Re: Westley or Inigo?
in reply to a message by Dracotorix
I say Erin Air-en as you do, but the A sound in Aaron and in Harry is far flatter, like the A sound in "cat". Therefore in my accent Harry is not identical to "hairy".
Southerners do say AY-unn, but that's not identical to Ian, which Southerners would say with an initial EEE sound rather than the "AY" at the beginning of Ann. To be honest, I've never actually heard anyone say Ann so that's it identical to Ian or vice versa. I read that it occurs in "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States" by Bill Bryson. I am certain he said it occurs in the Midwest, and maybe he specified Michigan? That book was so interesting, I should get another copy and read it again.
Southerners do say AY-unn, but that's not identical to Ian, which Southerners would say with an initial EEE sound rather than the "AY" at the beginning of Ann. To be honest, I've never actually heard anyone say Ann so that's it identical to Ian or vice versa. I read that it occurs in "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States" by Bill Bryson. I am certain he said it occurs in the Midwest, and maybe he specified Michigan? That book was so interesting, I should get another copy and read it again.