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Help[Facts] Re: Zyal/Cyal
in reply to a message by Sarah
Where have you run across this name? Is it generally given to males or females? What cultural background do bearers have?
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Zyal was actually the name of a female fictional character on a television show. My limited search showed that the name was thought to be of Germanic origin, but no definition was provided. The alternate spelling of Cyal was provided for use instead of Zyal.
This being said, my research also shows that this is a word utilized in Muslim religions in reference to Allah, which would indicated it is not of Germanic origin.
This being said, my research also shows that this is a word utilized in Muslim religions in reference to Allah, which would indicated it is not of Germanic origin.
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In German, the Z and the C would both make a ts sound, which isn't the case in Arabic to my knowledge. Also, a 'word referring to Allah' isn't necessarily used as a name ...
I knew an English-speaking woman named Cyelle, which was her parents' version of Cele, short for Cecilia and pronounced Seal like the marine mammal. And Cecilia (or Caecilia) exists and gets the ts sound for both its Cs in German. Was it a German TV show? Or set in Germany?
I knew an English-speaking woman named Cyelle, which was her parents' version of Cele, short for Cecilia and pronounced Seal like the marine mammal. And Cecilia (or Caecilia) exists and gets the ts sound for both its Cs in German. Was it a German TV show? Or set in Germany?
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The television show was in the United States and was Deep Space Nine; Zyal was the daughter of character on the show. Her name was pronounced Zee-ahl.
I understand that a word referring or used in reference to Allah is not necessarily a name; more my explanation of the fact that I have now seen this word spelled as "Zyal" Islamic texts on the internet. I was wondering if it was an alternate name used for "Allah" or if this was some other reference used in scripture.
The other reference I saw was someone saying that Zyal was also spelled Cyal and was germanic in origin, but did not have a definition for the name/word.
I understand that a word referring or used in reference to Allah is not necessarily a name; more my explanation of the fact that I have now seen this word spelled as "Zyal" Islamic texts on the internet. I was wondering if it was an alternate name used for "Allah" or if this was some other reference used in scripture.
The other reference I saw was someone saying that Zyal was also spelled Cyal and was germanic in origin, but did not have a definition for the name/word.
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The name of the character on Deep Space Nine was officially spelled Ziyal:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tora_Ziyal
The writers on Deep Space Nine do seem to have had a pattern of using obscure non-English names but giving them a new pronunciation. The most obviously examples are the two main characters of Jadzia and Nerys: Jadzia is a Polish name pronounced "Yah-jah", but the character on DS9 was "jad-ZEE-uh", and Nerys is a Welsh name rhyming with "Ferris", but pronounced as "neh-REESE" on DS9.
Ziyal seems to be a Turkish surname, most prominently the name of a foreign minister of Turkey:
http://gbulten.ssm.gov.tr/arsiv/2002/01/23/01_2.htm
Ziyal would probably be pronounced something like "Zee-yal" in Turkey. I am not enough of a DS9 fan to remember how Ziyal was pronounced on the show.
It's possible the DS9 writers took the the name from the Turkish surname. However, that would be a bit more obscure as a source than the female given names used for Jadzia and Nerys, so it may also be just a coincidence, with Ziyal just being a name completely created for the character, with its resemblance to the Turkish surname being an accident. You would have to contact the writers on DS9 who invented the character to find out for sure. :)
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Tora_Ziyal
The writers on Deep Space Nine do seem to have had a pattern of using obscure non-English names but giving them a new pronunciation. The most obviously examples are the two main characters of Jadzia and Nerys: Jadzia is a Polish name pronounced "Yah-jah", but the character on DS9 was "jad-ZEE-uh", and Nerys is a Welsh name rhyming with "Ferris", but pronounced as "neh-REESE" on DS9.
Ziyal seems to be a Turkish surname, most prominently the name of a foreign minister of Turkey:
http://gbulten.ssm.gov.tr/arsiv/2002/01/23/01_2.htm
Ziyal would probably be pronounced something like "Zee-yal" in Turkey. I am not enough of a DS9 fan to remember how Ziyal was pronounced on the show.
It's possible the DS9 writers took the the name from the Turkish surname. However, that would be a bit more obscure as a source than the female given names used for Jadzia and Nerys, so it may also be just a coincidence, with Ziyal just being a name completely created for the character, with its resemblance to the Turkish surname being an accident. You would have to contact the writers on DS9 who invented the character to find out for sure. :)
This message was edited 8/30/2008, 7:29 AM
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Thanks! Our daughter's name is actually Nerys, which we pronouce the DS9 way, as was indicated by several pronunciation sites we visited and consulted; we liked its definition which was "Noble" or "Lady".
We like Ziyal (pronounced Zee-Yal on the show). We were looking to see if Ziyal carried a meaning which we also liked.
We like Ziyal (pronounced Zee-Yal on the show). We were looking to see if Ziyal carried a meaning which we also liked.
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