pronunciation - How is 'via' pronounced and where did these variations come from?



Over the years, I've heard people say 'v-ē-ə', 'v-ī-ə', and sometimes the 'uh' is an 'ah' sound. (edit- It has come to my attention that 'via' was once a 'wee-ah' from Latin, but I don't feel like this helps my question. If anything, that just makes me wonder why there is that variation in the beginning 'ē' and 'ī'.)


Now, I'm guessing the difference between 'uh' and 'ah' may just be regional, but that doesn't explain the first part of such a teeny word.


This has been driving me nuts for awhile. I've tried online dictionaries, asking English teachers, and they all are the reason (as well as TV and movies) for why I'm still clueless. (As for the English teachers over my years of schooling, all of them agree to disagree with how it is said. I have one teacher saying 'no' to 'vee-uh' and one saying yes to that way and vice versa.) As for the dictionaries, they can mention the two variations but they don't explain why.


(edit)


I guess the reason why I had been confused is because I didn't understand why there was a disagreement about how 'via' is pronounced. Can anyone shine some light on this as well? (I do appreciate the answers I received before I edited my question, but now they are insufficient.)



  • Is it appropriate to pronounce it both ways or is only one way correct?

  • Also, where did these variations come from? (Via is Latin, yes. However, in Latin, it only had one way of pronouncing it. In English, there are two variants that are questionably debatable, and that is what this question is asking about.)




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