Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2017 September 10

= September 10 =

Ken-ya, or Keen-ya?
I'v noticed that Kenya used to be pronounced Keen-ya, rather than Ken-ya. Why was this, and what is the official way it is pronounced? Is it still common to say Keen-ya? --Comemrcilapser (talk) 16:53, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
 * See our article which you link to.  There are IPA pronunciations at the beginning of the lead (which I don't understand) and also a link to a soundbite which may answer your question.   There's similar help with Singapore but the soundbite doesn't work.   Is the official pronunciation "Sing-apore" or "Sing-gapore"? 2A00:23C0:7F02:C01:AC50:9A99:6DEE:BD39 (talk) 17:08, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
 * The IPA at the start of the Kenya article says it's Ken-ya. I agree that many years ago I used to hear Keen-ya a lot. The IPA at the start of the Singapore article says it's Sing-gapore. Loraof (talk) 18:07, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
 * But Wiktionary says Singapore can be pronounced either way, in both UK and US English. Loraof (talk) 18:33, 10 September 2017 (UTC)


 * My understanding is that the pronunciation of Kenya Colony was always with a long "ee" but after independence, we Britons had to get used to the correct version with a short vowel. Perhaps Jomo Kenyatta speeded the process with his assumed surname. This forum confirms that the short "e" is correct in Kiswahili. Further down, it says that both forms are used in Kenya itself. Alansplodge (talk) 21:38, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
 * My understanding also. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:42, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
 * During a recent bicycle race telecast, the American commentator Bob Roll was saying "KEEN-ya" while his broadcasting partner, the British commentator Paul Sherwen, was saying "KEN-ya". ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 09:26, 11 September 2017 (UTC)
 * In my experience, the short-vowel form is almost universal in the UK; the few that persist with the long-vowel are generally rather elderly and perhaps mourning the loss of the Empire. Alansplodge (talk) 13:01, 11 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Could be, though I doubt that one American is mourning the loss of the British Empire. However, Sherwen's formative years were spent in Kenya, so it's to be expected he would know the right way to say it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:25, 12 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, I did say "in the UK". Alansplodge (talk) 21:03, 13 September 2017 (UTC)


 * This says that the country name comes from the local pronunciation of Mount Kenya, see Mount Kenya and List of names on Mount Kenya which is instructive. This old thread at SDMB (predating Wikipedia even) also confirms the basic story.  -- Jayron 32 19:40, 11 September 2017 (UTC)