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Original poster

Eviah

43 replies

Emmelu · 02/11/2014 18:49

Came over this name and thought it was beautiful for our little girl :)

But how would you pronounce it?

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florascotia · 02/11/2014 20:18

OP - I don't think people intend to be negative but Eviah really isn't a name in English. What are its origins? What does it mean? It's hard to pronounce because it doesn't 'fit' with normal English name patterns.

I think people would be more positive about Eve, Eva, Evie, Evelyn etc (Eeve, Ee -vah or Ay-vah, Ee-vee, Ev-uh-lin, Eeve-lin etc ) and about names traditionally ending in 'iah' such as Keziah (Kez -eye-ah) - or even about Mariah, as in Carey. It's mixing these elements together that causes problems. By putting an 'h' at the end of the name, you change 'ia' ( which can be ee-ah or eye-ah) to 'iah' (just eye-ah).

If you really want to use Eviah, I think you might expect people to say Ev-eye-ah or Eev-eye-ah or just possibly Ayv-eye-ah. But it would not sound 'natural'.

As others have said, there is a very similar word - not a personal name - in French: Evian = Ev-ee-ohn.

MrsSchadenfreude · 02/11/2014 19:54

It might be marginally better without the "h" at the end.

Evia.

I think it will still be pronounced by a lot of people in UK as "heavier" without the "h".

I have a name that can be spelled at least three different ways and pronounced at least two ways. It is a pain in the arse.

Pipbin · 02/11/2014 19:53

I think the thing is Emmelu that your first post made it sound like it was a name that you had never heard of before and read in a baby name book.

I see now that what you are saying is that this is a Norwegian name and you were canvassing opinion about how English people would pronounce it to see how her future teachers, friends etc would get on.

Original poster
Emmelu · 02/11/2014 19:45

Yes.. I accept that people would pronounce it differently than I would.

I guess what I really wanted to know was if the pronunciation would be much different from the one we 'have at home'.
Eh-vee-ah

I thought it would probably be more like Ih-vee-ah in the UK.. or possible Ih-vai-ah or Eh-vai-ah..

Didn't honestly think it would get so much negative feedback ..

OP posts:
Poofus · 02/11/2014 19:45

I think in English it might sound like you were trying to say "heavier" and had dropped the initial H.

Original poster
Emmelu · 02/11/2014 19:38

I repeat!!!

I know how I would pronounce it in Norwegian, but since we're probably gonna move to the UK in a few years I wanted to see how it would sound in English..

In norwegian I would pronounce it like Evie-a

  • only the first E would be more like the E in Evelyn and not in Evie.
OP posts:
Kundry · 02/11/2014 19:35

It would be pronounced utterly randomly in English as no-one would know how to pronounce it and would guess. Lots of people would pronounce it Evian, thinking they'd been a spelling mistake.

Fraid I'm with Pipbin and don't understand how you can think it is beautiful if you don't know how it is pronounced.

Drquin · 02/11/2014 19:31

Honestly never heard of it before, so I'd be making up a pronounciation. However, what's interesting is that you describe the "e" as like the "e" for "Evelyn" ..... Whereas there's (at least) two accepted pronunciations of Evelyn I.e. Ev-Lynn and Eve-Lynn. So even though you've got a pronounciation in mind, you'd have to accept others would have a different one.

WildGeese · 02/11/2014 19:30

How can you think it's beautiful if you don't know how to pronounce it?

FoxSticks · 02/11/2014 19:26

Ev rhyming with bev?

Original poster
Emmelu · 02/11/2014 19:04

I know how I would pronounce it in Norwegian, but since we're probably gonna move to the UK in a few years I wanted to see how it would sound in English..

In norwegian I would pronounce it like Evie-a

  • only the first E would be more like the E in Evelyn and not in Evie.
OP posts:
Pipbin · 02/11/2014 18:57

Sorry, that came across as a rude post. I blame the drugs.

FoxSticks · 02/11/2014 18:57

I'd pronounce it like Evian but with an "uh" sound at the end. Ev-ee-uh. That's a guess though! Where's it from?

Pipbin · 02/11/2014 18:56

I would guess Ev-ee-ah or Ev-aye-ah. The thing is it's up to you really, like Evelyn.
Although I will be very blunt and say that I don't get how you can thing a name is pretty when you don't know how to pronounce it? What if it was an Irish name and was actually pronounced Jamjar or Horseshoe or something.

TheReluctantCountess · 02/11/2014 18:55

It'll look too much like Evian when it is hand-written.

fancyacupoftea · 02/11/2014 18:55

To me it rhymes with Isaiah. And is totally made up.

Showy · 02/11/2014 18:53

I would pronounce it "and how do you pronounce it?"

Or it could be fun at health clinics. See if Eviah is 'eavier than last week.

HelloItsMeFell · 02/11/2014 18:52

I have no idea. It sounds totally made up to me, and like a cross between Evie, which is very common, and Neveah which is just naff and awful.

When I look at it I just think of Evian Water.