As an American I have also never come across anyone who would pronounce this word as âepic.â And if weâre going to use pedigree, I actually use language, both written and spoken, as an actual tool (working with actors and screenwriters) on a daily basis.
There may be some dialects in American English that might slide closer to sounding like eh-puck but thatâs not going to be common.
For instance Deicide. It can be pronounced DEE-ah-cide but equally as common is DAY-ah-cide. And there are probably others.
Correct english as a âlivingâ language is governed by its most common usage. So to claim something is the âcorrectâ usage youâd have to know what is most common. More apt might be a suggestion that this word is USUALLY pronounced âthisâ way when Iâve heard it.
And when itâs a non-native language speaker all bets are off as they are most likely still getting a hold of how form various sounds, like speaking Spanish without knowing how to roll your 'râs. Heck even amongst âEnglishâ speakers you find a variety of âstrangeâ sounds. Try pronouncing Siobhan. 