Saint John or SIN-jin or SIN-jun?

Whenever I see a screen adaptation of Jane Eyre, the name of St. John, Jane’s cousin, is pronounced as one word. And I feel ignorant. It doesn’t match how I hear it in my mind. Why is it confusing for American audiences? Go to howjsay and enter “St. John” and you’ll hear the pronunciation in American and British English. But there are actually two ways to pronounce this British name: Wikipedia. So the next time you re-read Jane Eyre or read my upcoming re-release of Jane Rochester, you can decide if St. John is Saint John, SIN-jin or SIN-jun.  

 You can hear how the British say St. John in the clip below.

Photo Credit: Masterpiece Theatre