Why do Americans say "eye-raq" and "eye-ran"?

Answer 1

I like this question, I don't know why so many are taking offense with it.

We tend to say "eye-raq" and "eye-ran" because of the way that Iraq and Iran have been spelled in English, and the default pronunciation pattern that is applied when Americans sound out unfamiliar words. But I for one am happy to at least try to pronounce it correctly.

Ordinary people who are not linguists or speakers of other languages often make do with the sounds most familiar to them.

Chinese people call Los Angeles "luo san ji", and New York "niu yue". That sounds off by a mile to us, but it's a close fit within the rules of Chinese language.

For some inexplicable reason, US newscasters find it fashionable to call Beijing "bei zhjing" -- they soften the j. What is weird is that not only is this NOT the way it is pronounced in Chinese (j is the same as a hard j in English), but the it's not even a sound we EVER make in English!! Think about it!

It's a TOTALLY made up sound that JUST SOUNDS MORE FOREIGN. I crack up every time I hear someone say this...

Answer 2

Oh my god, that is so creepy and looks awful! I swear I'm going to have nightmares tonight, that not only looks creepy but it's really disgusting. Utterly repulsive, I must say! lol I really need to quit frontin'. I think it's "totally radical"! (I can't believe I just said that!). But on a serious note, I really think they look cool. I remember the first time I had seen that picture (on photobucket) it freaked me out, and for a second I thought it was their real eyes and not just anime eyes. But that thought didn't last for long until one of my friends called me out on my stupidity, and making me come to a realization that it was just drawn on the eyelids, making it appear as though they were real or anything of that sort. After that, I thought it was really cool. From then on I always wanted to try that, but didn't know how. Although I think it looks really cool, I don't think anyone should ever step out of the house like that. It would be a fun experiment, but would be quite bizarre if ever worn while out. Edit: The 3rd one looks like a barbie doll, is that even a real person? The 3rd just looks weird and disgusting. The 4th and 5th look scary and funny as hell. lol! Thanks, now I'm going to show my siblings the 5th one, that will scare the sh*t out of them!

Answer 3

it's probably because of the spelling of Iraq and Iran. the probable cause of this is the phonetics. for example, I would say Iraq and Iran "ee-raq" and "ee-ran" respectively. however, Americans would say it as how the letters sound

Answer 4

1) Actually, there are many Americans who do NOT pronounce it that way.

2) The pronunciation of the country names may be affected, at least in part, by the adjectival forms, esp "Iranian". How do you pronounce the initial i in that case? (Short i? not very easy!) Of course, for that word it is common to change the sound of the A (from "ah" in "Iran" to "ayn"), which tends to make the whole thing even more confusing.

And though "ih-ROCKy" might be easier to pronounce, it can't help but be influenced by the Iraq-Iran, Iranian-Iraqi cluster of words.

3) In English, since the "Great Vowel Shift" (which got us out of sync with all other European languages, unfortunately), "long i" is frequently pronounced as "eye". And that has caused MUCH confusion, esp. when dealing with other languages that lack the shift.

(So if you can explain that odd shift, you have your culprit. I believe the upheavals and population shifts due to the Black Death played a major role there.... so in light of its tragic roots we ought to show some respect!)

4) EVERY language makes some adjustments when it tries to bring in foreign words, including names. Often there are sounds in those words that do not even exist in the "phonological inventory" of the borrowing language... so sounds may be dropped or substituted for. (Truth is, there is a gutteral at the beginning of "Iraq" that is not/cannot be pronounced in English.)

And there is a tendency to follow common rules of spelling-pronunciation in the borrowing language (e.g., "Paris" in English is pronounced "PEAR-riss" not "pah-REE")

Now here's a parallel example -- how do you pronounce the name of "Ivan the Terrible"? I'll bet you say "EYE-van", though the original would be more like "ih-VAN"

BTW, I personally do NOT like "eye-rack" and "eye-ran"... but neither grates like the "eye-tal-yun" ! (again, it should be a SHORT i (ih).) But I very much suspect THAT dialectal pronunciation has a lot to do with the current question.

Answer 5

Simple: Keeping an "eye" on "eye-raq" and "eye-ran." Hell I don't know only thing I could think of.

Answer 6

Perhaps they should call israel EYE-rael since Iran is EYE-RAN and IRAQ is EYE-RAQ.

Answer 7

So what ?I bet some people from Eye-ran and Eye-raq pronounce some English or German words in a wrong way as well ...
I'm from Deutschland and we say Ihr-rak and Ihr-ran...who really cares ?
Do you want to stone them & us to dead, for that ?

Ahhhh and everbody say Germany about our Country . But the correct name is DEUTSCHLAND.
But nobody complains ....

Answer 8

Why is the correct pronunciation , "Ay-raq and Ay-ran ? , or is that way reserved for our brothers and sisters to the North to use :))

Answer 9

Its easy to be smug about English, English is a very difficult language because there are NO rules. Spanish has very definate rules concerning the pronouncing of its words, and they indicate it with little signs.
Mc Henry , Machinery, Hippodrome could be hippodro me, but it is not. etc
Cadogan is not cadogan, it is caduggan.......and it goes on, especially with some English surnames

Answer 10

Other people say ee-raq and ee-ran
i say both depends on my mood