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Original poster

To tell parents about pronunciation?

158 replies

HelpaSILout · 15/12/2023 08:31

My SIL shared their favourite name with family for their soon due DS.
It’s a beautiful name, Fionn. We live in England (no strong Irish heritage on our side of the family, not sure about hers) but being an obviously Celtic name I wondered about its meaning and put it into google.
Now the problem arises, they are pronouncing it Fi-on and I’ve found it’s pronounced Finn. Do I say something or just keep my beak out!?

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LizzieAnt · 16/12/2023 01:33

And, just checking, but when people say Fi-on, does Fi rhyme with Di, Hi etc?

LizzieAnt · 16/12/2023 01:29

I'm also curious, whereabouts in the country is Fi-on used @JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOnand @mollyfolk ?

Fyun is like yun with an f in front, so not like fi-on @Boomboom22.

Boomboom22 · 16/12/2023 01:24

But fi on and f yun sound the same?

mollyfolk · 16/12/2023 01:20

Fi-on or FYUNN here in Ireland. But I don’t think Finn is wrong either - it probably depends where you are. I know lots of kids called Finn spelt Finn as well.

margegunderson · 16/12/2023 01:19

And that's why when I named my kids rule 1 was no names from any other culture.

WordOfTheDay · 16/12/2023 01:09

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 16/12/2023 00:43

I've only ever heard it pronounced Fi-on in Ireland.

@JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn Could I ask you where in Ireland you have only heard Fi-on (as opposed to Fyun)?

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 16/12/2023 00:43

I've only ever heard it pronounced Fi-on in Ireland.

LizzieAnt · 16/12/2023 00:25

WordOfTheDay · 15/12/2023 23:58

Fionn is an Irish name. It is an Irish-language word. It is pronounced Fyun.

Finn is an Anglicised version of the Irish name Fionn. It is an English word. It is pronounced Fin.

Finn is also a Middle Irish language spelling.
It's an older spelling of Fionn.

Also, I'm not sure why people seem so reluctant to believe that there is more than one correct pronunciation of Fionn?

There are different dialects in Irish. Lots of words are pronounced differently in the different dialects. Fionn is no different.

I posted links upthread where you can hear these differences. At least 6 of the speakers on those links are native or fluent speakers. They haven't got it wrong. Instead, many posters on this thread do have it wrong when they say their way is the only right way. Sorry, but that's just not true.

OP, you have probably seen by now that Fyun is the most well recognised and uncontroversial pronunciation, at least in the south of Ireland. As far as I know Finn is the pronunciation used in the North, but you would need to double check that.

KnickerlessParsons · 16/12/2023 00:06

Are you or they confusing it with the Welsh name Ffion, which is pronounced Fee-on?

WordOfTheDay · 15/12/2023 23:58

Fionn is an Irish name. It is an Irish-language word. It is pronounced Fyun.

Finn is an Anglicised version of the Irish name Fionn. It is an English word. It is pronounced Fin.

Goneback2school · 15/12/2023 23:38

Eiris · 15/12/2023 22:54

If you say Fyon for Fionn how do you say "beag" and "ceann"?

Be-yug and key- ow (to rhyme with now)- n

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/12/2023 23:32

Eiris · 15/12/2023 22:54

If you say Fyon for Fionn how do you say "beag" and "ceann"?

Ceann is cy-ahn, beag is b-yh-ug but all short syllables. Sort of.

Ichangedmynameonce · 15/12/2023 23:10

Its not pronounced finn.

theduchessofspork · 15/12/2023 23:05

Anoisagusaris · 15/12/2023 08:44

It’s never pronounced as Finn in Irish. It’s more like F-yun.

Yeah this - it’s one and half syllables - about half way btwn Finn and Ffion I guess

Eiris · 15/12/2023 22:54

If you say Fyon for Fionn how do you say "beag" and "ceann"?

Whataretheodds · 15/12/2023 21:36

Snugglemonkey · 15/12/2023 20:47

Why would you not use Google to check the pronunciation of a name from another language that you were going to name your child? Absolute madness not to! Plus, it is really disrespectful to use banes from another culture without a cursory Google.

Show quote history

I later quoted to say I thought I'd misunderstood @YourNameGoesHere thinking she was talking about other people not the parents of the child.

AllAroundMyCat · 15/12/2023 21:06

I'd tell her.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/12/2023 21:05

penjil · 15/12/2023 20:07

In England, if you wanted it pronounced finn, you should have spelt it Finn.

Obviously if it's a common name in Ireland, then they'll know Fion in pronounced finn.

But to be honest, I would've pronounced it finn myself. I've got no idea with Irish names. Well, apart from Siobhan.

Yes, it's a common name on Ireland and we know it's most definitely not pronounced Finn.

Justfinking · 15/12/2023 20:56

mathanxiety · 15/12/2023 20:19

It should be Fyun, not Finn, and not Fi-on.

Well there you go! Most people on this thread correcting are wrong

pancakestastelikecrepe · 15/12/2023 20:53

@penjil my name is Corinne - I get C'reen, C'rin, Coh-reen within the family - other variations (which I answer to, outside 🙄

Snugglemonkey · 15/12/2023 20:51

Daisies12 · 15/12/2023 09:49

And this is why it is mad to share your name before baby is here safe and well. Honestly blows my mind.

I think this is an example of why sharing is a good idea!

ParentsTrapped · 15/12/2023 20:49

From NI here and not an Irish speaker, but have heard the Finn/Fionn MacCumhail stories in numerous ways through my life (tv adaptations, cassette tapes,
family members reading the stories to me as a kid etc etc) and he’s always been “Fin MacCool”. So I would have assumed Fionn was Finn, not ever having met one IRL.

Snugglemonkey · 15/12/2023 20:47

Whataretheodds · 15/12/2023 08:39

How would they know it's pronounced Finn? If they are English speaking with no Irish heritage?

Show quote history

Why would you not use Google to check the pronunciation of a name from another language that you were going to name your child? Absolute madness not to! Plus, it is really disrespectful to use banes from another culture without a cursory Google.

LizzieAnt · 15/12/2023 20:46

Fionn mac Cumhaill (/ˈfɪn məˈkuːl/ FIN mə-KOOL; Ulster Irish: [ˈfʲɪn̪ˠ mˠək ˈkuːl̠ʲ] Connacht Irish: [ˈfʲʊn̪ˠ-] Munster Irish: [ˈfʲuːn̪ˠ-]; Scottish Gaelic: [ˈfjũːn̪ˠ maxk ˈkʰũ.əʎ]; Old and Middle Irish: Find or Finn[1][2] mac Cumail or mac Umaill), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool...

The above is from the Wikipedia page on Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Even if you don't know IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet) you can see the vowel sound in Fionn is represented by different symbols in the different Irish dialects - showing that there isn’t just one correct pronunciation.

Help:Pronunciation respelling key - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key

Snugglemonkey · 15/12/2023 20:44

saraclara · 15/12/2023 08:38

Just say "I thought the Irish boys name was pronounced Finn, and the Welsh girls name was Fi-on. These Celtic names are very confusing"

This. They do need to know.

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