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ArchivesRe: Devani? (prn. deh-VOHN-ee or daeh-VAHN-nee)
in reply to a message by quigonjecca
I am guessing, but if it is Indian and derived from Sanskrit, it is probably the feminine in some modern Indian language like Marathi of the Sanskrit word deva. The standard Sanskrit feminine is devI (see http://www.behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=214001&board=gen), but -AnI as the feminine ending is quite common in some languages.
In that case, the pronunciation would be devAnI, with the dental d (as in English the, with slightly less breath), a long e (as in English cake), a labiodental v (somewhere between English w and v, far less aspirated than v), long open A (as in English car), a dental n (as in English no), and a long I (as in English heat). Most of the modern Indian languages are unstressed.
In that case, the pronunciation would be devAnI, with the dental d (as in English the, with slightly less breath), a long e (as in English cake), a labiodental v (somewhere between English w and v, far less aspirated than v), long open A (as in English car), a dental n (as in English no), and a long I (as in English heat). Most of the modern Indian languages are unstressed.
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