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Eye-banez or Eee-banez?

#61
Thunder Pulse said:
Until I got online and read otherwise, my friends and I all pronounced Neil Peart's last name as 'Purt' because that's the only way we ever heard it pronounced. I don't know why I didn't suspect that I pronouncing it wrong, as I can't think of any word with 'ear' in it that's pronounced 'ur.' His last name is pronounced 'Peert,' BTW.

As far as 'Ibanez' goes, I have no idea.
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LOL great example. I argue with my friends all the time over how Neil's last name is pronounced. It is definitely 'Peert'.
 
#62
rubendlr said:
If you really want to be technical no matter how anyone says it you have to realize the origin of the name. The brand was bought from a Spanish guitar maker of that last name, Salvador Ibáñez. The "N" is actually a "Ñ" and therefore the pronunciation should actually be "ee bahn yehz".
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What about the lisp present on 's' type sounds in Castillian Spanish. Wouldn't that actually make it "ee bahn yeth"? Or does the lisping sound not apply to the letter z?

PS. I find this whole thread astoundingly humorous. :laugh::D
 
#63
I think how Ibanez is spoken is relative to the place. For example, here again in Japan. In Japanese dialect "I" is pronounced as "ee" and "E" as "e" (as in egg). So if a local guy who is not familiar with musical instruments will read it as spelled in Romaji (IBANEZ), he will pronounce it as "ee-ba-nezu". But of course, when they read it in katakana アイバニーズ, "a-ee-ba-neezu", since ア is pronounced as "a" (not "ey"), イ as "ee" and ニ as "nee". Or they can even combine the "アイ" to make it sound like ""ay" so it can also be pronounced as "ay-ba-neezu" which is more likely.

Now come the mystery. How come the Japanese spelled it in Katakana as アイバニーズ? The most possible scenario is since this is a foreign word, the Japanese guys at Ibanez Japan asked somebody from the West to pronounce it. Perhaps the guy pronounced it as "ay-ba-neez". Since Katakana is written according to the sound or how the foreign word is spoken, the Japanese spelled it in Katakana as アイバニーズ. If the western guy pronounced it differently then the Katakana is also different.

The following are some other Katakana versions based on how IBANEZ is pronounced:
1. as "ay-ba-nez" = アイバネズ
2. as "ee-ba-nez" = イバネズ
3. as "ee-ba-neezu" = イバニーズ
3. as "ee-ban-yehz" ＝　イバンニェズ

Personally, for me, the correct term should have been #4 as "Ibáñez" イバンニェズ since this is really a Spanish word.
 
#64
bacchuskid said:
I think how Ibanez is spoken is relative to the place. For example, here again in Japan. In Japanese dialect "I" is pronounced as "ee" and "E" as "e" (as in egg). So if a local guy who is not familiar with musical instruments will read it as spelled in Romaji (IBANEZ), he will pronounce it as "ee-ba-nezu". But of course, when they read it in katakana アイバニーズ, "a-ee-ba-neezu", since ア is pronounced as "a" (not "ey"), イ as "ee" and ニ as "nee". Or they can even combine the "アイ" to make it sound like ""ay" so it can also be pronounced as "ay-ba-neezu" which is more likely.

Now come the mystery. How come the Japanese spelled it in Katakana as アイバニーズ? The most possible scenario is since this is a foreign word, the Japanese guys at Ibanez Japan asked somebody from the West to pronounce it. Perhaps the guy pronounced it as "ay-ba-neez". Since Katakana is written according to the sound or how the foreign word is spoken, the Japanese spelled it in Katakana as アイバニーズ. If the western guy pronounced it differently then the Katakana is also different.

The following are some other Katakana versions based on how IBANEZ is pronounced:
1. as "ay-ba-nez" = アイバネズ
2. as "ee-ba-nez" = イバネズ
3. as "ee-ba-neezu" = イバニーズ
3. as "ee-ban-yehz" ＝　イバンニェズ

Personally, for me, the correct term should have been #4 as "Ibáñez" イバンニェズ since this is really a Spanish word.
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Think you mean the second #3. ;)
 
#65
Bassist4Eris said:
Right you are. The company is named for luthier Salvador Ibáñez. The Spanish pronunciation would be eee-BAHN-yez. However, like everyone I've ever heard say it, I pronounce it EYE-ben-ez.
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oh oops. It's Salvador, not Salvatore. I thought it was Salvatore...my mistake. I've learned about this from YouTube's maxproud. He did a video telling the Ibanez story. Who found it, where it originated, and how it became the instrument company that we know today.
 
#66
This stuff goes nowhere.
Like the guy I tried to convince that he didn't drive an Oddy, who would cite English words to support his cause.
Or my friend Charlie who called the P.R. guy we worked with rol Because Raul was spelled like Paul, and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary.
Neither got that vowel sounds were said in any other way than the English they learned in grade school, even in other languages.
On the other hand, Raul drove a Chebby and wass from Cheecaggo, I kinda caught on to the dynamics of transliteration hangin' out with these guys. :D:D:D
 
#71
The Mighty 'V' said:
...And that's fine. The German pronounciation just sounds better to my ears, that's all.

Yeah I'd heard the 'Moog' one not all that long ago. What about the cymbal brand 'Paiste'?
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Yesterday I had breakfast in London (me being an American) with a German (also named Volker coincidentally) and a Parisian. Talk about four different ways to pronounce everything...
 
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#72
Many many years ago I used to mispronounce several names in the music world, the aforementioned Peart as "pert", Moog as "mewg" and Rickenbacker as "rick-en-bock-er". I pronounce all those properly now. ;)

Ibanez, though... it's funny. When I talk about the guitar company, I still 'incorrectly' pronounce it "EYE-ban-ez." But if I'm speaking to someone in person who has that last name, it's "Mr. ee-BAHN-yez".

But I guess that's partially because "Ibanez" is kinda technically misspelled to begin with. Or just mutated through translation from Spanish to Japanese to English. ;)
 
#76
It is kind a a "nowhere" debate, and also everywhere depending on your cultural association.
The point that sticks with me is, if you think a quote like "Just loves me a plate of that EYE-tal-yun food" sounds right to you, then you wouldn't budge from pronouncing a Spanish-derived name "EYE-bunez".
 
#77
I can't believe there are 77 posts on this. I say eye-ben-ez, so people know what I'm talking about. I've never heard another pronunciation. I guarantee if I told some body I just got a new e-Bon-yez, they'd have no idea what the hell I was talking about.
 

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