Turandot

Is it tyoor–uhn–dot or tyoor–uhn–doh?

The princess Turandot (however you want to pronounce it) first appeared in a 12th–century Persian tale. Her name means "daughter of Turan" – Turan being a region of Central Asia. In Persian, it's apparently pronounced turan–dokht – i.e. not only is the final 'T' pronounced, but there's a 'K' sound before it.

Before I researched the subject for this note, I believed that tyoor–uhn–dot was right, and tyoor–uhn–doh was wrong. According to Wikipedia, however, Puccini didn't pronounce the final 'T'; neither did the Italian singer who created the role, nor the English diva Dame Eva Turner, "a prominent Turandot". However: Simonetta Puccini, the composer's grand–daughter and the keeper of the Villa Puccini and Mausoleum, has said that the final 'T' must be pronounced, as in Italian the name would be Turandotta. So it could be argued that either is correct; you pays your money and you takes your choice (except that you don't actually have to pay any money).

For what it's worth, all the evidence seems to me to suggest that the composer and the two divas were wrong, and I shall continue to say tyoor–uhn–dot.