Naomi: how is it pronounced?

[James Harbeck]

My niece is named Naomi, and I hear both [nej o mi] and [naj o mi] --
in fact, even from her immediate family. But [nej o mi] is preferred
there, as is the case with some other Naomis I've known. I wouldn't
go so far as to think either pronunciation wrong, however (it's like
the question we always ask in the choir when we have to sing the word
Israel: Is it [iz rej El] or [iz raj El] this time? Since it's choral
singing it's never [iz ri El] as many of us would normally speak it).

James Harbeck.

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