RadioactiveTurtle said:
I've always pronounced it 'The Escape-ist.'
But my friend today pronounced it 'The Es-Ca-Pist'
He's pronouncing it like it's related to "escapade" instead of "escape". Merriam-Webster [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escapist] to the rescue!
Or, for the lazy, have some WAV files: Escapade. [http://media.merriam-webster.com/soundc11/e/escapi02]
Tell your friend that "escapade" is a completely different word whose only relation to "escapist" is that they're doublets. They come from the same original word but took different paths to get here. They start as the Late Latin "cappa", meaning "hooded cloak", from which we also get "cape" and "cap" (but not "caper"). "Escape" and "escapist" come by way Old French. "Escapade" is via Spanish. It's why they sound different.