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HelpRe: Lionel
in reply to a message by hulamigo
I think if you live in an English speaking country that pronunciation is going to be a headache at best and and impossible at worst.
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i don't think Lionel is common enough for the English pronunciation to be known? most i feel like would assume it's pronounced the way OP is pronouncing it, even if they didn't live in a bilingual city.
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Mostly I've heard English-speakers pronounce the first two syllables like the English word "lion", which is how Lionel Richie pronounces his name.
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In the US, everyone is going to pronounce it LIE-e-nel. No, it's never been common, but it was the name of a character on "All in the Family", and later the character appeared in the popular sitcom "The Jeffersons". And most people have probably heard of Lionel Barrymore, especially since a movie he was in, "It's a Wonderful Life", has become a Christmas classic. Not that his real name is uttered in the movie, but I still think exposure to the film has familiarized many with the actor who would not otherwise be familiar with him.
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I live in a bilingual (English & French) city so most people speak both languages. Since Lionel is pronounced the same way in Spanish and French I don’t think it’ll be a problem for a lot of people.
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