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Helptangent (re: Kate and Cate at the beginning)
in reply to a message by Canielle
So, Kate and Cate both have one syllable and the AY vowel by themselves, but using them as prefixes seems awkward because the "e" doesn't seem like it would change the A to an AY if it's in the middle.
When I see Katelyn I know it's kate+lyn, but Catelyn is different though-- I never knew whether it was meant to be Cate+lyn or Cat-a-lin in ASOIAF until I heard it on Game of Thrones, and even then it seems to turn into Catlyn.
And I'd never read Catelina or Katerina as Kate+lina/rina. Is Katelyn just the exception because it's common enough? What about Katelin? I'd assume that was kat-e-lin but it's not that different from Katelyn.
When I see Katelyn I know it's kate+lyn, but Catelyn is different though-- I never knew whether it was meant to be Cate+lyn or Cat-a-lin in ASOIAF until I heard it on Game of Thrones, and even then it seems to turn into Catlyn.
And I'd never read Catelina or Katerina as Kate+lina/rina. Is Katelyn just the exception because it's common enough? What about Katelin? I'd assume that was kat-e-lin but it's not that different from Katelyn.
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I think the Katerina/Katelyn pronunciation is influenced by our previous knowledge of the language the name comes from? Like subconsciously an English speaker is aware enough of the speech patterns of other European languages that the shift is pretty natural.
Katelyn and Catelyn automatically read British isles speech patterns to me, while Katerina/Caterina is continental.
Catelyn pronunciation in ASoIF also puzzled me but I’m wondering if it might be the way some British dialects say the combination of T & L? Such as in the word little. It’s called lateral plosion - it’s almost a clicking sound which blends the T & L together and erasing any vowel sound in between. Not sure how that fits since Martin is American, but it sprang to mind when I was saying these names out loud to see how I naturally pronounce them.
Katelyn and Catelyn automatically read British isles speech patterns to me, while Katerina/Caterina is continental.
Catelyn pronunciation in ASoIF also puzzled me but I’m wondering if it might be the way some British dialects say the combination of T & L? Such as in the word little. It’s called lateral plosion - it’s almost a clicking sound which blends the T & L together and erasing any vowel sound in between. Not sure how that fits since Martin is American, but it sprang to mind when I was saying these names out loud to see how I naturally pronounce them.
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