What is the correct pronunciation of Diwali?

[Loosehead]

I'm pretty sure it's not the Gerrman W ie V but people here insist it's Divalli! Thanks

[craft1948]

The people I worked with who celebrated it pronounced to Doowahli

[bibblebub]

Chambers online gives it both ways http://www.chambersha...tle=21st&query=Diwali

[society]

D - valley. This is what I was taught in school. Although all the old folk I hear say it, says D - wally.

[daffy654]

I have always pronounced it with a V. I was born and brought up in Leicester where Diwali is a very big celebration and we were taught to say it as Divali.

[craft1948]

http://www.howjsay.co...=diwali&submit=Submit

[anotheoldgit]

Was this on the news?

[Davethedog]

We have Hindu friends and they pronounce it the way that Daffy says

[Loosehead]

Ok well I always went with the Doowally version. Sticking with the tradition that all Englishmen must mis pronounce foriegn words! Thanks all DeeValley it is!

[Davethedog]

its not valley its divali - Dee vaalii

[society]

I know, I was just trying to convey the pronunciation :-)

[ABerrant]

I stand to be corrected but I believe there is no (transliterated) 'w' in Hindi or Urdu except for loan words. Other languages in that family may mutate sounds for similar words just as may be found amongst dialects of English.

Diwali (or Divali) is a contraction of Deepavali.

Some sound mutation may be due to the presence of Brits in the Indian subcontinent when the Empire was flourishing, e.g. wallah may be a commonly known 'Indian' term however it derives from the Hindi/Urdu suffix -vala, denoting a person involved in a specific activity.

[Halifaxmum]

My daughter went to primary school in Bradford - her teacher always celebrated it and called it di-var-li

[sophie_1003]

My friend who is Sikh pronounces it Di (short i)-var-lee, I mentioned this thread to her and she was very confused about the Doo pronunciation but maybe it depends on where you're from (her family is from India)