Turkish football team Galatasaray. Galata is an area of Istanbul, "saray" means "palace", and when put together they're definitely not pronounced "Gallertassereye". Most of the commentators travel to Turkey to report matches - they must have heard the correct pronunciation.

[bhg481]

It was pronounces Oyler on University Challenge last night.

[ludwig]

I think it was a mistake. Her character was a maths graduate and would have known the correct pronunciation was oy-ler.

[Gangrel]

My maths teacher at school - who probably went to university in the 1930s -pronounced it you-ler. But I then did maths at University and there it was always pronounced correctly - the German way - as oyler. Maybe the youler pronunciation was more widely used in the 30s [they used to pronounce Latin words as if they were English back in those days]