Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Prison Letter of the Day | Sound Transit Will Study Ballard St… »

Friday, December 2, 2011

??!! / Celeb You Say Bay-YON-say, I Say Bee-YON-say

Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 12:58 PM

How the hell is a person supposed to correctly say Beyonce?

The first level of disagreement regards the matter of "Bay" or "Bee." Which is it?

And the second level is this: The Internet says we should emphasize the last syllable, but popular usage seems to emphasize the "Yon" rather than the "Say."

What say you?

Comments (21) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

All I know is that this is essential:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEr0BPOfV…

Best version of Single Ladies. Captain Jack!

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on December 2, 2011 at 1:09 PM

pregnance.

Posted by scary tyler moore

on December 2, 2011 at 1:16 PM

I have never heard anyone pronounce it Bay-yon-say. That's just terrible. The accent over the last e would technically make it beyon-SAY, but that is also terrible. I'm pretty sure the accent is just there so people know the e isn't silent. That leaves us with Be-YON-say.

Whichever you choose - and really, there is no wrong answer here - I think we can all agree that Beyonce is the worst name of all time.

Posted by blip on December 2, 2011 at 1:16 PM

It's bee-YON-say. I am from Houston; we're all taught this in school.

Posted by hereiswheremynamegoes on December 2, 2011 at 1:21 PM

I believe it's pronounced, goe-eld-digg-eng-ho from the original Norwegian.

Posted by pacnwjay on December 2, 2011 at 1:28 PM

BEE-yontz.

Posted by Zebes

on December 2, 2011 at 1:30 PM

Guarantee that inogolo.com saw the accent over the final e and interpreted it as a cue to put the emphasis on the last syllable.

Bee - YAWN - say.

Posted by bigyaz on December 2, 2011 at 1:33 PM

Am I the only one who pronounces the "Be" with a short "e"? More bih than bee?

Posted by keshmeshi on December 2, 2011 at 1:42 PM

As a poc, I guess I was lucky to be born with a plain name. We should pick up our pitchforks and go after her parents for having the audacity to be original.

Posted by Lllkj on December 2, 2011 at 1:48 PM

I say Mary J. puts her miles in the shade.

Posted by smade on December 2, 2011 at 1:53 PM

I pronounce it "who gives a shit?"

Posted by shaneleopard on December 2, 2011 at 2:19 PM

@11 you took the proper pronunciation right out of my mouth.

Posted by 6 on December 2, 2011 at 2:46 PM

I-DON'T-care.

Posted by N in Seattle

on December 2, 2011 at 2:57 PM

I knew a guy once who liked to drop the first e and lean on the o: b'yaaaahn-say.

Seems to me pronouncing it bay-ahn-SAY makes it a French verb or adjective. To say that someone is beyoncé (interestingly, this is in the masculine), would be to say that he has been beyonced, which I'm increasingly convinced is some kind of wall or window treatment.

Les fenêtres sont ici beyoncées de satin bleu.
The windows here are beyonced with blue satin.

Posted by MacCrocodile on December 2, 2011 at 3:10 PM

we call her 'b'..as in the letter. it don't matter , she ain't gonna pick up anyway.

Posted by reverend dr dj riz on December 2, 2011 at 3:11 PM

I've never heard anyone say bay-yon-say. That's wack.

Posted by genevieve on December 2, 2011 at 3:26 PM

@8 - No, not the only one.

B'YON-say

Posted by NaFun

on December 2, 2011 at 3:30 PM

I'm glad this came up, as all of you have it wrong (understandably): it's Italian, not French. Thus, bee-yon-CHAY. Rolls right off the tongue, and it's a very pretty name.

Posted by RL is too lazy to log in on December 2, 2011 at 3:56 PM

My French aunt pronounces it in a very French way I can't even represent fully. She says "bay-YON-zeh." And Jay-Z is "dzah-ZAY."

Posted by Max Power on December 2, 2011 at 4:30 PM