Yes, I was aware that the
Sophia and
Maria examples were outdated. That's why I put "old style" next to them. I'm just so lin love with those pronunciations that I couldn't resist including them. :-)
Good to know about the rest. Pronunciations must be in flux because I've heard
Clementine,
Ursula and
Adela pronounced as indicated in my OP. Now that I think of it
Adela Rogers St.
John, an American journalist in the early part of the 20th century, pronounced her name "AD-uh-luh" too so it must be more of a historic difference than a geographic one.
Ralph is a puzzlement to me. I've asked ollyar for more information on it. Perhaps you can help. I'm pretty sure I heard that
Ralph Fiennes pronounces his name "rayf." But I could have misheard that. In any event, would the name "rayf" be spelled
Rafe in the U.K. as in the U.S? Anything you can do to clear this up would help.
Thanks!
This message was edited 10/17/2011, 12:58 PM