Eye-land or I-uh-land?

Thirdfox · 01-11-2007 02:51PM #1

I was wondering how do people pronounce the name of this country?

I say I-land myself but people (foreigners from the US, China etc. etc.) often get confused with the word island and ask me which island I come from...to which I refer "THE island"

On foreign stations though (now this may only be the US or something) I often hear Ireland being pronounced as Eye-uh-land. Is this actually the more correct pronunciation?

How do you pronounce our country's name?

seamus · 01-11-2007 02:54PM

Em...

Eye-er-land surely?

I've never heard anyone call it "Island" or "Iuland".

Although British accents pronounce "er" as "uh" or "ah", so often British people will call it "Eye-uh-land".

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-11-2007 02:54PM

Funny enough I pronounce it IRELAND.

And here's what Ireland mean's to me (big cheesy moment)..

I is for internment of the innocent and free
R is for resistance to the laws of tryany
E is for the English who have torn our land apart
L is for the love of freedom in every Irish heart
A is for the answer we`re all searching for
N is for one nation and an end to this long war
D is for the dream of millions longing to be free.

That`s how I spell Ireland, that`s what Ireland means to me.

star-pants · 01-11-2007 02:56PM

Would have thought it was more Are-Land
or as above 'eye - or - land'
I've heard it pronounced I - OR - LAND or IRE (as in anger)- LAND

EIRE ftw I think lol.

another good american said 'you were in Galloway? I'd love to visit Galloway'

cance · 01-11-2007 02:58PM

Mairt wrote: »

I is for internment of the innocent and free
R is for resistance to the laws of tryany
E is for the English who have torn our land apart
L is for the love of freedom in every Irish heart
A is for the answer we`re all searching for
N is for one nation and an end to this long war
D is for the dream of millions longing to be free.

put your wifes cheerleader outfit and pompoms on, then say that again, while eating a banana.

mike65 · 01-11-2007 02:59PM

Ar-land

Mike.

ps mairt - bleugh do you have a violin to go with that?

Agamemnon · 01-11-2007 02:59PM

It's IRE-land, I've never heard people not pronounce the 'r'.

Although Ian Paisley calls it Arland as in "the Arish government".

_blank_ · 01-11-2007 03:00PM

Ar-land? WTF?

Eyer-land

The poll options are a bit

tbh.

dame · 01-11-2007 03:03PM

Thirdfox,

Of course people have been asking you what island you're from, you've been saying you come from eye-land, Dumb-Ass.

There is an "R" in the word. It is not a silent letter. Use it.

Correct pronunciation is I-ER-LAND or IRE-LAND.

I can't believe that you don't know how to pronounce the name of the country you come from.
Go back to your cave, Troll.

Ishmael · 01-11-2007 03:06PM

I-RRRRR-land. Similar to I R baboon, except speaking quicklier

Pherekydes · 01-11-2007 03:07PM

OP:

How do you pronounce IRE?

Troll is right.

Thirdfox · 01-11-2007 03:13PM

Maybe I don't come from this country?

I can't believe you would judge someone as a troll when you have no supporting evidence.

When you say the correct pronounciation is I-ER-LAND could I see some sort of evidence for that?

For example the OED states that the word is pronounced: ˈaɪələnd

whereas Merrion Webster uses:
ˈī(-ə)r-lənd

unfortunately I do not understand dictionary notation but there is a distinctive lack of an R in the OED version on the word.

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50121066?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=ireland&first=1&max_to_show=10
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ireland

ArphaRima · 01-11-2007 03:14PM

I think the Americans can pronounce Ireland better than we can. It is IRE not OUR or ARE. I certainly used to pronounce it ARE-Land.

Peared · 01-11-2007 03:15PM

Unless you're a brit Thirdfox I dont get why this question exists.

I-uh-land my green shamrocky ass.

Thirdfox · 01-11-2007 03:17PM

Slow coach wrote: »

OP:

How do you pronounce IRE?

Troll is right.

How do you pronounce Thames? Silent letters are present in the English language - being mistaken about a word (which I still have not seen proof of) does not make one a troll.

Dirty Dave · 01-11-2007 03:19PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

Maybe I don't come from this country?

I can't believe you would judge someone as a troll when you have no supporting evidence.

When you say the correct pronounciation is I-ER-LAND could I see some sort of evidence for that?

For example the OED states that the word is pronounced: ˈaɪələnd

whereas Merrion Webster uses:
ˈī(-ə)r-lənd

unfortunately I do not understand dictionary notation but there is a distinctive lack of an R in the OED version on the word.

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50121066?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=ireland&first=1&max_to_show=10
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ireland

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ireland

/ˈaɪərlənd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ahyuhr-luhnd]

In other words
EYE - UR - LAND or
I - ER - LAND if you prefer

Thirdfox · 01-11-2007 03:28PM

Dirty Dave wrote: »

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ireland

/ˈaɪərlənd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ahyuhr-luhnd]

In other words
EYE - UR - LAND or
I - ER - LAND if you prefer

Thank you for giving a serious reply to my question. I had seen that site's suggestion as to pronunciation already but was wondering does the fact that the Oxford English Dictionary give a different one (ˈaɪələnd) mean that the r is not pronounced (according to British English)?

Does Ireland tend to lean more towards British or American pronunciations anyway?

I probably should have posted this thread in a language forum - but I wanted to see what do the average Irish person say... unfortunately in AH you always get the abusive posters (who have been reported of course).

Terry · 01-11-2007 03:28PM

dame wrote: »

Thirdfox,

Of course people have been asking you what island you're from, you've been saying you come from eye-land, Dumb-Ass.

There is an "R" in the word. It is not a silent letter. Use it.

Correct pronunciation is I-ER-LAND or IRE-LAND.

I can't believe that you don't know how to pronounce the name of the country you come from.
Go back to your cave, Troll.

Warning given.

Terry · 01-11-2007 03:30PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

Thank you for giving a serious reply to my question. I had seen that site's suggestion as to pronunciation already but was wondering does the fact that the Oxford English Dictionary give a different one (ˈaɪələnd) mean that the r is not pronounced (according to British English)?

Does Ireland tend to lean more towards British or American pronunciations anyway?

I probably should have posted this thread in a language forum - but I wanted to see what do the average Irish person say... unfortunately in AH you always get the abusive posters (who have been reported of course).

We use our own pronunciations, rather than leaning towards British or American ones.

smashey · 01-11-2007 03:31PM

West Britain.

Ire-land.

Dirty Dave · 01-11-2007 03:32PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

I probably should have posted this thread in a language forum - but I wanted to see what do the average Irish person say... unfortunately in AH you always get the abusive posters (who have been reported of course).

Sorry buddy, I'm from Djibouti.

Pherekydes · 01-11-2007 03:33PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

How do you pronounce Thames? Silent letters are present in the English language - being mistaken about a word (which I still have not seen proof of) does not make one a troll.

What the fcuk has Thames got to do with it? There are millions of words in the English language, and lots of them don't have silent letters, Ireland included. Not our fault you can't say the word correctly.

The correct pronunciation is:

IRE (one syllable) LAND (one syllable).

Simple really.

Hagar · 01-11-2007 03:34PM

Terry wrote: »

We use our own pronunciations, rather than leaning towards British or American ones.

Bravo.

Thirdfox · 01-11-2007 03:35PM

terry wrote:

We use our own pronunciations, rather than leaning towards British or American ones.

But in this instance, in Ireland anyway, it is pronounced the same as the American version rather than English?

Thanks for the clarification - I'll be changing the way I say it then (or simply use Eire and confuse them even more).

mike65 · 01-11-2007 03:37PM

We should all say it like the french do. Sexy.

Mike.

bytesize · 01-11-2007 03:37PM

Terry wrote: »

We use our own pronunciations, rather than leaning towards British or American ones.

Yeah well said. Most civilized Irish people speak better English than across the river too.

smashey · 01-11-2007 03:38PM

Slow coach wrote: »

IRE (one syllable) LAND (one syllable).
Simple really.

You should post in Spell Czechs. Oh wait...

Hrududu · 01-11-2007 03:39PM

But in this instance, in Ireland anyway, it is pronounced the same as the American version rather than English?

No the Americans pronounce it Eye-er-land. The other pronunciation (and the correct one in my view) is Ire-land. Two syllables. The British tend to not pronounce the R and end up calling it (like you said in your OP) Eye-land.

Doctor DooM · 01-11-2007 03:39PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

But in this instance, in Ireland anyway, it is pronounced the same as the American version rather than English?

Thanks for the clarification - I'll be changing the way I say it then (or simply use Eire and confuse them even more).

Neither, they both say it incorrectly most of the time.

dame · 01-11-2007 03:41PM

Hrududu wrote: »

No the Americans pronounce it Eye-er-land. The other pronunciation (and the correct one in my view) is Ire-land. Two syllables. The British tend to not pronounce the R and end up calling it (like you said in your OP) Eye-land.

Exactly.

Ireland should be pronounced in the correct, Irish way, not this British version you've been using and confusing people with. Eye-land, my eye.

seamus · 01-11-2007 03:41PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

But in this instance, in Ireland anyway, it is pronounced the same as the American version rather than English?

Neither really. The British don't pronounce their r's, but then the americans tend to slur their pronunications. The Irish pronounce the "Ire" part very clearly, "Eye-er", whereas the Brits may say "Ah" and the Americans would say something closer to "Ar".

Eye-land or I-uh-land?

How do you pronounce Ireland? 35 votes

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