Milka or Milka?

So, alright... since I’m assuming everyone here is pretty much an American, I wanted to pick your brains on something. A buddy of mine—well, he's an American living over in the Midwest—actually called me a total hillbilly just because I said "Milka" (you know, with a short 'i', sort of like how you'd say "milk" but with an 'a' at the end)... instead of how he insists it *has* to be pronounced, "MIIILKA," with those long, drawn-out vowels. So, after I sent him about a million different ads in various languages—including the original German ones—where they clearly use a short 'i', he just lost it... claiming he heard people on American national news saying it's "mIIILka" and that in his version of American English, it’s supposed to be "MIIIILKA," not "MILKA."

Now I'm genuinely curious... is this specific way of speaking always some weird exception to the rest of the world, or is my friend just stuck in some tiny, outdated bubble in his small town? Honestly, I haven't heard a single person on any TV network ever say "MIIILKA"... though maybe I just missed it...

Accents aren't just about how long a vowel is; they're about the pitch, whether it's rising or falling. Because of that, there's no way anyone can actually hear the difference between "Milka" and some drawn-out version of it just by looking at it on a screen.

Since the brand name Milka actually has German roots, the pronunciation should be quick and snappy.
But when you're talking about the female name in America, people tend to stretch out those vowels depending on their regional accent!

Why on earth would the American language be some special exception to the rules of the rest of the world?
"Milk" and "Milka" aren't even remotely the same thing—one's a product and the other's a person's name.
It’s pretty obvious this point completely flew over your friend's head!

I pronounce it with a long 'I', but honestly, if someone says it differently, it's not the end of the world. 😁

off-topic:
placidjackal36, that avatar... it's from Daneboe's "Marshmallow murder" video. Did you pick it because you thought the image was funny, or are you actually a fan of Daneboe's stuff? I'm a huge fan myself, so if you follow his work, we should definitely swap thoughts on it. 👍

It isn't Miiiiiiiiiiiilka; I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce it that way before.
It's Milka, short and simple.

Michelle White96 said:It's not Milka. I've never heard anyone pronounce it like that...
Just Milka. Short and sweet.

Alright, but rising or falling? I honestly don't get how someone can "hear" a word just by you typing it out and asking if the emphasis is short or long.🤷😕

Yeah, originally it’s a short-falling inflection. But that sounds incredibly German, and in my life, I’ve never heard an American say it like that, regardless of where they're from.
Now, I have heard a long-falling one. Not like a marathon, but you can clearly hear the length and the drop in tone.

And I’ve heard a long-rising one, usually from some old ladies back in rural Tennessee. That’s about it.

Sorry for going off-topic here, but placidjackal36, please clear out your inbox. It's completely full and I can't even send you a reply. 😁

Could you maybe emphasize that 'a' at the end with an apostrophe? Just to make Marilyn Monroe sound more melodic 🙂 🤣🤣