"I had a tendancy to pronounce it as if it were latin as mentioned above, albeit in my head as I don't have any one to discuss hostas with verbally" LOL Boy oh boy, Denis, me either, for the most part... : ( My neighbor, yes, but he says "Krossa Wriggle" and "Wriggle Stannard" so I don't freaking know... Don B.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to give my input. In central Mississippi, we have a grocery store chain called Krogers. They sell a brand of sauce called Dave's Insanity Sauce, and one of the flavors was ghost pepper. On the list of ingredients, the first one was the Naga Jolokia pepper. The label also included a warning section for those with heart or respiratory conditions, and it also lists the hot sauce as a great industrial cleaner.

I have heard both pronunciations used on You Tube videos.. Use whichever one comes more naturally to you, I say.

I guess I'll continue to pronounce it with emphasis on the first syllable until someone corrects me.