Reply To: ea contraction
Oh what the heck. I'll go with the non-respect thing. Respect is a thing to be earned. I dislike being given a reason to doubt myself by someone who is not qualified to do that.
As I said, I do like learning new things. Webster's New Collegiate Fifth Edition (the latest, just bought it) gives both pronunciations with LEE-ah first. The first pronunciation is usually the one that is preferred. That's why it's first.
--Joanna