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ArchivesRe: Commonwealth Games jawdropper - Indian?
in reply to a message by Anneza
The other Sanskrit word used as a name that is even vaguely similar is shikhA which means sharp, and pointed. It means a number of things like peak, crown, and hair, but the relevant one is flame.
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Interesting! Never heard of or seen the name Sycerika.
The one thing that struck me is that Irish pronunciation is different from English. And in Irish, "S" before a soft vowel like e or i usually becomes "Sh" -- Sean, Sinead, Seamus, Siobhan, etc. Not sure what Y would be in Irish, but in my mind it fits with the e or i.
So it could well be that her parents were attempting the pronunciation of "Shi-kerika".
Or if you read the "ce" is another "sh" sound, the name would be "Sherika" which would account for the announcers calling her "she-ree-ka".
If Shikha means "flame" as stated above, it could be that they made it "Sherika" based on that meaning -- and then, an elaborately long spelling to get there.
The one thing that struck me is that Irish pronunciation is different from English. And in Irish, "S" before a soft vowel like e or i usually becomes "Sh" -- Sean, Sinead, Seamus, Siobhan, etc. Not sure what Y would be in Irish, but in my mind it fits with the e or i.
So it could well be that her parents were attempting the pronunciation of "Shi-kerika".
Or if you read the "ce" is another "sh" sound, the name would be "Sherika" which would account for the announcers calling her "she-ree-ka".
If Shikha means "flame" as stated above, it could be that they made it "Sherika" based on that meaning -- and then, an elaborately long spelling to get there.
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So this intrigued me and I tried to look for Youtube videos of the athlete introducing herself or saying her own name.
I couldn't find any. But I could find several where the announcers were calling her "Se-REE-ka".
Then Googling for "Sycerika name" only brings up articles about how Sycerika McMahon has such a hard to pronounce name, or more generally, articles about her swim meets & victories.
Now I am really intrigued how she pronounces it.
I couldn't find any. But I could find several where the announcers were calling her "Se-REE-ka".
Then Googling for "Sycerika name" only brings up articles about how Sycerika McMahon has such a hard to pronounce name, or more generally, articles about her swim meets & victories.
Now I am really intrigued how she pronounces it.
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The spelling (with the non-irish letters Y and K) does not suggest an irish pronounciation that is always hard to guess for outsiders. The pronounciation Se-REE-ka seems to drop the first syllable completely and would fit to a spelling Cerika well.
Another data point: I searched Google books and found 5 results. Only two of them predate the birth of Sycerika MacMahon. The Two works are:
Title The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes
Translated by Seamus Heaney
Edition reprint
Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991
ISBN 0374522898, 9780374522896
Length 81 pages
Title The Steward of Christendom
Author Sebastian Barry
Contributor Royal Court Theatre
Edition reprint
Publisher Dramatists Play Service, 1998
ISBN 0822216094, 9780822216094
Length 57 pages
There are no snippets nor previews, so I cannot tell why those two books are Google hits. I have no information where the name occurs (in the preface, in the acknowledgement, as a fictional character?).
Another data point: I searched Google books and found 5 results. Only two of them predate the birth of Sycerika MacMahon. The Two works are:
Title The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes
Translated by Seamus Heaney
Edition reprint
Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991
ISBN 0374522898, 9780374522896
Length 81 pages
Title The Steward of Christendom
Author Sebastian Barry
Contributor Royal Court Theatre
Edition reprint
Publisher Dramatists Play Service, 1998
ISBN 0822216094, 9780822216094
Length 57 pages
There are no snippets nor previews, so I cannot tell why those two books are Google hits. I have no information where the name occurs (in the preface, in the acknowledgement, as a fictional character?).
This message was edited 8/4/2014, 3:18 AM
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Seamus Heaney was most certainly Irish - I'll try to find his Philoctetes and report back. Shouldn't think I could track down the Seb Barry play locally.
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