Ailsa - Not pronounced EL-sa to me.
Ailsa is AYL-sa, whereas
Elsa would be EL-sa. I think both are pretty.
Bridget - I find the sound very harsh, and it reminds me of "Frigid
Brigid", which isn't ideal. I only know of older women with this name, so I'm surprised it's making such a comeback elsewhere.
Catriona - Beautiful. I prefer it spelt
Katrina though. I've heard it butchered as ka-tree-OH-na as nearby as England; God knows what people might do with it across the Atlantic.
Elspeth - Making a comeback in the
BAs here ... I think it's refreshing compared to
Elizabeth, but a bit lispy sounding.
Isobel /
Iseabail - Really, I'd just spell it
Isobel. Living in Scotland I have never seen
Iseabail used. Possibly in the Gaelic-speaking regions it is found. I can't imagine what the point in
Iseabail would be ... it'd cause nothing but confusion. And incidentally, they aren't pronounced the same.
Isobel is not Gaelic.
Iseabail is.
Isobel is pronounced like
Isabel, or sometimes ISS-a-bul (like "kissable" without the K).
Iseabail is pronounced ISH-a-bell. Maybe
Ishbel would be an option?
Isla - I used to love this but I'm sick of hearing it now. It's extremely overused here and getting worse by the day. I have two little-girl neighbours named
Isla, and a second cousin (though she spells it
Islay).
Lileas isn't to be confused with
Lilias. The former is Gaelic and pronounced LEEL-uss. The latter is just Scottish, and -pronounced LILL-ee-uss. I like
Lilias very much, but I don't know if I'd use it. On some level I think of "lily ass", as in, someone's backside having no tan at all.
Marsaili is one I love. It's pronounced MAHR-sa-lee, but again, good luck getting it pronounced right.
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♥
Elinor♥
This message was edited 8/18/2006, 10:06 AM