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Help[Facts] Talia and Thalia
I like the name Talia (pron. TAH-lee-a), and until recently believed it to be a different form of Thalia, the name for the Greek muse of comedy and pastoral poetry (which I assumed was pronounced the same way). Now I have found out that while Talia has several sources,
(1. Short for Italia
2. Short for Natalia
3. A Hebrew name meaning 'dew from God')
it is not related to Thalia, which seems to be pronounced differently. I've heard of several different pronunciations of Thalia, "Tha-lye-a", "Thay-lee-a" and "tha-LEE-a", none of which appeal to me. I also dislike the Thalia spelling. However, one of Talia's main attractions to me was the apparent link to the Greek muse.
So... Have you ever heard Thalia pronounced "TAH-lee-a"? Is there any reason to see a link between the two names, beyond wishful thinking?
(1. Short for Italia
2. Short for Natalia
3. A Hebrew name meaning 'dew from God')
it is not related to Thalia, which seems to be pronounced differently. I've heard of several different pronunciations of Thalia, "Tha-lye-a", "Thay-lee-a" and "tha-LEE-a", none of which appeal to me. I also dislike the Thalia spelling. However, one of Talia's main attractions to me was the apparent link to the Greek muse.
So... Have you ever heard Thalia pronounced "TAH-lee-a"? Is there any reason to see a link between the two names, beyond wishful thinking?
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Replies
Most languages, such as Latin, have no phoneme corresponding to Greek theta, so there there are several alternate ways of pronouncing it. Even in some Greek dialects it was fronted to /f/, but it can also be altered to the corresponding stops /t/ and /d/, or shifted back to /s/ and /z/ or /ʃ/(fishin') and /ʒ/ (vision). Although Spanish has such a phoneme it developed in a different context (usually written c or sometimes z, and even that is shifted back to s/z or ʃ/ʒ in some dialects) so Hispanic/Portuguese speakers will pronounce TH of Thalia /d/ or /t/ (voiced or unvoiced).
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I know this is really old but I actually happen to have this name and was looking up the meaning of my name online. In Spanish and maybe Italian and Portuguese, but for sure Spanish. When I visit my family in South America, my name is pronounced Tah-lee-ah. In spanish the "h" after the "T" is silent but when we come back to Canada people always screw up my name and call me Thal-eeuh or Thuh-lyah. My mom named me that based off the same info you knew aboug, with the Greek goddess of spring. It's a nice name but usually you get stuck with nicknames cause people dont clue in or they are too lazy to pronounce it.
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> So... Have you ever heard Thalia pronounced "TAH-lee-a"?
Grom a Greek with a speech defect :P
But seriously, they are two different names: Thalia / ÈÜëåéá meand healthy, vigorous, and is derived from èÜëëù (thallo), to sprout, to bloom. There is also a boy version of the name, Thaletas (ÈáëÞôáò) which has not been too popular in the past millennium or two.
Grom a Greek with a speech defect :P
But seriously, they are two different names: Thalia / ÈÜëåéá meand healthy, vigorous, and is derived from èÜëëù (thallo), to sprout, to bloom. There is also a boy version of the name, Thaletas (ÈáëÞôáò) which has not been too popular in the past millennium or two.
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There's a Latina singer named Thalia (tah-LEE-a). I don't see why the names can't be related much the way Theresa and Teresa are. As I'm sure you know, not all languages pronounce the 'th' and I can see how eventually, it was dropped. I also see Talia as having multiple origins.
ETA that I was on another name forum several years ago. One of our regulars was from Peru and her sister's name was Thalia (pronounced like the singer's name).
ETA that I was on another name forum several years ago. One of our regulars was from Peru and her sister's name was Thalia (pronounced like the singer's name).
This message was edited 4/11/2008, 4:40 PM
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