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ArchivesEnglish pronunciations of Andrea
I interpret that in English the pronunciation AN-dree-ə is the European one and an-DRAY-ə is the American one, since in the film The Devil wears Prada the character Emily, who is British and is interpreted by an English actress (Emily Blunt), pronounces it as AN-dree-ə and the rest of characters, who are American and are interpreted by American actors and actresses, pronounce it as an-DRAY-ə. Am I right?
(I'm not aware of the pronunciation of the name by Simon Baker, who is Australian.)
If this supposition is correct, was the pronunciation AN-dree-ə the English original (originated in a stress pattern parallel to the masculine Andrew)? And, was this pronounciation changed to an-DRAY-ə in America by foreign languages influence (Italian and Spanish, mainly)? I'm thinking in a situation similar to the shift in Maria pronounciation (the traditional now indicated with the spelling Mariah and the modern as in most continental European languages).
Thank you
Lumia
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com
(I'm not aware of the pronunciation of the name by Simon Baker, who is Australian.)
If this supposition is correct, was the pronunciation AN-dree-ə the English original (originated in a stress pattern parallel to the masculine Andrew)? And, was this pronounciation changed to an-DRAY-ə in America by foreign languages influence (Italian and Spanish, mainly)? I'm thinking in a situation similar to the shift in Maria pronounciation (the traditional now indicated with the spelling Mariah and the modern as in most continental European languages).
Thank you
Lumia
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com
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Replies
I'm English and my niece is called Ann dree a - and I have never heard of any other pronunciation in England. Only when we got to Canada did I hear of an An dray a .
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Thank you very much
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It's AN-dree-ə in South Africa as well. Same AN as in AN-drew for men. In Afrikaans we use the male form Andre, which looks and even sounds French though we typically leave off the accent, but Andrea is mostly used by English speakers.
And we've got very little influence from any Romance language.
And we've got very little influence from any Romance language.
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I would agree that the use of the pronunciation an-DRAY-uh in the movie is probably a signal to the audience that the characters who use it are "putting on airs" or being overly elegant.
Most American women I've known with the name pronounce it ANN-dree-uh. But you do get both AHN-dree-uh and ahn-DRAY-uh occasionally. I just have gotten a new student in one of my classes who pronounces it ahn-DRAY-uh, and I was surprised because that's been unusual in my previous experience in Nebraska.
Most American women I've known with the name pronounce it ANN-dree-uh. But you do get both AHN-dree-uh and ahn-DRAY-uh occasionally. I just have gotten a new student in one of my classes who pronounces it ahn-DRAY-uh, and I was surprised because that's been unusual in my previous experience in Nebraska.
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I'm in the US know many Andreas pronounced AN-dree-a, and one pronounced AHN-dree-a. Also one Aundrea (awn-DRAY-a).
I haven't seen the movie, but the ahn-DRAY-a pronunciation fits for a character in the fashion industry or someone putting on airs. AN-dree-a sounds more like the girl next door.
As with other names like Michelle or Jacqueline, the continental pronunciation is more rare in the US and sounds more glamorous.
I haven't seen the movie, but the ahn-DRAY-a pronunciation fits for a character in the fashion industry or someone putting on airs. AN-dree-a sounds more like the girl next door.
As with other names like Michelle or Jacqueline, the continental pronunciation is more rare in the US and sounds more glamorous.
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I agree AN-dree-a is the common British pronunciation. Just to confuse things though I did know of one woman here who pronounced it an-DRAY-a.
I would have thought that AN-dre-a is most natural to people familiar with Andrew, whereas an-DRAY-a is natural to people familiar with André.
I would have thought that AN-dre-a is most natural to people familiar with Andrew, whereas an-DRAY-a is natural to people familiar with André.
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The most common American pronunciation of Andrea is AN-dree-ə too. I've met one Andrea who pronounced it AHN-dree-ə, but I've never met anyone who pronounced it an-DRAY-ə before.
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I know it's not what you were asking, but I can confirm that AN-dree-ə is the Australian pronunciation too.
This message was edited 9/8/2008, 6:41 AM
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