pronunciation of Belize

[Dale Coye]

My sister-in-law and her family are natives of Belize, Mayan Indians from the
Toledo district in the south, and they pronounce the name of the country with
/s/ not /z/ at the end, and make fun of us when we don't follow suit (cf.
Oregon /gan/  vs. /g at n/).    Don't know how widespread this is within the
country or if the phonology forbids voicing in this word-final position.
Anyone know?

Dale Coye
The College of NJ
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