Squibs / Pronunciations of lots of words

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" <catlady at ...> 
wrote:

> Montims wrote in
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/33072>:
> 
> << "irritate"? Pyramus? (the lover of Thisbe in Midsummer Night's
> Dream) Also Sirius rhymes with Bilius (with the "o as riental" l/r
> confusion) - Ron's middle name.  >>
> 
> I don't think Bilius starts with same vowel as Sirius or irritate.
> Fleur's pronunciation, Beel, starts with the same vowel as Sirius and
> irritate. And heal and heel and seal -- 'Seal-ius'? 
> 
> I think Bilius starts with the same vowel as silly and jealous and
> gelatin and Melissa. Now I am mumbling to myself about sir and cirrus
> and cygnet ... mermaid and meerkat ... 
> 
> I think 'irritate' starts with 'ear'. The same sound as 'Pyramus'
> starts with peer/pier, and 'Sirius' and 'serious' start with
> sear/seer. (Seer like Trelawney pronounced like sear,not like
> sightsee-er). I've only seen 'sere' in writing so I don't know whether
> it's pronounced the same as seer/sear (my guess) or like 'share' with
> s instead of sh. 

Geoff:
This is another case of differing regional pronunciations. To me, for 
irritate/silly/jealous/gelatin/Melissa. I need two vowel sounds, silly 
and irritate forming the smaller gruop.

I would match the vowel sounds for silly and Bilius, because I expect 
Ron's name to rhyme with the real word 'bilious' - which is why, to my 
ears at least, it seems the last name to give to anyone!

Just in passing, I was watching a video clip of Dan Radcliffe being 
interviewed in the US last night. I didn't note the name of the female 
presenter but, underlining the same point, she certainly appeared 
to say "Hairy Potter".