Super Mar-E-O or Super Mary-O? [Archive]

ShinobiMan

03-22-2010, 01:49 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMFdeYwPEQQ

The above link leads to an old commercial for Super Mario 2 on NES. Notice how the announcer pronounces Mario, "Super Mary O."

I've come to realize that this is a dialect thing... depending on where you are from in the country, you'll pronounce it differently.

Growing up in Texas, I was always confused when my cousins from New York would call Mario, Mary-o. I even found it funny. I remember visiting them in 1990. When I came back home from New York, I had adopted their way of saying Mario. The kids at school thought I was crazy. I would say, "Yeah, I can't wait to go home and play Super Mary-o Bros." They would look at me like I was insane.

How do you pronounce the famous plumbers name? Sadly enough, this is something I've been pondering for YEARS.

jb143

03-22-2010, 02:01 PM

I've always said Mar-E-O, though I've heard it the other way plenty of times as well and never thought too much of it. I'm trying to remember. How does Louis say it in Ghostbusters II? I think he might say Mary-O.

ryborg

03-22-2010, 02:08 PM

I'm from Buffalo, where we don't know how to pronounce the letter A without sounding nasally as hell, so I say Maaaaaa-Ree-oh.

kupomogli

03-22-2010, 02:13 PM

Mar-ee-oh

buzz_n64

03-22-2010, 02:14 PM

LMAO! I thought people just said it that way to make fun of it, or to be silly. MAR-E-O all the way!

Shadow Kisuragi

03-22-2010, 02:19 PM

...the correct pronunciation is here, from Super Mario 64:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA

Emperor Megas

03-22-2010, 02:23 PM

I say Mar-E-O, and I always will say Mar-E-O. This whole Mary-O thing, I don't know what that's about. It's one of those things that I can't help but notice when someone says, too. I-talion is another one that bugs me.

And don't even get me started on folks who call soft drinks "pop". I know I'm probably targeting half of the people here, but Jeez it bugs me. Actually, the truth be told, I don't mind people calling it that so much as the way those who do pretend they don't know what a soft drink or a soda is when you say it.

It's pretty bad in the Mid-West. Like "Mary-O" is on the East coast.

MissingNo_1231

03-22-2010, 02:24 PM

...the correct pronunciation is here, from Super Mario 64:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA

I think that settles it.

That's the way I've always said it.

Baloo

03-22-2010, 02:36 PM

It's definitely Mar-E-O, but you have to say it with a little Italian accent, so roll the R.

So it's pronounced more like Mad-E-O. But it's NOT Mary-O.

Also, Ryu is not pronounced Rye-Ooh, but rather Ree-yoo.

Emperor Megas

03-22-2010, 02:39 PM

Also, Ryu is not pronounced Rye-Ooh, but rather Ree-yoo.Do a lot of people actually say Rye-Ooh? Rye-you I can understand at least, but Rye-Ooh. Damn.

Aussie2B

03-22-2010, 02:40 PM

I'm not convinced that it's a regional thing. I'm in NYC and while my Italian friend says "Mary-O", everyone else says it the standard way.

mobiusclimber

03-22-2010, 02:59 PM

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uNCLBTje0) is how I pronounce it. But on a related note, apparently the Chinese call him "Mary," no "o" or anything, and they seem to think he's dreamy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqFWWF4BXEk)

rkotm

03-22-2010, 03:06 PM

Marr e o, the sm64 way. I never liked maryio, my dad called him that when i was little. Mar-io has always to me felt like the ONLY way (elitist? and sp??)), but thats close minded, especially not considering other dialects and other peoples' use of the name.

portnoyd

03-22-2010, 03:07 PM

People who call it Mary-O think Farmville is the best game they've ever played.

Baloo

03-22-2010, 03:08 PM

Do a lot of people actually say Rye-Ooh? Rye-you I can understand at least, but Rye-Ooh. Damn.

Well, Rye-You = Rye-Ooh, I was just trying to find a good way to spell it out phonetically.

Orion Pimpdaddy

03-22-2010, 03:10 PM

It is quite possible that Nintendo of Japan hired an outside marketing agency to create the commercial for them. The advertisers just read the script, but it did not have a pronunciation key.

TonyTheTiger

03-22-2010, 03:15 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w2fi_f5OLY

jonebone

03-22-2010, 03:31 PM

Mar-E-O.

I noticed that both of my parents say "Mary-O" though. Maybe it a generation thing?

Gapporin

03-22-2010, 05:10 PM

I pronounce it this way. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQvjKqXA0Y)

thom_m

03-22-2010, 05:31 PM

Mar-E-O is the way we say it here in Brazil, where Mario is actually a pretty common name. Portuguese has a lot in common with Italian, so I guess that's a good reference on that matter.

LiquidPolicenaut

03-22-2010, 06:40 PM

Mar-E-O and the regular Marry-O. I alternate which way I like to pronounce it but I mostly pronounce it Marry-O...

Arkhan

03-23-2010, 02:24 AM

And don't even get me started on folks who call soft drinks "pop". I know I'm probably targeting half of the people here, but Jeez it bugs me. .

i have family in alabama. When we visit and go out to eat, I order coke.

The reply is often "what kind",and I say uhhh "coke"

and they go WELL WE GOT PEPSI, SPRITE, MT. DEW, WHAT KIND OF COKE DO YOU WANT.
:dance:

crazy shenanigans

Gameguy

03-23-2010, 03:07 AM

If you really want to bug people, just pronounce it as Maria or Mariah.

Emperor Megas

03-23-2010, 03:40 AM

i have family in alabama. When we visit and go out to eat, I order coke.

The reply is often "what kind",and I say uhhh "coke"

and they go WELL WE GOT PEPSI, SPRITE, MT. DEW, WHAT KIND OF COKE DO YOU WANT.
:dance:

crazy shenanigansI actually commented on that also, but I deleted it before I submitted my post (you don't want to get me started on that). I'm glad I'm not the only one whose mind is blown by that "Coke" madness.

Arkhan

03-23-2010, 05:52 AM

Slate

03-23-2010, 09:34 AM

Mar-e-oh. That's how it's pronounced in the games so that's how I pronounce it.

And on the off topic subject of sodas, I don't care if you call them Soda, Pop, Soda Pop, Soft Drinks or even Fizzy Drinks. But don't call all sodas Coke.

gdement

03-23-2010, 09:50 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSte8m4Da6A

Weird commercial. The actor says Mar-E-O, the voiceover says Marey-O. I guess that marketing company couldn't get it straight.

mezrabad

03-23-2010, 11:09 AM

Some people pronounce "water" as: "wah-ter" some say "whuh-der" (I'm from Philladelphia, and I swear some folks say it that way).

It's my understanding that the correct Italian pronunciation of "Mario" would be "Mah-ri-o" and the "r" is said with your tongue in about the same position as it would if you were to pronounce the letter "d" except you aspirate through it. (not sure if that's the proper technical description of what one is doing)

If we're talking about videogames, and someone says "Mary-o" or "Mah-ri-o" I'm more interested in what they're saying about it than how they pronounce it. It would be rude to correct them on such an unimportant point.

jcalder8

03-23-2010, 12:05 PM

Mar-E-o

I had it confirmed by the N64

Robocop2

03-23-2010, 12:11 PM

Yes, its pretty crazy that entire communities refer to anything carbonated as "coke", including pepsi.

the pop/soda/thing, i think is mostly a regional thing.

We call it pop here, but other places call it soda, and others call it soft drink.

The gas stations around here have Polar Pop too! 59 cents for a huge cup of toothrot.

It's honestly no different than referring to all cotton swabs as Q-tips, all video games as "Nintentdo" Xbox" etc. Sometimes a brand becomes so popular its name takes over as the general term for whatever product. By the way; we call everything Coke down here in Texas as well. It has just always been that way

Back on topic; I always thought it was Mar-e-o but I seem to recall someone saying mary-o just never sounded right to me.

Slate

03-23-2010, 01:22 PM

Some people pronounce "water" as: "wah-ter" some say "whuh-der" (I'm from Philladelphia, and I swear some folks say it that way).

Whudder? We're not talking about cows here, Yeesh. I usually don't care what people call something so long as I still know what they're talking about but that is confusing like the whole Coke thing or Nintendo thing. Even a five year old kid could tell a person that.

Aussie2B

03-23-2010, 03:33 PM

Emperor Megas

03-23-2010, 07:01 PM

By the way; we call everything Coke down here in Texas as well. It has just always been that wayYeah, my experience with that folly involved Texans. Although some of my older relatives from Texan might argue that it wasn't always the case there. Either way, it's so bizarre to me.

Eyedunno

03-23-2010, 07:02 PM

I say Mario like most people here seem to, unless I'm imitating a New Yawkah. I say soda, but that started when I was 11. I moved to Texas after living only in places where people said "pop" up to that point (Michigan, Montana, and North Dakota). Other kids made fun of me, but they themselves said "coke", even if it was Pepsi. I compromised by starting to say "soda", which stuck. :P

As for Ryu, it's technically neither Rye-you nor Ree-you; it's only one syllable (one syllable formed with two morae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mora_%28linguistics%29), if you want to get technical), kinda like "you", but preceded by a quick flick of the tongue on the alveolar ridge (the flesh right above the teeth). Think of it if you wish as kind of rhyming with "view", "cue", "pew", or the British pronunciation of "new". Not easy for English speakers to do, so even a lot of people who know it's not Rye-you say Ree-you. That wouldn't bother me so much if they accented the YOU, but usually they accent the REE, which just sounds dumb.

Dr. Dib

03-23-2010, 09:59 PM

The most official source confirms Ma-e-io: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8p0JKL1Y9Y

Watch at 2:34 and you can hear the argument come to a close.

Oobgarm

03-24-2010, 07:04 AM

I hate it when people say "Meeree-o"

It's more often than one would think

Mason P.

03-24-2010, 10:42 AM

I say it the way the creator Shigeru Miyamoto says it : Mar- E- O

You have to listen closely because he has a translator translating for him, but you can hear him say it clearly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW3MRqOUSaY

drwily008

03-24-2010, 11:10 AM

I have ALWAYS said it Mar-E-O....always.

I have worked in video game stores since the Jaguar was still sold at retail. Super Mary-O was ALWAYS a pet peeve of mine. Old women and some old men will call him that.

THEM: "Do you have the Mary-O brudders?"

ME: "Sure, Super Mar-e-o Brothers 3 right here." SMILING

People ask for anything Mario on Playstation and XBOX all of the time too. Like everyday...seriously.

gdement

03-25-2010, 08:10 AM

Mar-e-o or Mary-O, it doesn't matter to me, but it's when people say NES like "Ness" as in the Earthbound character rather than the individual letters that I fidget. I wouldn't be rude and "correct" anybody over it, but I do have to almost stop for a second and figure out what they're talking about it, it throws me off so much. Ditto for "Sness", although anybody pronouncing each letter in that case is over-complicating it. Just say "Super Nintendo" for goodness sake; it's not like it has the same confusion that saying only "Nintendo" would have.

I still like to call the NES "Nintendo" because I got used to that back when that was the common meaning of the word. I guess it's ambiguous nowadays to people who aren't used to that.
The SNES and later machines I call by their specific names, but the 8-bit is just a "Nintendo" to me, because that's what everybody called it back then.

I don't pronounce the initialisms, that just sounds stupid when people do that. :) Especially "Sness".

Damaramu

03-25-2010, 08:31 AM

Well, Rye-You = Rye-Ooh, I was just trying to find a good way to spell it out phonetically.

Except there's no "rye". Take the "roo" part from "kangaroo" and drop a "y" in right after the "r".

Also, "rye-den" instead of "ray-den"; "guy-den" instead of "gay-den".

For the latter, see this (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2007/11/05/how-to-say-ninja-gaiden-the-right-way-from-itagaki-san-himself/).