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ArchivesRe: Anyone here from Ireland or someone who can help with the pronunciation of Irish names?
in reply to a message by Perrine
When it comes to 'leesh' vs 'lish' and so on, bear in mind that Irish pronunciations vary widely from region to region, just as Irish accents do. There's multiple pronunciations on the site because there's multiple pronunciations in real life.
A friend of mine is named Fianna and that is pronounced more like FEE-na in her accent. Her daughter's name, Aoibheann, is ay-VEEN not EE-van in her accent, too. She speaks Irish pretty fluently so it's not just that she's saying it wrong.
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http://christineseaforthfinch.blogspot.com/
A friend of mine is named Fianna and that is pronounced more like FEE-na in her accent. Her daughter's name, Aoibheann, is ay-VEEN not EE-van in her accent, too. She speaks Irish pretty fluently so it's not just that she's saying it wrong.
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This message was edited 5/5/2021, 7:14 AM
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Thank you!
I am not sure about Aoibheann, to be honest. I read several very long internet conversations about the name because it's one of my favorites and I am pretty sure that the correct pronunciation of aoibh is EEV and that (at least for the vocabulary word aoibh) it doesn't depend on the accent. aoibh is an actual Irish vocabulary word and sounds like EEV.
You can listen to three different regional pronunciations of aoibh here: https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aoibh and it is always EEV.
https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aoibhinn aoibhinn (first syllable always sounds like EEV as well).
I know that in Irish there are many dialects but as far as I know certain letter combinations are always pronounced the same and aoibh is one of them.
As for the name Aoibheann, I know that some people in Ireland say AY-veen (I was able to find two examples) but I am not sure if it is a traditional pronunciation or a more modern one. Even the people who pronounce the name AY-veen seem to be pronouncing the word aoibh as EEV.
Maybe your friend just pronounces the name with an AY sound and not the word? I don't think that AY-veen is that common (but definitely in use).
All the sources I have been able to find list AOI as EE (Aoife = EE-fa, Aoibhe = EE-va, Aoibheann = EE-ven etc.) and the anglicized version is Eavan, but then again I did find a few Irish Aoibheanns who say AY-veen, but I don't know whether their parents speak Irish.
It would be interesting to know which dialect your friend speaks, do you happen to know? I am not doubting your friend, just curious, because most people seem to pronounce AOI as EE regardless of the area.
I am not sure about Aoibheann, to be honest. I read several very long internet conversations about the name because it's one of my favorites and I am pretty sure that the correct pronunciation of aoibh is EEV and that (at least for the vocabulary word aoibh) it doesn't depend on the accent. aoibh is an actual Irish vocabulary word and sounds like EEV.
You can listen to three different regional pronunciations of aoibh here: https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aoibh and it is always EEV.
https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fuaim/aoibhinn aoibhinn (first syllable always sounds like EEV as well).
I know that in Irish there are many dialects but as far as I know certain letter combinations are always pronounced the same and aoibh is one of them.
As for the name Aoibheann, I know that some people in Ireland say AY-veen (I was able to find two examples) but I am not sure if it is a traditional pronunciation or a more modern one. Even the people who pronounce the name AY-veen seem to be pronouncing the word aoibh as EEV.
Maybe your friend just pronounces the name with an AY sound and not the word? I don't think that AY-veen is that common (but definitely in use).
All the sources I have been able to find list AOI as EE (Aoife = EE-fa, Aoibhe = EE-va, Aoibheann = EE-ven etc.) and the anglicized version is Eavan, but then again I did find a few Irish Aoibheanns who say AY-veen, but I don't know whether their parents speak Irish.
It would be interesting to know which dialect your friend speaks, do you happen to know? I am not doubting your friend, just curious, because most people seem to pronounce AOI as EE regardless of the area.
This message was edited 5/5/2021, 7:53 AM
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