I've always thought that it must be pronounced like an "i"! Fran, by "i" do you mean the /ai/ sound as in the word "shire"? I've never heard it pronounced that way. Like Kooyeen, I think it is pronounced with a schwa most of the time. Here's a

How about organized by?

I never heard of this feature. I think this is what Michael Swan calls 'variable stress' in his Practical English Usage. Japanese has the stress on the last syllable when the word is spoken alone: JapanESE ; but when we say Japanese cooking,

I suppose the larger part of the egg is the bottom, no? But then, will it make any difference at all if you make the hole at the top instead?

All of them are fine. It's just a matter of US vs UK English I'd say.

Yes, MrP. I think she's very lovely. (feels like deja vu...)

But #2 (I think) would only relate to physical appearance. Absolutely with you, MrP, especially when the word very is pronounced long enough: I think she's veeeery lovely.

Yes, an is needed to make it equal.

Were you by any chance thinking of the word 'atmosphere' instead?

I think I hear people pronounce it /ru:t/ most of the time. /raut/ is probably the American variant.