Please teach me to read.......Madoff

[raisinbran]

What rule would you follow, to know that
Madoff is pronounced Made off and not Mad off.

what's Madoff?

Mad off surely.

Sounds East European derivative.

Made sounds too American. I know he is but...

Though he did, didn't he. Made off. With lots of cash.

Yes - good irony. Someone should have seen that one coming! I think it's just a case of Americans pronouncing words how they want to. No rules at all, so you wouldn't know until the person actually says their name.

Thanks everyone for posting.

that's very polite of you but we were hardly conclusive, were we?

I don't know... the next dinner party I attend I wont feel so foolish.

It's a name -- you can get two people with names spelled exactly the same but who pronounce them in different ways. So I don't think you can ever rely on a rule with names (although standard rules can give you your best "first guess").

For example...