Talk:mene mene tekel upharsin

US pronunciation
"Wherever you got that pron from, it looks like they're supposed to be "long e" in US too"


 * I don’t pronounce them long and I’ve never heard them pronounced long here. It sounds funny that way, like meanie meanie. —Stephen (Talk) 04:29, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * So you're saying you pronounce them like the word, even though they are spelled with an e? --WikiTiki89 14:36, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, pronounced as spelled. e = ɪ or ɛ, i = ɪ or i. —Stephen (Talk) 16:19, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * What do you mean "pronounced as spelled"? Can you give me an example of another English word where a stressed "e" is pronounced /ɪ/? The only example I know of is the word English itself. In most cases, "e" is pronounced either /ɛ/ or /i/ (as in or ). Also, do you speak with the, because that could be causing some of this confusion? --WikiTiki89 17:21, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * A large population pronounces pen as pɪn. As far as I know, e is usually not pronounced /i/ except in certain cases, such as cede, mede, Pete, and the English words me, be, he, she, re, we; and usually these cases only apply to English words, not foreign words. Who would think to pronounce Pele as /pili/, or Pepe as /pipi/, or veni as /wini/? Anyway, I have never heard an American pronounce mene as /mini/, and if I had, it would have made me laugh because it sounds like meanie. That pronunciation really sounds funny (humorous) to me. /mɪnɪ/ is the only way I have ever said it. —Stephen (Talk) 19:07, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * It sounds to me that you have the, meaning that the vowel underlying vowel is still /ɛ/, even if you realize it as [ɪ] before a nasal. --WikiTiki89 19:11, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * When I,an American, first read mene mene tekel upharsin about 10 years ago, I definitely guessed /mɛnɛ/. Just saying. — JohnC5 19:14, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * If I were to be prescriptive, I would prescribe the pronunciation /məˈneɪ məˈneɪ təˈkɛl uːˌfɑɹˈsiːn/, and I'm willing to be at least someone out there pronounces it that way. --WikiTiki89 19:26, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * My own pronunciation of it is, in fact, /məˈneɪ məˈneɪ təˈkɛl upˌhɑɹˈsɪn/. Apparently I've been saying the last word wrong, but I seem to have the first three spot on, if one is to be prescriptive... Andrew Sheedy (talk) 05:05, 17 May 2016 (UTC)
 * There are a lot of us who have the . Those who don’t would say /pɛn/ instead, but /pɛn/ is almost indistinguishable to those of us who say /pɪn/. Not only do we say /pɪn/, but we hear /pɛn/ as /pɪn/. —Stephen (Talk) 19:17, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, I know what the is, and yes, I know that it is common (in certain regions). What's your point? --WikiTiki89 19:26, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
 * No point except to reply to your question, "Also, do you speak with the, because that could be causing some of this confusion?", and your comment "It sounds to me that you have the pin-pen merger, meaning that the vowel underlying vowel is still /ɛ/, even if you realize it as [ɪ] before a nasal." —Stephen (Talk) 12:56, 12 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Ok. So just to be clear, you don't object to my interpretation? --WikiTiki89 14:55, 12 May 2016 (UTC)