If [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] can be pronounced either mahr-LEEN or mahr-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-neh (per Marlene Dietrich) can [name_f]Arlene[/name_f] be pronounced ahr-LEEN or ahr-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-neh?
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I’ve only ever heard it pronounced Ar-leen, but if you don’t mind correcting everybody, either pronunciation is fine.
I don’t know. I didn’t realise [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] had two pronunciations. I thought it was just Mahr-LEEN and Are-LEEN.
I would say [name_f]Mar[/name_f]-leen and Ar-leen. For mar-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-neh I would spell it [name_f]Marlena[/name_f]. So I guess maybe [name_f]Arlena[/name_f] if you want ar-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-nuh. I’ve never heard of [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] pronounced mar-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]-neh, that looks like a weird misunderstanding of spelling to me.
If you’re a [name_m]German[/name_m] speaker, sure, otherwise I would switch the last e for an a to get ahr-lay-neh pronunciation.