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[Opinions] Re: Davina
in reply to a message by Evey
I like the name Davina. I'd only ever thought of it with the dah-VEEN-ah pronunciation. I don't dislike the DAV-ihn-ah pronunciation, but I do think that it would probably engender the response, "They don't know how to pronounce that name." Also I wonder how many people would keep pronouncing it dah-VEEN-ah even though they were told that it was DAV-ihn-ah. I know I keep saying things like that, for instance I've told people that it would be hard to get others to use the French pronunciation for Genevieve, but in my experience, people are like that. My mother-in-law is from Belgium originally and her name is Anny. In Belgium the initial syllable is pronounced as if you were at the doctor and he wanted to look at your throat and told you to say "Ah." (Sorry, couldn't think of any other way to explain it.) But Americans insist on pronouncing her name just like Annie, as in Little Orphan Annie, and she has never been able to get them to do otherwise.
I once knew a woman whose daughter was named Davina, but she was always called "Davy." I like Davina, but didn't care at all for that nickname. But then I don't like boyish names on girls. I honestly couldn't say if the nn would be inescapable or not, as I think she preferred that nickname.
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