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ArchivesA question about Eileen
All right, so I'm wondering. Someone on the opinions board thinks that Ailyn is the Portugese form of Eileen. I really don't think this is likely, but I thought I would ask here. I would like to know if there even is a Portugese form of Eileen and what it is. Thanks in advance!
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"The dog is a gentleman; I hope I go to his heaven, not man's."
- Mark Twain.
"The dog is a gentleman; I hope I go to his heaven, not man's."
- Mark Twain.
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Ailyn is probably a Portuguese respelling of Eileen to approximate the English pronunciation of Eileen in the Portuguese language. I have seen many examples of Hispanic-Americans in the USA named Ailin as a form of Eileen on the same analogy. In the same way, Brayan is a common spelling of "Brian" among Hispanic-Americans.
So what you have hear is simply one example of cross-language contact. Some people when adopting a name from another culture will keep the spelling from the original language, and some will change it to fit in with the traditional orthography of their own language. The same thing happens when Irish Gaelic names are brought to the USA. Some American parents will keep a spelling like Siobhan, but others will change it to Shavon or Shavonne to cue English speakers with no knowledge of Gaelic as to how it should be pronounced.
So what you have hear is simply one example of cross-language contact. Some people when adopting a name from another culture will keep the spelling from the original language, and some will change it to fit in with the traditional orthography of their own language. The same thing happens when Irish Gaelic names are brought to the USA. Some American parents will keep a spelling like Siobhan, but others will change it to Shavon or Shavonne to cue English speakers with no knowledge of Gaelic as to how it should be pronounced.
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