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Cluricaun
10-11-2006, 07:18 PM
How would the surname Mahoney be pronounced in your parts?

MrFloppy
10-11-2006, 07:34 PM
How would the surname Mahoney be pronounced in your parts?

I'm originally from London.

Mahoney. Just like Ma-hoe-knee. Ma rhymes with Pa :)

Cunctator
10-11-2006, 07:56 PM
I know two Mahoney families. Both use a two syllable pronunciation: Mah-nee

Feefifofum
10-11-2006, 08:22 PM
How would the surname Mahoney be pronounced in your parts?
Also originally from acrooss the pond and Ive never heard it pronounced any other way other than that suggested by Mr. Floppy

Its Mahoney as in the phrase Pogue Mahone but with a ‘Y’ added because Pogue Mahone is Irish and means kiss my arse

UDS
10-12-2006, 12:53 AM
It's an Irish name. In Ireland the stress in on the first syallable, and the second syllable practically disappears. There is a secondary stress on the last syllable.

We know how it's generally pronounced in America, because we used to get M*A*S*H, where one of the characters had this name. We thought the American pronunciation was very funny. But we were easily amused.

Same with 'Costello' - Americans always stress the second syllable. We thought that was funny too.

ScareyFaerie
10-12-2006, 03:05 AM
My pronunciation of Mahoney would be the same as Mr Floppy's...but then I'm also English rather than Irish. However, I have a friend whose surname is Mahon, pronounced "Marn".

SanVito
10-12-2006, 05:01 AM
Same with 'Costello' - Americans always stress the second syllable. We thought that was funny too.

Hang on, I stress the second syllable too - like Elvis CosTELLo. How do you pronounce it?

SanVito
10-12-2006, 05:03 AM
My pronunciation of Mahoney would be the same as Mr Floppy's...but then I'm also English rather than Irish. However, I have a friend whose surname is Mahon, pronounced "Marn".

I think this is the crux of it - I suspect we English pronounce it wrong. I went to school with an English Mah-hoe-Knee

GorillaMan
10-12-2006, 06:54 AM
Hang on, I stress the second syllable too - like Elvis CosTELLo. How do you pronounce it?
In the case of my Irish grandmother's family, COS-tell-o. In the case of Elvis, as you do.

yojimbo
10-12-2006, 07:09 AM
Ma-honey said fast would kinda give you the Irish way..

We put different sounds to the letters in Irish so it's kinda hard to write down.

US'ers generally spread the sound out too much and hit the 2nd syllable too hard from an Irish perspective.

Same with Costello and Kinsella.

Cluricaun
10-12-2006, 09:01 AM
Its Mahoney as in the phrase Pogue Mahone but with a ‘Y’ added because Pogue Mahone is Irish and means kiss my arse

That's how I pronounce it too (and it's my own name for chrissake), but my brother was wondering why the Irish guys in his apartment building thought our pronounciation was hilarious.