In Castillian Spanish "I" is always pronounced somewhere between "I" as in the english "fish" or "ee" as in the english "feed" so "ee-beetha" is good.

I think in Britain its an accent thing - in the south they say eyebiza and in the north we say eebiza

My family all say eyebeetha and we are all from the north.

So it's not pronounced Eeveetha then?

Thats the one

Just call it the White Isle! That's easier!

Now is that I'll or Izzle?

Now is that I'll or Izzle?

Maybe we should just call it, "that big rock that we all like in the med!"

We meet up every year in Ibiza with a family who fly from Luton and we fly from Bradford.
My kids crack up when they say Eye-biza.
I am confused myself.
They say Eye-biza as in Eyeball and we say I-biza as in India-now you wouldnt sat Eye-ndia would you?
I say we shouldn't change its name from how the Spanish would call it (Eivissa-so long as we can pronounce it correctly!)
I am Sharon not Sarhan! Get me? Why change it for us English anyway?

I have noticed that even on TV travel programs it is pronounced both ways.
We do say eyerland though not I-rland, though words that begin with an I are not usually pronounced eye.The English change the pronunciation and/or spelling of a lot of place names. Paris for example, Munich (Muenchen in German) Majorca for Mallorca so why not Ibiza.

I work at school and we had a volunteer from Madrid doing a year at an English school to learn the language before she went on to teach it herself after training.
She was very impressed when I said Madrid the way the Spanish do
(ma-dreed) i would have found it funny if she had said Bradford in a Yorkshire accent (Bradfud!!)

Back to your Ireland Judith.
Its all about the magic E in that one...thats when the I sounds like an EYE!
So how does it work with island???
Give me Spanish anyday, at least there once you learn how to pronounce each letter they stay the same, but even then the north say it different than the south etc.
Ours change at the drop of a hat no matter what the accent,the English language is so complicating.
Sometimes I have to explain to kids at school about certain spellings or the way they are pronounced and I havent the foggiest myself!!!

Hi Sharon

You are right about the English language being complicated. I live in Germany and have taught English over the last few years. Try explaining just the different ways of pronouncing I (apart from the magic e as you mentioned) Icon, Icy or Ictus no rules at all.

But then there are all the hundreds of tourists in Footie tops who come from Ingerland!

ha ha my kids are laughing!!
How true!!
we are coming up with all sorts now!!
After all this i have only just realised that Ibiza has a Z in it but we say
Ibeetha!
God I am cracking up with this language now!

Its definitely to do with the Castillian dialiect. Do you say Marbella or Marbeya? Is it Majorca or Mallorca? The list is endless!!!!

I make balearicjobs right stick with Isla Blanca!!!!

Talk about English being difficult !!

How about "ough" ??

Bough
Cough
Though
Through
Thought
...

I think your all right!

"I" is for Ibiza!
I run a kids club in Bradford in the summer hols.
We all have to wear the same coloured T-shirts.
We bought some bargains from Matalan.
ADIDAS ones.
Yet again the "I" came in to play as one of the Mums paying for her kids said......
"you are all co-ordinated in your A-dee-dass tops"(dee as in DEEP)
I couldnt help but joke and say "Do you mean ADD-I-DASS?"(I as in it)
Who is saying it correctly?

Got me thinking but is it ?.......
Nike as in rhymes with SPIKE
or is it
Nike as in SPIKEY?

Well confused!!