pronunciation

He was returning from a news conference in London, where he confused Albania and Armenia and fumbled the pronunciation of Azerbaijan, which sounded a bit more like Abracadabra.

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Washington’s revelation about the pronunciation of his name came when the friendly chat turned to the actor’s love of football and the Dallas Cowboys.

The names are selected to reflect the diversity of each region and assessed for pronunciation, differing meanings across countries, links to public figures, and potential controversy.

At the time, American actors were encouraged by production studios to sound more sophisticated by speaking with a “Mid-Atlantic” accent, which blended elements of British and American pronunciation.