[Facts] Re: Pronunciation of Leonora (this is especially directed towards Chrisell, though all help is welcome)
in reply to a message by Arcadia
Yes, my Aunt is Leonora, pronounced lay-oh-NOR-ah. She was born in England to my English-Scottish grandmother and Czech Jewish grandfather, but I have no idea who thought of the name or whether she was named after someone - I'll try to find out (because I'm curious, now!).
But I think you've hit the nail on the head, anyway - it's the LEE/LAY debate. I've never met another Leonora so I can't say whether the 'lay' pronunciation is particularly Australian or English as opposed to American.
Hope that helped - if I can find anything out about the origin of Leo's name I'll let you know (although it'll probably be after I go home for Christmas!)
:-)
But I think you've hit the nail on the head, anyway - it's the LEE/LAY debate. I've never met another Leonora so I can't say whether the 'lay' pronunciation is particularly Australian or English as opposed to American.
Hope that helped - if I can find anything out about the origin of Leo's name I'll let you know (although it'll probably be after I go home for Christmas!)
:-)