How do you pronounce Italian?

I always thought it had just one way to pronounce it, but lately I have been hearing different ways.... I pronounce it It-alian, if that makes any sense.

It-alian

It-alley-uhn

I pronounce it like Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds. =P

"Gorlami."

It-alley-uhnsuper_mario_128

I pronounce it more like uh-talian.

I got confused and voted eye-talian.McJugga

Im American so obviously I just say "Pizza"

What about ee-talian? I prefer It-alian.

It's It-alian. I actually rarely hear Eye-talian.

Im American so obviously I just say "Pizza"

emorainbo

EDIT: I guess I am wrong... Wikipedia is saying that it was first called pizza in Naples, Italy.

Second option. People from the Midwest and South sometimes say eye-talian, like my dad.

It's It-alian. I actually rarely hear Eye-talian.

cheesyjon

[QUOTE="emorainbo"]

Im American so obviously I just say "Pizza"

yentlequible

[QUOTE="yentlequible"][QUOTE="emorainbo"]

Im American so obviously I just say "Pizza"

Cherokee_Jack

It-alian. I only pronounce it the other way for comedic effect. It just sounds improper.

Well the country is called IT-aly. not EYE-taly. So It-alian.

uh-tal-yin

[QUOTE="super_mario_128"]It-alley-uhnscorch-62

Yea super marios version makes most sense

Here is the general rule for pronouncing vowels in any Romance language (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese):

a - "ah" as in "saw"
e - "eh" as in "head"
i - "ee" as in "see"
o - "oh" as in "bowtie"
u - "oo" as in "boot"

Italians pronounce "Italia" in this manner - "ee-tahl-yah." The "i" combined with the "a" forms the English "Y" sound. (The Italian word for "I" is "io." The Spanish equivalent is "yo," which makes the pronunciation more apparent to English speakers.)

Italians pronounce "Italian" in this manner - "ee-tahl-yahn." If you watch Roberto Benigni in "The Tiger and the Snow," you will hear him pronounce it as such when he shouts, "I am Italian!" at the American soldiers who mistake him for an insurgent in Iraq.

E-talian and I am Italian.

I have always heard it pronounced eye-talian. And that is how I pronounce it.

Now for a bigger question, how do you pronounce Louisville:P

I pronounce it ee-talian, but i've herd it pronounce I-talian so neither sounds necessarily wrong to me

It-alian.

eye-tell-lion

it's true!!! 5 starsz *****

It-alian.

ee-tahl-ee-yen.the_foreign_guy

Here are a few Italians pronouning it:

Miss Italia 2010

Giusy covers Rino Gaetano The host says it a few times as he announces Giusy Ferreri's cover of a famous Italian song by Rino Gaetano.

Tiziano interview The host says it in the beginning. Tiziano pronounces it @ 7:39.

Pausini interview Laura Puasini pronounces it @ 5:56.

ee-tahl-ee-yen.the_foreign_guy

Here are a few Italians pronouning it:

Miss Italia 2010

Giusy covers Rino Gaetano The host says it a few times as he announces Giusy Ferreri's cover of a famous Italian song by Rino Gaetano.

Tiziano interview The host says it in the beginning. Tiziano pronounces it @ 7:39.

Pausini interview Laura Puasini pronounces it @ 5:56.

sogni_belli

And people from Missouri occassionally refer to their own state as Missour-ah, so point?

It-aka-lapompous

It's not eye-talian (lol), or It-alian.

It is pronounced ee-tahl-yahn

It's not Italy either, it's Italia, and Italian is Italiano. I is pronounced like E.

I am Italian, my dad was born in Sicily. I know.

Who would pronounce it eye-talian? I never heard anyone said eye-talian.