(***) Cheney

Question

A question for the American readers: how is the surname of vice-president Cheney commonly pronounced in the United States?
According to the pronunciation dictionaries that I've consulted, the surname Cheney can have two different pronunciations: some people with this surname call themselves "chèini" (with "èi" as in "grey"), others say "chìini" (with a long "ìi" as in "cheap").
Do you know how he pronounces himself? And, if you don't, do you know how he's commonly referred to?
Thank you very much for your answers.

Haoqide · Accepted Answer

I'm not sure how he pronounces it himself, but I always hear it pronounced the first way, as in "grey", by news people and almost everybody else.

Jack-in-the-box · Answer

Thank you for your answer.
But I've just been surfing on the net, and here's what I've found:

1) " Cheney: Pronunciation doesn't matter
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- *** Cheney has been in the news for years now, and reporters still aren't certain how to get the name right.
Is it "Cheeney" or "Chainey" or Mr. Vice President?
"Cheney is fine," the Republican vice presidential nominee said Tuesday, referring to the "Chain-ey" pronunciation.
"It's close enough," he said. "If you guys get that right, I'll be happy."
A reporter had asked Cheney how to pronounce his last name.
"How do I pronounce my last name and how do I want you to pronounce it? Well, the family's always said Cheney with an 'e' and that was especially true out West growing up," he said. "I find, when I came East, that the tendency was to say Cheney with an "a". I'll respond to either. It really doesn't matter." "

(http://quest.cjonline.com/stories/120500/gen_1206004856.shtml)

2) Cheney's " name, incidentally, is, according to his wife, mispronounced by the media and the nation - "ChEEney," she said in an interview I heard, "Like trEE." "

(http://www.cuke.com/digressions/saintstupid.html)

3) "Actually, the pronunciation guide [of an on-line encyclopedia] was right. He DOES pronounce it Cheeney. Nobody gets it right. RickK 21:37, Jun 26, 2004."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:TreyHarris)

4) " Although most of the public and press pronounce it "Chainey," some
purists say the surname of the Wyoming native should be pronounced "Cheeney." "

(http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/NEWS/indexMontgomery.htm)

I don't agree with Cheney: pronunciation matters! Everybody should respect his own surname, which is part of his tradition and identity.
And, the pronunciation "chìi-" is not simply the opinion of "some purists" (?!): it's (or it seems to be) how the Cheneys have always said.
So, "chììni", it is.

Haoqide · Answer

Heheh, great!  Now we both know!  However, I'll continue pronouncing it the same because I feel weird saying "Cheeney"  hehe

Crystalcz · Answer

I'm so glad that there are people interested in this topic.  My former last name "Cheney" has always been mispronounced.  I one saw an interview of the wife of the Vice President and she very clearly pronounced Cheney with a long “e”.  I don’t think that people intend to be disrespectful, they just don’t pay attention to what or how they say things

Anonymous · Answer

being a Cheney, i can tell you it is pronounced Chee-nee . This drives me batty when listening to NPR and the half-wits reading the news can't even go back and listen to the inaugural ceremony where he correctly pronounced his own name. Something of note is that there is a name "Chaney" as well. Obviously that would be pronounced Chay-nee.

Cheers!

Anonymous · Answer

its pronounced cheney as in the ey in grey....its french
i

Anonymous · Answer

I heard him quoted once that his name is pronounced CHEE-NEE like the city in Washington state of the same name.

As to the question of how this man is commonly referred to, there are many ways: evil, monster, snake, greedy *******, and so on.

Anonymous · Answer

People have pronounced it for most of his tenure as "Cheney" with the "grey" pronunication. One political commentator (Chis Matthews from Hardball") gives it the long "ii" pronunication and says that is they way Cheney himself said it should be pronounced.

Anonymous · Answer

I my broadcasting classes, I teach that the proper pronunciation of family names is determined by the family, or at least by family members. So, if most of yoru family pronounced your name "Cheeny" and you wanted to pronounce it "Chainy," you could do so. Your family might not like it, but it isn't up to anyone else to like or dislike it - it is YOUR name.

The problem here seems to be that **** Cheyney never said what HE preferred. I suppose it's a legitimate political strategy to say, in effect, "my name will be what the publiic wants it to be," and the confusion generated (everyone wondering "Am I right?") can just help the recognition factor, it seems to me that it indicates someone who is passive (not what we think of our ex-VP!) or someonewho is so secret he doesn't want to reveal his name (in many primitive cultures, if your enemy learned your true name, they had power over you!) hmmmm.... 'nuff said

(***) Cheney

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