Pronouncing This

[nearlyalegume.livejournal.com]

In response to a small in-news interview I saw on TV earlier this evening:

How would you pronounce the name Tobias?

I always thought it was Toe-BY-us, but this guy on the TV introduced the other guy as TOE-bee-us.

How do you pronounce it?  Is there a right or wrong way, or are both acceptable?  Is there any other way of pronouncing it?

Comments

[cherrysorbet.livejournal.com]

I've ALWAYS pronounced it Toe-BY-us! TOE-bee-us sounds absolutely ridiculous to me!

[ugottafriend.livejournal.com]

DITTO!

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

iawtc

[http://users.livejournal.com/hajari_/]

Exactly.

[tokossel.livejournal.com]

yep.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I completely disagree with all of you.
Maybe it's because I'm not in an English speaking country, but I definitely pronounce Tobias TOE-bee-us, and I never heard it being pronounced in any other way.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

agree

[heather80.livejournal.com]

Same.

[christhiane.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Same.

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

Another vote for Toe-BY-us!

[http://users.livejournal.com/--fourinchesx/]

Ditto!

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I've always said and only ever heard Toe-by-us.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Toe-BEE-as is what I've always heard

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I've never heard anyone say the name; I always thought it was Toe-BEE-us.

[norwegianeyes.livejournal.com]

toe-bi-us

[gangwaygirls.livejournal.com]

I've always heard it pronounced as Toe-BYE-us here in the States, but we had a German exchange student at our school that pronounced his name Toe-BEE-us. So... I guess it depends on where you're from.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

I've never heard the name aloud. I always assumed it was Tow-BI-us, but I think it would be Tow-BEE-us in languages that give the long e sound to i's.

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

Well, on Arrested Development it is definitely toe-BYE-us

[sheshellabella.livejournal.com]

Toe-By-Us

[bobinwales.livejournal.com]

TOE-bee-us

[politicking.livejournal.com]

my teacher in school was Toe-by-is/Toe-by-us, kind of a mixture of -is/-us lol.

this is his last name, btw. so i've only ever heard it said this way, as he was my history teacher in 8th & 12th grades.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

btw on some baby name sites i just searched, they have the pronunciation as To-bias.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i thought i copied & pasted it from the website, but i obviously didn't. it's been a longggggg day, so bear with me lol

"Pronounced: to-BEE-ahs (German), to-BIE-as (English)"

[laura-anne.livejournal.com]

Native English speaker, I'd go with Toe-BY-us. Somewhere more...German, I'd go with Toe-bee-us. I was going to say that emphasis on the first rather than the second syllable sounds really wrong, but I guess it doesn't sound so odd...I'm not sure if I'd emphasise the first or second syllable.

[turn-it-upp.livejournal.com]

i MUCH prefer to-bie-as.

[alexandria-skye.livejournal.com]

toe by us.
a kid i know is nn tobias/toby...

[megumi-nagase.livejournal.com]

Here in Argentina we pronounce it TOE-bee-us, and TOE-by-us sounds pretty ridiculous for me!