# euro - pronunciation



## Gianni2

How many syllables in 'euro'?


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## shamblesuk

If you mean in Italian there are three - E-u-ro

In English two - You-ro


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## Ron V

I can't find anything that gives the phonetic for ,euro, although I have assumed that the first part of the word European would be it. I cannot understand what I am hearing.
Is that right? Could someone please give me a phonetic? 
Grazie


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## Siberia

*yoo.r*-oh, *yaw‑ can't give the phonetic alphabet because can't do the letters*

*Sib*

*see dictionary.com*
sorry thought you meant the English pronunciation


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## ElaineG

In Italian, isn't it more like air-o? Ah, I'm not good at this, wait for a native.


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## susanna.3

Ciao,
what do you think if I say.
e like empire, u like boot. r like ronald and o like obsession.
Remember euro hasn't plural: one euro two euro.
I hope that help.


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## TimLA

Check out THIS website - they sound pretty good.


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## Salegrosso

Mmm... in the school we learn that when _u_ or _i_ are close to another vowel, they form one syllabe, called _dittongo_. 
Every other couple of vowel is called _iato_ and form two separate syllabes (exemple: aereo is a-e-re-o, four syllabes, two iati).
So, euro would be eu-ro. A dittongo, two syllabes in Italian too.

Curiousingly, the word _iato_ is not a iato, but a dittongo.


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## virgilio

Shamblesuk,
 You wrote:"
If you mean in Italian there are three - E-u-ro

In English two - You-ro"

Sorry to disagree but in Italian the word has only two syllables "eu - ro".
As Salegrosso has pointed out, both "i" and "u" (weak vowels) form diphthongs when they come next to strong vowels (a, e, o) - as in Spanish also, and become consonants in the process.
English does the same with "y", which is a semi-vowel semi-consonant.
e.g.
sky (vowel)  yes (consonant).

"w" is simply a consonantal "u".
Incidentally, as vowels last longer than consonants, I have always wondered why we call the letter "double u". "Half u" would be my name for it.

All the best
Virgilio


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## Salegrosso

Only because of the shape of the sign, I suppose... UU becomes W. 
Who knows?


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## virgilio

Salegrosso,
               I hadn't thought of that. You're almost certainly right but why, I wonder, did they think of 2 of them anyway. It seems so perverse.

Best wishes
Virgilio


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## Salegrosso

I agree, it seems to perverse.


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## lsp

virgilio said:


> Salegrosso,
> I hadn't thught of that. You're almost certainly right but why, I wonder, did they think of 2 of them anyway. It seems to perverse.
> 
> Best wishes
> Virgilio


Do you mean to*o* perverse? I have to confess, I read this several times and I'm not sure what you mean by perverse!


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## awanzi

Salegrosso said:


> Only because of the shape of the sign, I suppose... UU becomes W.
> Who knows?



It is like that. No doubt about it!

The alphabet we use is Latin. And you probalbly know that in classic Latin the  "U" is allways written as a "V" but sounds "U". Than if you add the very popular transcription mistakes you obtain the "W",  which is  actually a  "UU". Therefore the  name double U. 
I see no pervertion in it...


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## Salegrosso

The perversion would be two u instead of a half u only. 
However, let it be.


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## virgilio

lsp,
    Sorry. My faulty proof-reading! It should have been "so perverse"

Virgilio


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## Salegrosso

And I've copyed the mistake...


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## virgilio

awanzi,
          Salegrosso has, as always, put his finger on the problem. Consonants are surely shorter sounds than vowels. So why *doppia* vu invece di *metà* vu?

Virgilio


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## lsp

Salegrosso said:


> And I've copyed the mistake...



copied... but my question was really about the perverse, not the too/so. Why perverse? I think I may be using that word wrong.


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## Gianni2

virgilio said:


> Shamblesuk,
> You wrote:"
> If you mean in Italian there are three - E-u-ro
> 
> In English two - You-ro"
> 
> Sorry to disagree but in Italian the word has only two syllables "eu - ro".
> 
> I suppose if one agrees that  the Italian word for the continent,Europa, has three syllables, then euro should have two.  Conversely, if Europa has four syllables, then euro should have three.  Unfortunately, I have no first-hand knowledge of the proper pronunciation.


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## virgilio

lsp,
    If _x_ is shorter than _y_, it seems perverse to call _x_ "double-y".

The vowel is "u", the consonant is "w". Consonants are shorter than vowels and yet "w" is called "double "u""

Hope this clarifies it
Virgilio


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## awanzi

virgilio said:


> lsp,
> Sorry. My faulty proof-reading! It should have been "so perverse"
> 
> Virgilio



so perverse, to perverse... let's not be "encapsulated" in this! 
I think what you meant was totally (??? is "totally" only spoken ???) clear!


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## virgilio

awanzi,
         "(??? is "totally" only spoken ???)"
Not when it's written down, as you have just proved!
Virgilio


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## lsp

Thanks, Virgilio. I think I need to stop using that word! Always learning...


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## awanzi

virgilio said:


> awanzi,
> Salegrosso has, as always, put his finger on the problem. Consonants are surely shorter sounds than vowels. So why *doppia* vu invece di *metà* vu?
> 
> Virgilio



I think it is just a matter of evolution of the written language. The W sound is a vowel (a double U) , but the W letter  is a consonant.
Onestamente però, I'm not sure  it is clear what I mean...


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## Karl!!!!

Hi all. Going back to the original question, when my Italian teacher pronounces the word Euro it sounds to my ears like there are three syllables: 'E-u-ro'. And my old Italian teacher (Eugenia) called herself -E-u-gen-ia (Eh-ooh-gen-ya in English). But obviously the rules about dittongo and iato contradict that. I wonder if by saying it slowly it makes it sound like three syllables, or maybe different people have different ways of pronouncing it.


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## MarcoMac

Karl!!!! said:


> to my ears like there are three syllables:[cut] But obviously the rules about dittongo and iato contradict that


I don't get the contradiction.
Pronunciation is for speaking, "hypenation" is for writing.
Are two entirely different matters.

The old diction rules of acting (and opera singing) schools teached to clearly separate *any* clash of wovels and consonants, up to ridicolous points, and to go 'round talking this way: COO-SZSZAh NNNNE PEN-h-SI DELLLL NUU-OOO-VOO GOO-VERRRRR-h-NNNO? [cosa ne pensi del nuovo governo = what about the new government]

This (hopefully) teached a prefect "throwing" of the words from the stage to the audience.
Obviously a perfect pronounce doesn't alter by any means the rules you use to break the words in the play script.



> I wonder if by saying it slowly it makes it sound like three syllables, or maybe different people have different ways of pronouncing it.


Absolutely. Pronunciation varies depending on environment, culture, education, social "tone" (even the same person changes pronounce passing from formal to casual moments). 
Or do you think that Sir Lawrence Olivier'd pronounce "New York City" the same way Eminem does?


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## Londoner06

MarcoMac said:


> I don't get the contradiction.
> Pronunciation is for speaking, "hypenation" is for writing.
> Are two entirely different matters.
> 
> The old diction rules of acting (and opera singing) schools teached taught to clearly separate *any* clash of wovels and consonants, up to ridiculous points, and to go 'round talking this way: COO-SZSZAh NNNNE PEN-h-SI DELLLL NUU-OOO-VOO GOO-VERRRRR-h-NNNO? [cosa ne pensi del nuovo governo = what about the new government]
> 
> This (hopefully) teached taught a perfect "throwing" of the words from the stage to the audience.
> Obviously a perfect pronounce pronunciation doesn't alter by any means the rules you use to break the words in the play script.
> 
> 
> Absolutely. Pronunciation varies depending on environment, culture, education, social "tone" (even the same person changes pronounce pronunciation passing from formal to casual moments).
> Or do you think that Sir Lawrence Olivier'd would pronounce "New York City" the same way Eminem does?


 
Remember MarcoMac that _pronounce _is a verb_, pronunciation_ is the noun. Teach is an irregular verb.

Ciao, 

Alex


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## thrice

MarcoMac said:


> I don't get the contradiction.
> Pronunciation is for speaking, "hypenation" is for writing.
> Are two entirely different matters.
> 
> The old diction rules of acting (and opera singing) schools teached to clearly separate *any* clash of vowels and consonants, up to ridicolous points, and to go 'round talking this way: COO-SZSZAh NNNNE PEN-h-SI DELLLL NUU-OOO-VOO GOO-VERRRRR-h-NNNO? [cosa ne pensi del nuovo governo = what about the new government]
> 
> This (hopefully) teached a prefect "throwing" of the words from the stage to the audience.
> Obviously a perfect pronounce doesn't alter by any means the rules you use to break the words in the play script.
> 
> 
> Absolutely. Pronunciation varies depending on environment, culture, education, social "tone" (even the same person changes pronounce passing from formal to casual moments).
> Or do you think that Sir Lawrence Olivier'd pronounce "New York City" the same way Eminem does?


 

I just wanted to add to Londoner's list of corrections. He must have been reading a little too quickly to catch this one  
"wovel"


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## ElaineG

Ragazzi,

We have a topic, and that topic is how to pronounce euro.   All of the other stuff is interesting, simpatico, but ultimately off-topic.  

Thanks,

Elaine
Moderator


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