Calliope

[Picklesocks]

Hello, a good friend of mine has just had a baby and named it Calliope (Callie for short). I’ve only ever met one other Calliope, and they pronounced it Ca-LIE-oh-pee, whereas my friend is pronouncing it Cally-OH-pee.

Is this one of those where both are right and it’s just preference? I didn’t want to question whether my friend was pronouncing her own baby’s name right 😂

She is saying her own baby's name incorrectly.
Do you say Hermione as Hermy - own?
Do you say Penelope as Pe - nell - lowp?

Calliope is Cah - LIE - oh - pee.

Yeah she’s saying it wrong (in my opinion!) I’ve only ever heard it as Cal-LIE- oh- pee with emphasis on the lie syllable. Similar to Penelope

Cah-LIE-oh-pee

In Greek, and it’s a Greek name, the spelling is Καλλιόπη. So the emphasis is clearly on the ó.

My friends mum is Ca-LIE-oh-peh, not pee.

But all her friends call her Cally-Oop for a joke (they are in Yorkshire).

I googled as unlike the other posters the Calliope I knew was pronounced like your friend does it and this is what I found.

kahl-ee-OH-pee in its ancient form and kahl-YO-pee in Modern Greek.

So I guess neither are wrong.

Both are correct depending on where you're from. I only know one Calliope and her name is pronounced CA-LIE-OH-PEE.
She's just turned 4 and goes by Callie by those who know her.

I’ve only ever heard the second one.

I’d say she’s pronouncing it wrong. But if it’s going to be called Callie, it hardly matters.

Except she’s not because she’s saying it the Greek way…

In Greece it's pronounced like your friend.

@MyDarlingRose happy to be corrected- was just giving my experience.

Just call her Callie..save her having to explain how to pronounce it every day.

The way she is pronouncing it is closer to the original Greek pronunciation.

My Greek friend’s dd is the way your mate says

My Greek SIL is Calliope, your friend is saying it correctly.

I have only ever heard it the way your friend prononces it. It seems from pp that it's the more traditional way as it's closer to the Greek.

I always go by the Usborne guide to greek pronunciation. They say it the same as you.
Usborne greek guide

But real Greeks may say it differently to classical scholars. Maybe ask her where she heard it.
How many Thea's do you know who pronounce it "Thayer"? (supposing it's not short for Theodora).

How to pronounce a Greek name? The Greek way or the MN way?

I’ve known 2 Calliope (one lady in 50s and one teenager) and both were also pronounced how your friend does. One of them was actually Greek so I’d def believe her pronunciation!

That's what I always thought. It's been a long time since I'd even thought about greek mythology though!

I think this is true of so many Greek names, especially those in Greek mythology that most of us were (as was I) introduced to by English- speaking school teachers and university Classics and Latin dons. A frequent example is DEMeter and DeMEter, or Aeolus as EE-eh-lus or Ay-OH-lus.

And, up to a point, I think there is an argument that, in their own way, both can be right, but not so as to invalidate the other. Probably the easiest example of something similar is the car, Porsche. I know a Porsche owner who insists on referring to his PORSH-er, which is closer to the German but just sounds a bit pedantic because it has crossed over into English with a different pronunciation.

To me, your friend's way sounds Greek but the "Penelope" way is more usual for English speakers (and yet French speakers call Penelope what sounds to an English ear to be PEN-ay-lopp!)

Your friend is pronouncing the name correctly- the Greek way. I have never ever heard a Greek person say the name as Ca-Lie-o-pe

This was my preferred name if I had a girl (I didn’t). Which was fortunate as I wanted your pronunciation but my cousin’s Greek wife told me that was wrong. Nickname was to be Poppy but I needed a formal name in case she became a high court judge.

I’ve only heard Americans put the emphasis on the LIE.

I would have said it the way your friend does. I studied classics.