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Re: Maureen
Maybe she just has an odd accent! - not sure where in the US she's from. But it definitely sounded like mə REEN to me (which is how I'd say marine), emphasis on the second syllable, not the first.
http://forvo.com/word/maureen/#en
The third pronunciation down is closest to it. The fourth is closest to what I'm used to hearing as Maureen.
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It could be an accent. Like, 'Merica!
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Here in the Pacific Northwest it's definitely "mor-EEN." (I'd use an upside down "e" but I don't know how.)My niece has apparently inspired other little Maureens in her town. Three have been enrolled at a nearby school since she went through in the 1990s. Her mother (my SIL) is a teacher so she's up on these things. Anyway. This is a long winded way of saying that here in Seattle / Spokane, it's pronounced with the stress on the second syllable. I prefer it on the first. But there it is.
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