Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

I didn't hear the show, but I know the two pronunciations I use.   The first one is the Americanized version, and I've used it most of my life; using that pronunciation, to pay homage to someone is either formally to bow before an important person—a monarch, a prince or some such—or informally to show one's admiration by speaking or writing praise about him.   Come to think of it, you can pay homage to a principle, too, though not as often.

The second pronunciation, the French pronunciation, I didn't hear until the '80s or '90s, and it's mostly in the arts.   In theatre, for example, they may say that such-and-such a play is an homage to another playwright, actor or script.   And there's a popular science-fiction series written by David Weber about a space navy in the far future; the central character is named Honor Harrington, and both her name and several things about her personality are an homage (French pronunciation) to Horatio Hornblower, the central character in a similar series by C S Forrester about the naval wars between France and the rest of Europe a couple centuries ago.

So the way I'm used to using the word, I "pay /'am@dZ/ to" someone, or something I do is an /o'maZ/ to someone or something.   That's using the IPA adapted to ASCII, which is less well known but easier to type in discussions like this.