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ArchivesRe: Salome- Pronunciation Clarification
in reply to a message by Sara Ruth
In American English, the only difference between the traditional pronunciation of Salome and "salami" is the vowel in the stressed middle syllable, which rhymes with "hoe" in Salome and "hah" in salami.
There are quite a few American women with the name, however, who pronounce it as "sah-lo-MAY". This was originally the French pronunciation of the name, and became current in certain circles because it was the name of a play written by Oscar Wilde in French which later was the basis of an opera by the German composer Richard Strauss. Many people, especially those who were opera buffs, seem to have taken up the pronuciation of the name used in the opera without realizing that it was not the same as the traditional English pronunciation of the name.
There are quite a few American women with the name, however, who pronounce it as "sah-lo-MAY". This was originally the French pronunciation of the name, and became current in certain circles because it was the name of a play written by Oscar Wilde in French which later was the basis of an opera by the German composer Richard Strauss. Many people, especially those who were opera buffs, seem to have taken up the pronuciation of the name used in the opera without realizing that it was not the same as the traditional English pronunciation of the name.
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