On more than one occasion I have heard these names pronounced eye-REE-nee. Where does that pronunciation come from? I am most interested to learn how this name is pronounced in various places, particularly in the case of the goddess
Irene and the Greek
Eirene.
Also, I was surprised to see that this site shows the pronunciation of
Irene as IE-reen. In almost every case I've heard this pronounced ie-REEN with accent distinctly on the second syllable, and on occasion ie-REE-nee - never with the emphasis on the first. Where is the IE-reen pronunciation common?
I know that's a lot of questions. Thank you!
Melissa