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ArchivesRe: pronounciation of Ethne....
in reply to a message by dondonsae
Eithne,Ethna and Ethnne and other spelling variants are generally pronounced Ethna in Ireland. It is rather out of date name and you don't meet many younger Eithnes.
However a confusion has arisen among non-Irish speakers and people who live outside Ireland about the pronounciation of this name. This is because a lot of people first encounter it through the singer Enya. En-ya is a regional,minority pronounciation of Eithne. The singer is a native speaker(Irish as first language speaker)from Donegal. The most notable effect of this dialect is a slurring of constanents. Thus Máire becomes Moya, Eithne becomes Enya,etc. However not all Eithnes from Donegal pronounce it Enya. The only Eithne I've met under 50 is "Eth-na".
I have noticed in recent years a popularity in Enya as a given name.
However a confusion has arisen among non-Irish speakers and people who live outside Ireland about the pronounciation of this name. This is because a lot of people first encounter it through the singer Enya. En-ya is a regional,minority pronounciation of Eithne. The singer is a native speaker(Irish as first language speaker)from Donegal. The most notable effect of this dialect is a slurring of constanents. Thus Máire becomes Moya, Eithne becomes Enya,etc. However not all Eithnes from Donegal pronounce it Enya. The only Eithne I've met under 50 is "Eth-na".
I have noticed in recent years a popularity in Enya as a given name.
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