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I hesitate to bring up such a minor point, but I have to admit that if I don’t, this is going to be a distraction for me.
I’m curious about the pronunciation of “Tarot.” I had never heard it before with the accent on the second syllable. Research suggests that there is a small difference in pronunciation between American English (TER-oh) and British English (TAHR-oh). But I don’t find any indication of a second-syllable emphasis (ter-OH) as an alternative.
Any help resolving this small hang-up greatly appreciated! My apologies if this comes off as pedantic!
Jack, so glad you brought this up! I too have wondered about pronouncing Tarot however I previously only had ”heard” it as tar ot with the last letter “t” pronounced.
I wonder if this could be a regional thing. Here in Georgia, most people I know seem to pronounce it with the second syllable accented and the second “T” silent: ter-OH. But I have also heard it pronounced in both ways you describe, Jack.
“You say po-TAY-to, I say po-TAH-to, let’s call the whole thing off…”
Perhaps with a nod to the wisdom of Ira Gershwin, we can make room for different ways of pronunciation?
There’s an interesting Reddit thread about this here (and I guess I’ll find out whether links are allowed in forum posts!): https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/comments/c6zluu/tarot_pronunciation/
Does anyone really say po-TAH-to? 🙂 Anyway, point taken. Thanks, Carl!
Jack, I am attempting to rehabilitate myself and say T-arrow, which everything I consulted seemed to indicate is the “proper” pronunciation. But old habits die hard, and I am sure that ter-OH will creep back in from time to time! ?
In the UK where I am, it’s only ever pronounced with the stress on the first syllable. However the word comes from French which has little or no word stress, so I think both English versions are equally right and equally wrong!
David, I love it! Both pronunciations equally right and equally wrong sounds perfectly right to me! Point well-taken about the French origin and French pronunciation.
Carl, I’m always shocked when someone grants a point I’ve made—which actually means I’m not shocked that often because it happens so infrequently!
I was perfectly ready to accept that tah-ROH is a Deep South thing. Y’all have some odd ways of doing things down there—odd to us Yankees anyway! I wouldn’t even be that surprised if you folks say poh-TAT-oh. 🙂
For us Spanish and French speakers the accent is in the last syllable.
So it sound to me the “normal” way to say “Taró”. In Spanish we even pronounce the last “t” !
Knowing it comes from the French [and even further back from the Italian], I imagine that in English the shift to emphasizing the last syllable is a way to mark that provenance?If you ever want to read a fun book that explores this “what’s the right way to pronounce it?” question, read “The Chicken Qabalah” by Lon Duquette. He freely acknowledges that most people who study the Kabbalah (Qabalah) have no idea how to pronounce the many Hebrew words you’ll encounter. His attitude, so thoroughly post/modern American, is “Don’t worry about it!”
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