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Pronouncing African Names
I found a website months back that had all types of names on it. Names for babies in many different cultures. It also had pet names. It offered a TON of names, as well as definitions, prounciations, origins...everything. I am looking for it. I found one, but it's junk. I would love to know how to pronouce these days:Zuri, Subira, Dayo, Sipho. If anyone knows how, or knows a good site to find out..let me know!

This message was edited 3/16/2006, 4:31 PM

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Thank you for helping me with Sipho. That one was giving me a hard time...like you said I couldn't figure out of it was OH or just o...but now I know..thanks!!!!!
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The only one from my end of Africa is Sipho, which means: Gift. You pronounce it SEEpo. The o is more like what you might call a continental (European) vowel sound than anything that occurs in English, but all the Siphos round here are very relaxed about people using the English 'oh' sound.By the way, the ph combination doesn't make a f sound, not here. Technically, the h indicates an unvoiced p, and if you tell me that a p is voiceless in English anyway, I must agree, but the different is there if you listen carefully. You sometimes get a th combo which is the same; our currect President, Thabo Mbeki, sounds like TAHbo.
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