How the heck does Jim pronounce his last name?

The German way, using the second vowel of the pair, in this case a long "i" sound. Just think of Einstein, Bernstein, Frankenstein, and that crowd.

(My Dad asks people whether they've ever heard of a Steenway piano.)

The "s" should really be more like "sh", so "hick-shtine", but that's more German than I am, and I won't hold you to it.

My Dad informs me that the "hick" comes from something like "hoch", or high, and that "stein" is stone, making "mountain". Add in the now-dropped "von" (of) and it makes "from the mountains".


jxh Thu Jun 19 20:10:41 PDT 2003