# Is the American way of saying Israel more correct than the British/Irish way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698 "2011-09-09T05:06:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/1 "2011-09-09T05:06:59Z")
I say “Is-rail” whereas it seems to be universally pronounced “Is-real” in American English. Is the American pronunciation closer to the correct way of saying the country’s name? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/2 "2011-09-09T05:51:27Z")
I’m not sure I understand your transliteration method. Is the difference based on syllables? Most American do not say Is-reel. I usually hear Is-ray-el (with maybe the “ay” part shortened) or Is-rye-el. Audio link to Hebrew pronunciation (the second half, obviously): [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/He-Medinat\_Israel2.ogg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/He-Medinat_Israel2.ogg) It’s sort of how I would say it, with less “accent.” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/3 "2011-09-09T06:05:35Z")
You can hear both pronuniciations at [this page](http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=israel), the audio clip automatically starts. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/4 "2011-09-09T06:23:09Z")
Thanks. I hear both all the time, here in the Pacific Region. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/5 "2011-09-09T07:06:29Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I say “Is-rail” whereas it seems to be universally pronounced “Is-real” in American English. Is the American pronunciation closer to the correct way of saying the country’s name? I’m assuming you mean _closer to how someone from Israel would say it_, because nothing else makes sense. Just thought it was worth clarifying that, before we get into one of those ‘no accent’ loops that happen on the SDMB from time to time… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/6 "2011-09-09T07:10:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m assuming you mean _closer to how someone from Israel would say it_, because nothing else makes sense. > > Just thought it was worth clarifying that, before we get into one of those ‘no accent’ loops that happen on the SDMB from time to time… Sorry, yes, that’s what I meant. I suppose another way of putting the question is how is Israel pronounced by the majority of Israelis, when said in English :). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/7 "2011-09-09T07:32:09Z")
Well, as an Israeli, I generally pronounce it “IS-rah-el” when speaking English; as I happen to be an Israeli who speaks unaccented English, for me the vowels tend to flow together until it’s almost indistinguishable from “IS-rail”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/8 "2011-09-09T07:34:49Z")
It depends on which American way you are talking about. I’d say ISS-rye-ell is probably the closest. IZ-ree-uhl is more common, though, and really wrong. IZ-ray-ehl is closer, but still pretty far off. The pronunciation in Israel is pretty close to how we spell it: ISS-rah-ehl. However, in Hebrew, it technically is Yisrael, and is pronounced accordingly. And if you wonder how IS-rye-ell is the closest, allow me to demonstrate using IPA: IS-rye-ell == [ˈɪsraɪɛl] IS-rah-ell == [ˈɪsraɛl]. The only difference between a bright ah and the I sound is the addition of a short ih or ee sound. EDIT: **Allesan** , I’d say it sounds closer to IS-rile than IS-rayl, but maybe that’s a difference in accents. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/9 "2011-09-09T07:48:39Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I say “Is-rail” whereas it seems to be universally pronounced “Is-real” in American English. Is the American pronunciation closer to the correct way of saying the country’s name? Language is arbitrary; what is “correct” is determined by broad usage patterns. If there are significant numbers of people using both pronunciations, then both of them are correct. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/10 "2011-09-09T08:48:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Well, as an Israeli, I generally pronounce it “IS-rah-el” when speaking English; **as I happen to be an Israeli who speaks unaccented English** , for me the vowels tend to flow together until it’s almost indistinguishable from “IS-rail”. (Bolding mine) Sorry, I can’t resist… what ‘unaccented’ English accent do you have? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/11 "2011-09-09T09:00:55Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > (Bolding mine) Sorry, I can’t resist… what ‘unaccented’ English accent do you have? I believe Alessan is saying he doesn’t speak English with a strong Israeli accent. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/12 "2011-09-09T09:08:40Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > (Bolding mine) Sorry, I can’t resist… what ‘unaccented’ English accent do you have? He meant, surely, “an English free from first-language interference (in this case, Hebrew)”. You are still free, of course, to ask which regional (etc.) variety (“accent”) of English he happens to speak. (Just to clarify, colloquial English uses the word “accent” for two very different things: 1. Regional (etc.) way of pronouncing words – this is the thing that some people, incorrectly, think can “not exist” for some speakers of a language (usually, for those using some kind of socially, politically, or mass-media-based dominant pronunciation) 2. Interference by one’s first language upon how one pronounces one’s second (or third…) language. Professional linguists try to avoid using the word “accent” for this.) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/13 "2011-09-09T09:27:52Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Language is arbitrary; what is “correct” is determined by broad usage patterns. If there are significant numbers of people using both pronunciations, then both of them are correct. I think the point was: one pronunciation is **closer** to the native pronunciation. Like how the US and UK pronunciations of “jaguar” are both “wrong,” but AFAIK the American pronunciation is closer to the name of the animal in Guaraní. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/14 "2011-09-09T09:52:38Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > (Bolding mine) Sorry, I can’t resist… what ‘unaccented’ English accent do you have? It means that when I speal English, people assume I’m from New Jersey, not Haifa. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/15 "2011-09-09T10:00:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I say “Is-rail” whereas it seems to be universally pronounced “Is-real” in American English. Is the American pronunciation closer to the correct way of saying the country’s name? Is that why so many Americans write Israel as “Isreal”? Hadnt realized it came from the way it’s pronunced. Always thought it came from the particular person being uneducated. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-way-of-saying-israel-more-correct-than-the-british-irish-way/595698/16 "2011-09-09T10:20:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > EDIT: **Allesan** , I’d say it sounds closer to IS-rile than IS-rayl, but maybe that’s a difference in accents. Interesting. I thing because, as in Hebrew, a greater emphasis is placed on the “el” than on the “rah” (rah-EL), which makes it sound closer to “rail”; if the emphasis were placed on the “ah” (RAH-el), it would sound closer to “rile”. But again, YMMV.