I’ve written extensively about ITA Airways, Italy’s new(ish) national airline (really just Alitalia with a different name). Anyway, while I’ve written out the name ”ITA Airways” a countless number of times, that doesn’t require actually pronouncing it. So imagine my surprise when I just learned that I’ve been saying it wrong all along…
Continue reading: Oops: I’ve Been Mispronouncing “ITA Airways”
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Some helpful context which might explain the ITA pronunciation:
In classical Latin, “ita” is an imperative verb meaning “go [somehwere]” and it can also mean “good job” or “correct..” Perhaps they chose to pronounce the acronym that way to give it a double entendre.
Gets even more complicated with SAS. Mostly pronounced S-A-S for English speakers, Norwegians pronounce it “SAS”…
You're not wrong to think this way...my partner and I were in Europe this past September and flew ITA FCO-MXP-FRA. Up until we got to FCO to check in, we had been pronouncing it I-T-A and then quickly realized it's "ee-tah". We immediately adjusted to the point that now, pronouncing it as I-T-A sounds clunky! At first I found that revelation "meh", but it does kind of sounds like you're beginning to say "Italia" which makes the name feel a little more Italian.
Funny that you mention EVA Air - as they're not even sure about themselves. While on international flights and in their safety video they usually pronounce it E-V-A, within Taiwan in my experience most people including staff will just say EVA (ee-vah) when talking English (of course in Chinese it's all different anyways). Also on some intra-Asian flights I've heard this "wrong" pronunciation which in my opinion sounds much nicer.
There’s precedent for this. The Japanese often refer to JAL as j-al rather than J. A. L.
Have you been pronouncing JAL and ANA correctly? Virtually all Japanese speakers would pronounce it “Jalu/Jaru”, not J-A-L. As for ANA it’s split between A-N-A and ANA. Some older folks would also call it “zen nikku”, which literally means all nippon airways before they shortened to ANA, I think they officially call themselves A-N-A however, since Ana means “hole” with slightly different intonation.
In Italian, the letter "I" is not pronounced like "eye" but rather like “i” in “marine” or “ee” in “see”.
So perhaps, if they are spelling it out, it may still sound like ee-tah when spoken fast?
There is what companies wants their product pronounced, and there is how most peple pronounce it. (see GIF)
I don't claimed to have heard every single person that's ever pronounced EVA, but I've personally only heard it pronounced “ee-vah Air”, in US or Taiwan.
As for SAS what's the official pronunciation?, seems like people in North America pronounce it "Es Eh Es", but when I lived in Sweden people just say "Sahs", so different depending on region?
What about ANA? "Eh En Eh"? "Anna"? I assume the former, but never flown them so no idea.
As for SWISS, I'm willing to bet no one says "ES Dubya Eye Es Es" 😀
LOT Polish? LATAM?
As for BRA, the Swedish domestic airline, even though it stands for Braathens Regional Aviation, it is difinitely pronounced like "bra" women's undergarment. "bra" means "good" in Swedish.
It's close but I don't think that's right -- i (singular) or ite (plural) is the imperative of eo. "Ita" is an adverb that sort of means so, thus, therefore, etc. -- most commonly, "Ita vero" meaning something like "truly so!" So I'm not sure there's really a Latin double entrendre here.
Fascinating. I've always assumed it was "Eva" and "eye-tea-ay." It's actually quite uncomfortable to say "eeveeayayr." On, but just to be clear, in "nasa" say the first "a" as in "apple," second "a" as in "father." By "nah-sah," you mean the "nah" of nope, opposite of yes, not "n" + "ahhhhh" (yes, irregular pronunciation is what happens when you codify spelling of a language 400+ years ago using another language's alphabet. Any sane approach would have created more than five letters for the vowels of English)
I always pronounced ITA correctly.
As in “ITAlia”. It’s an acronym- Italia Trasporto Aereo
I’ve never heard anyone say E-V-A, including employees. It is also an acronym and stands for Evergreen Airways.
Then again, what about QANTAS?
In Italy we pronounce the majority of our acronyms as words and not individual letters. Maybe in the US it's the opposite.
I've always pronounced Qatar the way they say it in their safety video. Practically "cat-tar". https://youtu.be/nnXq50BGiws
I'm told it's actually supposed to be more like "cutter".
Still not sure.
But I did know "ee-tah" from my trip last year.
I’m with ya. Always thought it was “I-T-A” and have always said “ee-VAH”. Oh for 2!
I'm glad you included the comment on EVA as I made that mistake too. I long-pronounced it 'ee-vah' until I actually flew it and heard the flight attendant announcements consistently say "E-V-A". Its the same with ANA too btw. I tend to say "Ah-nah" but when you actually fly them, they consistently use "A-N-A", never "Ah-nah".
All my Nordic friends refer to it as 'Sas' (one syllable) rather than 'S-A-S'. Indeed this seems to be common in a lot of places outside of the US (or English-speaking world).
Ha. I was just corrected by a colleague on this yesterday. I assumed it was “I-T-A” as well. Though, there’s no logic to it for me because I’ve always called EVA “Eva”.
For ITA, initially I also read alphabetically as I-T-A. But then when I went to my base airport (LHR), the announcement was made as ee-tah, so I changed. Having thought about it, and you also hinted in your article, if we pronounced it alphabetically it would be different in each language. Given the airline’s home country being Italy, to pronounce alphabetically in Italian would be ee-tee-ah. And that would also vary in other European countries. So, I reckon ee-tah is right and more appropriate, and it shouldn’t create any speech impediments in any languages either.
As for EVA, I’m quite certain that the airline marketed itself in many Asian countries as E-V-A, but people often thought ee-va is just easier.
After years of effort I was finally able to teach myself that Japan Airlines is J-A-L and not ‘Jal’ (rhyming with ‘Pal’) — though I’m not sure what the Japanese pronounce it like — and that Los Angeles is L-A-X and not ‘lax’ meaning ‘loose’. But I’ve never had trouble pronouncing S-A-S, A-N-A and probably E-V-A.
Airport codes are a different story, particularly those formed from the first three letters of the city. Mostly I tend to pronounce them as separate letters, especially those ending with D, like A-D-D, B-U-D, H-Y-D, J-E-D, L-A-D, M-A-D and S-Y-D. Similarly for many others I say I-S-T, F-R-A, A-M-S, B-R-U, D-O-H, A-T-H, P-E-R and so on. But some codes I invariably tend to pronounce as words: Hel, Del, Mel, Sin, Bom, Han, Bos, Dub and even Kix. Why this is the case is simply beyond me, and there seems to be no apparent rhyme or reason!
LOL, I don't speak German but I hope someday lufthansa becomes L-U-F-T-H-A-N-S-A.
It trades as ita, but the company is called I.T.A, so its pronounced ita. If it traded as I.T.A, it would be pronounced I.T.A.
Surely the corrent pronounciation of qantas with no u is cantas, which is very similar to what a lot of australians describe that airline as anyway 😀
I think it’s pronounced Ita, because many think it is a short version of Italy or Italia. In contrast, EVA used to be Evergreen Airways, i.e. the A stands clearly for a second word. Yes, agree that nordic people say Sas, contrary to that logic …
In the Airlines word you have to speak lots of languages , I speak 6 for ITA s for me pronunciation the correct way was natural for me , as same as Air France , Lufthansa, Swiss, Iberia all pronounced differently by the locals .
A related fun fact. Some comments have referred to acronyms. Formally an abbreviation of the first letters of some name is an initialism IRS is an example of an initialism. An acronym is initialism that can be pronounced as a word of its own eg RADAR. It's interesting when the public decides to make initialism into an acronym --SAS is good example. And then there are initialisms that could easily be pronounced as an acronym but never do -- World Health Organization (WHO)
I'm from Sweden and while I say "SAS" in Swedish (as does everyone I know an airline employees), in English we say "S-A-S". I think it comes down to linguistics (and since ITA is related to/play on words of "Italia" it makes sense")
A related fun facts.
How much tax payer money does it cost to hire people to think of 'initialism'.
The recent "Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors" or "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security" comes to mind.
And the GOAT will always be "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism"
Maybe we need to vote for a spelling bee winner to run the country.
The defunct Ecuadorian airline SAETA had a clever solution for this. The name stood for "Sociedad Anonima Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aereos," but the word "saeta" was also Spanish for "arrow."
So everyone just pronounced it "saeta." And yes, the airline's tailfin logo was an arrow.
Initialism in government is a particularly American thing, not much present elsewhere. I think it’s immature personally to have a double meaning with initials when conducting public policy. It’s not a game, it’s important public business. But regardless ITA is supposed to hint at “Italia” which is why it’s pronounced the way it is. EVA and ANA aren’t viable comparisons because those initials don’t make up part of a larger word that has meaning. I’m not sure about JAL though.
"Ironically my brain still naturally wants to pronounce the Italian airline as “I-T-A” and the Taiwanese airline as “ee-vah,” but I’d be wrong on both fronts."
Agreed - my brain too!
Regarding ITA, why did you feel the need to check the correct information from a “contract worker”?
I have always pronounced ITA as ee-tah
Just as Alitalia is Ah-l-ee-tah-lia
And Italia ee-tah-lia.
Used EVA probably 10 flights and was really never certain as you hear it both ways. So I kind of mumbled it. Or said Evergreen, which is also probably incorrect as they operate a cargo air under Evergreen (I think). It's embarrassing now as I confess this because I do enjoy the airline.
Ben, italian here.
The assistant was right, it's eeeeeh-tah, like Italian, not I-T-A.
That's how we pronounced it here in Italy, but I think it's fair to accept an ITA with English accent, it's not so implied in the name.
ps. I'm so curious about your experience, I've yet to fly the ""new old"" Alitalia
EVA - evergreen airlines. ANA - all nippon airways. JAL Japan air lines
Qantas - Queensland and Northern Territory Arial services.
KLM - koninklijke luchtvaart maatschappij
Americans very often pronounce names incorrectly. Uou hear accents differently. It was a given that ITA was e-ta. I work on the international tennis circuit and Americans are the only ones who pronounce Djokovic as Jokervich. Its jock-ker-vich as the rest of the world says. Former Australian player Dellaqua is del-lac-wa, Americans say del-la-qua. It's Melbin for Melbourne, not Mel-born, etc
Interesting, I’ve always said “Ee-tah” &, like you, “Ee-vah Air”.
Also, sorry to nitpick, but the official name for EVA Air is “E-V-A Airways” 😉
A few other pronunciations:
Japan Air Lines: JAL, one syllable
All Nippon Airways: for some reason I say both “ANA” and “A-N-A”.
SAS: SAS, one syllable
Qatar: Cat-tar.
I had assumed "I-T-A" only because I thought "Eetah" sounded silly. But when I flew them a couple weeks back I heard the crew - all wearing Alitalia uniforms - using "Eetah," and so it goes.
I think it's quite clear how they wanted it to be pronounced, since it's the first letters of the country's name. It always seemed to me like a marketing gag (If you don't get what that is, we use this term quite commonly in German.)
Don't go to the ANA HQ and pronounce it as one word, that is frowned upon. It is pronounced as the three letters A-N-A.
Which is also what you will hear in safety videos and any announcements from their crews. Though they will probably not go as far as ITA to correct a customer. But you never know....
JAL is indeed supposed to be one syllable.
JAL is pronounced as one word, rhyming with pal. So you can start retraining yourself.... 🙂
I'm more curious if I'm the only one that is curious why you'd say the name of the Airline at the checkin counter. I never reference American Airlines when I approach their agents. Am I doing it wrong?
Spent 17+ years in Asia and everyone called it Eva, not E-V-A. The only time I really hear E-V-A is on the safety video and scripted inflight announcements. I would say the majority employees say Eva as well.
I always pronounced it "Eva" and "Ita", and SAS as "sah-s" (which is funny to me because in my native language of Urdu, that means "mother in-law". Whenever I see a SAS plane, I love saying to my mom, "hey look, its your sas"). Even if it is pronounced "I.T.A.", I'll still call it "Ita" because it sounds better and it's the first half of "Italia", so that pronounciation would make sense. I do the same with EVA Air, "Eva Air" sounds much better, so I pronounce it that way in my head.
"Cat-tar" is the way I've heard English speakers reference it, and it seems to be the way it's pronounced in their safety video (the correct way would actually be "ca-tar", with the t in the second syllable, and say it fast to make it sound better). But in Arabic, the Q is a deep "C" sound you make with your throat (which is hard for native English speakers to say).
You might refer to your airline being dropped off by a service. Or booking through an agent
It’s how we Italians would pronunce it!
Italia (Italy) phonetically speaking is pronunced E-ta-li-a (and not “I as in English I - Talia”).
So it’s like saying Italian airways but cutting the Lian.
To us Italians it works, it’s not too far of from “Alitalia” (a much better name for sure which ITa actually bought in late 2021 as a brand name and doesn’t use).
As a LH Senator I do hope the acquisition works
Would have preferred the historical KLM deal (being AF Platinun it makes little difference!)
But the days when Alitalia soard (80s) are well gone
Pity we in Milan have an amazing airport with no carrier
We must remember the romanization of many languages can differ. Hence with Eva and it's acceptance.
"ITA" is short for "Italia Transporto Aereo".
And Italians would pronounce their homeland Italia, as "Ee-tal-ya"
I'm based in Asia-Pacific. What you say about local pronunciation is accurate. I've only heard it pronounced as one word Eva (ee-vah) or Eva Air. I can't recall hearing anyone say E-V-A or E-V-A Air.
Does this really require an entire article?!?!?!
I don't think how you say an airline's name affects my points and miles strategy
There is an important distinction in the EVA Air case. Locals all use the Chinese name, "Chang Rong", which translates to Evergreen. If you say "Eeh-vah" Air or "Ay-vah" Air, there is less of a chance locals understand what you are saying. Taiwan has a wide range of English proficiency, but most people at least know the English alphabet no matter how old or rural.
Therefore, spelling out "E-V-A" in conversation gives everyone here the best chance understanding you.
All that said, I've never listened carefully to the English portion of the flight attendant or captain's broadcast during a flight. Next time I'll remember this post and listen for the "E-V-A" vs "Eeh-vah".
Taiwanese is pronouncing it EVA (ee-vah), just like ITA. I think it makes sense since EVA Air is owned by Evergreen Group, so pronouncing it (ee-vah) makes a lot of sense. I've never heard anyone pronouncing it E-V-A, ever!
I'm based in Taiwan and have to say locals refer to EVA as ee-vee-aa (Which sounds great btw).
Once in a while you might hear someone use Ee-va (as the airline is referred to in HK for example). but never heard E-V-A.
Why would a contract worker not know how to pronounce the name of the company they work for?
Crazy comment.
@Lucky : just ask ANYONE from Taiwan, and they would tell you it’s “ee-vah air”
I mean QANTAS is an acronym too but no one pronounces it letter by letter.
“KLM” is a different story though. The underlying Dutch is hella long, and it lacks an actual vowel in its initials.
Funny side bit - The “Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Services” has neither their largest nor second largest hub in either Queensland or NT. What an oxymoron indeed.
It's normal for acronyms in Italy to be pronounced like this, and ITA is a common way of signalling italy and is ofton compounded with other words.
Only American's say "I-talian", most of the world speaks proper English and calls it "It-alian".
Yeah exactly what I am saying. I always hear them say it in Chinese ‘ 長榮’ which is Chang Rong.
Their aircraft used to have "Zenniku" in Kanji written on their aircraft. I read somewhere that they removed it after Chinese people started to travel more because "全日空" means "All Day Empty" in Chinese. Not a good advertisement for them.
For some reason I dreamed about a PIA aircraft tonight. Well, you should not interpret dreams, but the link was clear.
I always pronounced it Pia, like a female name. Is P-I-A right?
Actually, I shared exactly the same mistakes. EVA Air was Eva Air. Again, a female name and not E-V-A. I guess the way you pronounce it is driven by sounds you are familiar with while being unaware of it.
Does this really require an entire comment?!?!?!
I don't think what you say in a blog comment affects his blogging enjoyment and monetization strategy
Never fails. There’s got to be at least 1 troll or 1 individual who has to spew out something negative to say. It makes me appreciate my life more that I don’t have a need to exhibit such a behaviour. Life is way too short!
It is pronounce eeh-tah because in Italian the vowel "I" is pronounced as a long "E" in English or eeh. Also an "A" in Italian is pronounced as a short "A" as in ah. T is pronounced as a T so there you have it:
ITA is pronounces as two syllables eeh-tah!
As an Italian I thought it was quite stupid to name the carrier ITA, and even worse to add the word airways after it. The word airways means the same as trasporto aereo (the TA in ITA) so it’s redundant. But as you say, foreigners would likely be confused as your comment points out.
However, this isn’t the first carrier which uses a TLA (three letter acronym) for its name. TAP and LOT come to mind in addition to the ones already mentioned. And they both have a meaning in their native languages. I still prefer the Alitalia brand and hope it comes back after the LH purchase happens.
Only super uneducated Americans would say I-talian. Not a sign of worldliness…
Funny informative post.. Because as a native Spanish speaker the only natural way for me to call it was ee-tah..
But on the other side, I was today years old when I learned how to correctly call E-V-A Air (it was ee-vah until today!), and to add embarrassment, I have a longtime friend from my small hometown in Venezuela working as far as Taiwan with E-V-A! Thank you!.
In Italian, the letter "E" is pronounced like we would pronounce the letter "I". And the letter "I" is pronounced as we would say "E".
Thanks to both for the insights.
It's interesting how ANA is pronounced "A-N-A" while JAL is one syllable, considering how they're both acronyms.
Indeed. Italian pronounces acronyms like words. Many Italians will refer to the University UCLA as "ookla". If they want the letters to be spelled out, they write the full pronunciation. For example, if I wanted to name my company after someone with the initials SM, I would call it Esse Emme.
Thus if you see the abbreviation FF.SS., you don't say Effe effe esse esse, but Ferrovie dello Stato. Easy, huh?
Why so surprised. Italy is pronounced ’Eetalia’ so why wouldn’t ITA be pronounced ‘Ee-ta’.
Esatto cazzo !!!! Malpensa dovrebbe essere il primo hub europeo. Altroche Fiumicino. Comunque speravo in ITA-AF-KLM ma purtroppo è finito male.