How to pronounce “Mario” (Sega, Nintendo, Friends, commercial)
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Your son & husband are using the Italian pronunciation, which would technically be correct. But it's a Japanese game and you're in (I'm assuming) North America, so it probably doesn't matter
Marry-oh is what we call a "spelling pronunciation," that is, an English-speaker looks at a foreign word and pronounces it as if it were English. It's a very common phenomenon.
However, Mario in Spanish/Italian/Portuguese is "mah-ree-oh," with "ah" as in father.
I know......but I am from the Les Nessman school of broadcasting. Further, that is how I pronounce it, probably drives my friends nuts, but it is how I do it, naturally. Probably comes from a language background that is part Russian.......and seeing Mara Jade in the same pronounciation.
Marry-oh is what we call a "spelling pronunciation," that is, an English-speaker looks at a foreign word and pronounces it as if it were English. It's a very common phenomenon.
However, Mario in Spanish/Italian/Portuguese is "mah-ree-oh," with "ah" as in father.
It would be the same in Japanese, by the way.
It should be pronounced the Italian way. The character is supposed to be Italian. With proper nouns, I always try to pronounce them the proper way, as it was intended.
Marry-oh is what we call a "spelling pronunciation," that is, an English-speaker looks at a foreign word and pronounces it as if it were English. It's a very common phenomenon.
However, Mario in Spanish/Italian/Portuguese is "mah-ree-oh," with "ah" as in father.
It would be the same in Japanese, by the way.
Fun fact from my Seattle hometown; Mario is named after a Seattle area gangster/businessman Mario Segale. Apparently he made quite the impression on the Japanese staff at Nintendo.
Taking that in account the proper pronunciation is the Italian form 'mah-ree-oh' as that's the way most developers and commercials pronounce it.
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