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Explanation: It may be that not everyone who has this name pronounces it the same way, but here is a video in which the name Alice Abracen is spoken. It's pronounced EIbrəsen.
The first syllable is stressed and the A is long, as in "may" (that's what my spelling 'eɪ is meant to represent).
In the second syllable, which is unstressed, the a is (naturally) a shwa: ə.
So the first two syllables are exactly as in "Abraham".
The last syllable has a soft c (like an s) and a clear e sound, so it's "sen" as in "senator".
And Google pronounces it "a-BRA-sen", with the accent on the second syllable. More or less like the Latin American pronunciation of the Spanish verb meaning "let them embrace". But where does that get us? Is there any reason to think this is how the name should be pronounced?
Go to Google Translate. In the left hand box click on English and then paste "Abracen"into the translation box. Click on the icon for speaker and you will hear an English pronunciation. You can do it for French and Portuguese, etc. also
Sorry, they don't seem like the right Jeff :) Anyway, judging by his first name, he won't be offended (I hope) if his last name was pronounced in "English" way. So, how would a native intuitively say it?
Jeff Abracen (jeffabracen) on Twitter https://twitter.com/jeffabracen Jeff Abracen @jeffabracen Idea Addict, Advertising Lover, and Creative Lead at Say Media. Montréal · saymedia.com
But it's not about native speakers — we don't even know what his native language might be, which might at least allow us to hazard a guess. Like I say, his phone number is freely available on the Internet, so why not just phone him and ask? I'm sure he'd be more than delighted to know someone cared enough about getting his name right.
As with so many names, people have their own pronunciations, often different between different families. As this gentleman seems to be from Canada, it is possible it might be pronounced with the nasalized FR -en sound; then again, there is some slim evidence to suggest there could be a Jewish connection, which might suggest yet another pronunciation.
Suggestion: why don't you phone the man and ask him?
Explanation: How would you pronounce this last name: Abracen?
Abracen => ab rah sin
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 53 mins (2013-12-18 22:01:48 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Abracen Family: Last Name Origin & Meaning - AncientFaces.com www.ancientfaces.com/surname/abracen-family-history/611314 Abracen family history; Abracen country of origin, nationality, & ethnicity; Abracen last name meaning & etymology; Abracen spelling & pronunciation.
airmailrpl Brazil Local time: 02:24 Native speaker of: English, Portuguese
Notes to answerer
Asker: OK, how would you intuitively pronounce it in an English speaking country?
1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): +3
name
'eɪ-brə-sen
Explanation: It may be that not everyone who has this name pronounces it the same way, but here is a video in which the name Alice Abracen is spoken. It's pronounced EIbrəsen.
The first syllable is stressed and the A is long, as in "may" (that's what my spelling 'eɪ is meant to represent).
In the second syllable, which is unstressed, the a is (naturally) a shwa: ə.
So the first two syllables are exactly as in "Abraham".
The last syllable has a soft c (like an s) and a clear e sound, so it's "sen" as in "senator".
