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How do you pronounce "Mamiya"?

Don't ask, I'm still struggling with Minolta, and Ricoh .
 
Hmmmm ... maybe I've been pronouncing it wrong for over 30 years. I've always said "ma-MY-ah", and when I got my first one my brother pronounced it "MAM-eee-uh" and I remember correcting him.
 
It's probably easiest to simply think of it as "mummy-ya".
There is a slight accent on the first syllable.

But does it really matter? You say "to-mah-to" and I say "to-may-to."

Besides, the English language is routinely massacred here in Japan. No reason why we can't "adapt" their language as well. Whatever works.
 
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Didn't we have this thread last year? As for me I have used #1 predominantly but occasionally I slip and use #2. I beleive Al Jolson used #3 with great frequency.
 
Christopher Walrath said:
Didn't we have this thread last year? As for me I have used #1 predominantly but occasionally I slip and use #2. I beleive Al Jolson used #3 with great frequency.
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Ah yes, the Al Jolson version!

But as I remember his was more of a "Mammy" type thing. Must have been a regional accent.

Hmm ... you know ... we may have discovered where Mamiya got the original idea.
And it's obvious that old Al was a photograper:

"Mammy...
My little Mammy.
The sun shines east-- the sun shines west--
I know where-- the sun shines best!"

Who woulda thunk?
 

I remember coming to a Mamiya repair center, asking for a #2 M part only to get corrected with the # 1 pronunciation. What the fuss I thought...
 
Mam-ee-yah
 
The same way as Andy above.


Steve.
 
cherryhill said:
3) MAH-mmy-Uh (like Mammy-uh, with the accent on the first syllable)
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That's the way everyone over here pronounces it.

On a side note, I've been pronouncing "Rollei" as "ROLL-AY" when it apparently should be "ROLL-EYE" :rolleyes:
 
I've always pronounced it Rolly to rhyme with golly.
 
Andy K said:
I've always pronounced it Rolly to rhyme with golly.
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I have always pronounced it Roe-Lee even though I think your version is correct.


Steve.
 
My take...

American English-- mah-MEE-a

Japanese-- mah-mee-a w/a slight inflection on first syllable

YMMV!

Best,
Tom
 
WHAT?!!! you all are off. the rolleiflex name was because it was a ROLL film REflex camera...
Roll E flex
 
Everyone in in its home-country would pronounce it Roll-eye with a short "o" like in doll.

I leave the case of the Mamiya up to the Japanese and the Hasselblad to the Swedish.
 
We haven't even started yet on Minolta or Ricoh !
 
Or Koddache.
 
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