Re: Not phonetic but IN CONCLUSION

Mark J. Reed wrote:

> Finally, I must note that one of the things which has always bothered me
> about "Star Wars" is the pronunciation of "Jedi".  From the time I first
> saw it in written form at age 9 it has seemed obvious to me that such a
> word must be pronounced /dZEdi/.  If not, then the name of a certain
> Master of that discipline would have to be /obaiwankEnobai/. :)
>
> -Mark
I subconsciously assumed it was "Jet-eye" before seeing it in print.

Supposedly the word "Jedi" comes from the Japanese "jidai geki". So it's
possible that George Lucas intended it to be pronounced /dZidaI/ and
spelled it as an English word.

The first time I read _Lord of the Rings_ I consistently mispronounced
the name "Gamgee" with /g/ instead of /dZ/. I think I have a general
tendency to avoid using English pronunciation rules with unfamiliar
names. I assumed that Edina, Minnesota was pronounced with /i/ (rhyming
with names like "Tina" or "Nina") until I heard it on the radio
pronounced as /aI/ (rhyming with "Dinah" or "myna(h)"). On the other
hand, I assumed that Wayzata was pronounced /weI"zAt_v@/, but it's
really more like /waI"zEt_v@/.