Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
See our article which you link to. There are IPA pronunciations at the beginning of the lead (which I don't understand) and also a link to a soundbite which may answer your question. There's similar help with
Singapore but the soundbite doesn't work. Is the official pronunciation "Sing-apore" or "Sing-gapore"?
2A00:23C0:7F02:C01:AC50:9A99:6DEE:BD39 (
talk)
17:08, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
The IPA at the start of the
Kenya article says it's Ken-ya. I agree that many years ago I used to hear Keen-ya a lot. The IPA at the start of the
Singapore article says it's Sing-gapore.
Loraof (
talk)
18:07, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
My understanding is that the pronunciation of
Kenya Colony was always with a long "ee" but after independence, we Britons had to get used to the correct version with a short vowel. Perhaps
Jomo Kenyatta speeded the process with his assumed surname.
This forum confirms that the short "e" is correct in
Kiswahili. Further down, it says that both forms are used in Kenya itself.
Alansplodge (
talk)
21:38, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
In my experience, the short-vowel form is almost universal in the UK; the few that persist with the long-vowel are generally rather elderly and perhaps mourning the loss of the Empire.
Alansplodge (
talk)
13:01, 11 September 2017 (UTC)reply
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
See our article which you link to. There are IPA pronunciations at the beginning of the lead (which I don't understand) and also a link to a soundbite which may answer your question. There's similar help with
Singapore but the soundbite doesn't work. Is the official pronunciation "Sing-apore" or "Sing-gapore"?
2A00:23C0:7F02:C01:AC50:9A99:6DEE:BD39 (
talk)
17:08, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
The IPA at the start of the
Kenya article says it's Ken-ya. I agree that many years ago I used to hear Keen-ya a lot. The IPA at the start of the
Singapore article says it's Sing-gapore.
Loraof (
talk)
18:07, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
My understanding is that the pronunciation of
Kenya Colony was always with a long "ee" but after independence, we Britons had to get used to the correct version with a short vowel. Perhaps
Jomo Kenyatta speeded the process with his assumed surname.
This forum confirms that the short "e" is correct in
Kiswahili. Further down, it says that both forms are used in Kenya itself.
Alansplodge (
talk)
21:38, 10 September 2017 (UTC)reply
In my experience, the short-vowel form is almost universal in the UK; the few that persist with the long-vowel are generally rather elderly and perhaps mourning the loss of the Empire.
Alansplodge (
talk)
13:01, 11 September 2017 (UTC)reply