See? Zak haven’t learnt the lesson. Italians and English associate different sounds to the symbol “e”.
Zak starts with a bad mark…
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Ok, you asked for it…
(Sorry, this thread had not enough off-topic yet!)
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(stumbled a bit on the “batman”)
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You know, when you said “the cat sat on the mat” I heard the same “a” as in Zak 
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Yes, I used exactly the same “a”.
Ah ok! 
I thought, by reading so far, that “cat” has to be pronounced with a sound like… “dead”
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Probably in american english that’s slightly different.
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Yes, like Bari Italians, they put an “e” in place of “a”!
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Yes, it is.
So, which “e” was the right one for your name? The first or the second?
Hang on… 
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Admit it everybody. Before I uploaded my “podcast” last weekend where I say my own name, how many of you pronunced it wrong? I bet most put the primary stress on the second syllable instead of the first (which makes me mad, when people do that).
ME-lahn (with the “a” as in “barn”)
Well, now that I´ve heard it I personally see absolutly no reason why you shouldn´t! 
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I thought, if it were written in English: “mee-lan- farn-hole-tz”
Haha, no.
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It’s not, but it’s interesting that it apparently the [æ] comes down in the other direction for (some?) Italians. That being said, I wonder if it could partially just be the spelling?
https://soundcloud.com/user-548091080/on-the-ash
I slightly exaggerated the ash there.
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Uh, Uh, I did it right! I did it right!
I pronounced it wrong! Like “mill-AN”, with the “a” as in “cat”.
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This is how I pronounce Milan 
P. S. Forza Napoli Sempre, tiè! 
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That is right actually!
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Well, that is very easy for Italians. 
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Most germans are correct, too. Those who aren´t probably have never heard the name or even the word in any other context.