Read

[ymnisky]

We know the word 'read' may have two different pronunciations.

For instance the simple present form 'read' is pronounced \ˈrēd\ whilst the simple past form 'read' is pronounced \ˈred\ (just like the color 'red').

However my question is the following:
How should one pronounce 'Read' as a proper noun?
As the surname 'Read' in 'P. P. Read' for example?

PS Feel free to correct any mistakes in this post

[orangutan]

Originally Posted by ymnisky

We know the word 'read' may have two different pronunciations.

For instance the simple present form 'read' is pronounced \ˈrēd\ whilst the simple past form 'read' is pronounced \ˈred\ (just like the color 'red').

However my question is the following:
How should one pronounce 'Read' as a proper noun?

As in "a good read"? [ri:d], as in the present tense / infinitive of the verb.

As the surname 'Read' in 'P. P. Read' for example?

The same - [ri:d].

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by orangutan

As in "a good read"? [ri:d], as in the present tense / infinitive of the verb.

The same - [ri:d].

Yes, unless it is /red/.
The name Ready would /redi/, with the proviso that it could be /ri:di/, and possibly something else like /ri:eIdi:/, or /reI/ with a silent 'd'.

Names are not always pronounced as one would like.
I've known three Steins - /staIn/, /steIn/ and /sti:n/. (Not to mention /shteIn/)

[ymnisky]

To be a little more specific, how is the last name of the British novelist Piers Paul Read pronounced? I guess to decide on such matter one could rely only on the family members information, right?

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by ymnisky

To be a little more specific, how is the last name of the British novelist Piers Paul Read pronounced? I guess to decide on such matter one could rely only on the family members information, right?

Yes, it would to know how his father and son pronounce their names, if that's what you mean.
You could check Wikipedia, but that seems to offer pronunciation for non-English-sounding names only. What I do (and I've had to do a lot of this, calling out patients' names to come in) is pronounce it in the most common way (the least marked), and wait to be corrected. In this case, I'd go with /ri:d/ as the bare infinitive.