I grew up pronouncing it “Baybel”. Then when the movie came out, everyone was calling it “Babble” and I found myself unable to speak of the movie without saying it both ways and feeling dorkish. What’s the consensus?
I grew up saying “Baybel.” I’m not even aware of the movie to which you refer, but I have heard people saying “babble” and “baybel” pretty much interchangeably all my life. Interestingly enough “Babelfish” I pronounce as “babblefish”.
The really hip folks 
call it “bah-BELL”, since the director is Mexican.
and because that is the correct pronountiation
Cite, please?
Don’t worry. I think the Spanish speakers are just having a little fun.
Babble, for me. Except in Spanish, where it’s Bah-BELL, more or less.
I say “Baybel”.
I’ve only ever heard it pronounced Baybel.
Now, ya see, that’s the reason I never say that word. Let somebody else feel foolish. The tower of, uh, what’s that word? On the other hand, I can proudly say BAY-null, because I looked it up. buh-NAHL? What’s that? A Norwhal with a cold?
Baby Bell is a whole nother thing. Look under monopoly. :rolleyes:
Then how do you pronounce “Babylon”?
I don’t ever recall hearing baybel.I’ve always heard babble.
At any rate, the first pronunciation listed in Merriam-Webster is with the long initial vowel.
My family has actually been debating this lately. The consensus from two people who study the Hebrew Bible at a MA/PhD level is that, in Hebrew, it’s pronounced BAHbel. And that’s good enough for me.
I only have a BA, but I have been speaking Hebrew since the age of six… and I pronounce it Bah-VELL. In fact, according to Hebrew gramatical rules, the second Bet in the word (it’s spelled Bet-Bet-Lamed) can’t have a dagesh (stress point) and thus has to be pronouced as a “V.”
Why are we confusing ourselves with all these anecdotes from all these different languages… English, Spanish, Hebrew… Why can’t we all just speak ONE language and understand each other…?
(oh, and like Alessan noted, it’s definitely bah-VELL in Hebrew)
And, just for the record, despite the fact that “babble” derives (at least in part) from the Confusion of Tongues story associated with the Tower of Babel, the actual ziggurat was the source of the city name: Bab-El, “the Gate of God.” Or so I’ve been given to understand.
If only we could reach up and ask god for a definitive answer. Perhaps through some sort of tower. I don’t think there would be anything wrong with that.
my cite was the " " that followed, as **Bambi ** inferred
I’ve always understood it to be “babble,” which of course makes perfect sense.
That would be Bob-EL, Superman’s brother.