Page 3 | To tell parents about pronunciation?

HelpaSILout · 2023-12-15T08:31:51+00:00

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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KingofCats · 15/12/2023 20:37

DD has a friend called Fionn, his mum is Irish born and bred and it sounds like Fee-on.

Puddle13 · 15/12/2023 20:33

I was born and brought up in the ENgland but my Father is from Ireland, my uncle has a son called Fionn and it is pronounced like Fyun not Finn. But I believe it can be Finn too.

Didley · 15/12/2023 20:33

Oh my goodness in Wales that pronunciation is a girls name 😳 I'd say something 🤣

mathanxiety · 15/12/2023 20:28

Goneback2school · 15/12/2023 18:54

As far as I can see it was always Fionn McCumhail is the ancient stories. Finn McCool being the more recent Anglicised version. Though, according to wiki Finn can be pronounced Fin or fyun. I've never heard the latter pronunciation in my corner of Ireland.

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Wiki is wrong there.

Finn is indeed an anglicisation. It ignores the slender F and the Irish pronunciation of the letter O.

Fionn is 'fyun'.

LizzieAnt · 15/12/2023 20:28

Fionn in Irish means fair or white, bright, clear.
The pronunciation of some words in the Irish language doesn't vary much between dialects, but Fionn is not one of them. You can hear that in these links.

https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/fionn

www.forvo.com/word/fionn/

That said, I've only ever heard the name pronounced Fyun personally, although I think it may be Finn more usually in the North of Ireland? I'm not certain of that, but Fyun is certainly a very widely used pronunciation further south where I live - I've never met a Fionn who pronounced it otherwise. I would assume that the less well known pronunciations are used mostly by native speakers who speak Irish as their first language.

I think I would tell your SIL what you know. It's better to know these things before they name their baby and then they can make a more informed choice. That's my take on it anyway.
They'll find out that their choice is not the more usual pronunciation (or one of them) at some stage anyway, surely?

As an aside, the spelling Finn is older than Fionn, it's not necessarily an anglicisation. Find is older still I believe.

Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): fionn

Everything about 'fionn' in the Ó Dónaill Irish-English Dictionary

https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/fionn

mathanxiety · 15/12/2023 20:25

HelpaSILout · 15/12/2023 10:13

Thank you to everyone regarding the proper Irish pronunciations. The google video I listened to sounded like Finn & I’d read an old MN thread before posting which suggested NI prounounce it Finn and SI fy-unn, ‘like the word fun with a yuh sound after the f.’
The only Irish heritage my family have is one great grandparent from NI.
Anyway I will certainly not be saying anything as I’d have been gutted if anyone had passed comment on my baby names. I just needed to feel sure that I wasn’t setting up my DN to find out his name had been mispronounced his whole life.
I feel reassured that a few have said any 3 pronunciations would be acceptable so my nose will stay out!

There is only one correct pronunciation, and that's "Fyun".

mathanxiety · 15/12/2023 20:23

AgnesX · 15/12/2023 09:07

If there's no cultural link it's hardly surprising there's going to be a lot of mis pronunciation. That said, Finn is the English translation. My Irish manager has called her child Fionn and tells me that it changes depending on where you're from in Ireland.

She's wrong.

It's mispronounced by people who don't understand the difference between a broad and a slender consonant.

mathanxiety · 15/12/2023 20:19

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

penjil · 15/12/2023 20:11

pancakestastelikecrepe · 15/12/2023 19:57

I have a very French name and it's pronounced the French way. What my parents didn't do is correct all those who thought it should be pronounced such and such a way. To this day, various family members pronounce my name in 3 different ways - and it's futile to protest, given I'm 47.
OP, my advice to you is to confirm and stick to the parents' pronunciation and uphold it!

Is your name Geneviève?

Pronounced Jen-uh-veev in English and zhon-vie-ev in French.😁

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.

ArsenicInTheAppleTart · 15/12/2023 20:02

Now I'm wondering if some people's fee-on actually sounds more or less like fyun? If you say the fee and the on very quickly it kind of sounds...fyun-ish.

Notmetoo · 15/12/2023 20:02

YourNameGoesHere · 15/12/2023 08:35

How can they not know it's pronounced Finn? Why would they think it was pronounced Fee-on? Definitely tell them because everyone else would be pronouncing their child's name correctly except them.

I assumed Fee-on and I'm sure I've had heard it pronounced fee-.on for a girl but not heard it for a boy pronounced that way
if that's how they want to pronounce I don't see the issue.
OP if you want to mention it just say something about different pronunciations for a girl and boy but don't makes big thing about it

MarshmallowWorld · 15/12/2023 20:00

I have Irish relatives with a fionn and it's pronounced fee-on/un, not Finn

pancakestastelikecrepe · 15/12/2023 19:57

I have a very French name and it's pronounced the French way. What my parents didn't do is correct all those who thought it should be pronounced such and such a way. To this day, various family members pronounce my name in 3 different ways - and it's futile to protest, given I'm 47.
OP, my advice to you is to confirm and stick to the parents' pronunciation and uphold it!

Menomeno · 15/12/2023 19:56

My Dubliner DiL says ‘Fyun’. It is a lovely name whatever way it’s pronounced.

Passingthethyme · 15/12/2023 19:50

In some ways, does it really matter. This is how language and names evolve and change over time and between different countries and cultures eg James, Seamus, Hamish etc

Eiris · 15/12/2023 19:47

Our resident Irish pedant says in the Book of the Dun Cow it is spelt Find with a d.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/12/2023 19:37

locomum83 · 15/12/2023 19:30

No, the name Fionn is pronounced like fee-on and not Finn. It's a Celtic name and that's how it's pronounced. I'm sure your family who named the child will already know this.

I'm Irish and I have never heard it pronounced like that. It is fy-yun, with the fy very short.

locomum83 · 15/12/2023 19:30

No, the name Fionn is pronounced like fee-on and not Finn. It's a Celtic name and that's how it's pronounced. I'm sure your family who named the child will already know this.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/12/2023 19:26

StarlightLime · 15/12/2023 18:58

It's pretty ignorant to give your child a name you can't actually pronounce correctly.

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Given the op isn't pronouncing the name properly either, there is ignorance all round.

Whataretheodds · 15/12/2023 19:13

StarlightLime · 15/12/2023 18:58

It's pretty ignorant to give your child a name you can't actually pronounce correctly.

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I quite agree but not sure it's relevant to my comment.

StarlightLime · 15/12/2023 18:58

Whataretheodds · 15/12/2023 08:41

Don't say that, it's rude and ignorant

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It's pretty ignorant to give your child a name you can't actually pronounce correctly.

Goneback2school · 15/12/2023 18:54

Eiris · 15/12/2023 16:09

How is Fionn a different name to Finn? Finn Mac Cumhail was spelled Finn in the oldest manuscripts, then later interchangeably Finn and Fionn until... well right up to present day so far as I can tell. He doesn't have two different names.

As far as I can see it was always Fionn McCumhail is the ancient stories. Finn McCool being the more recent Anglicised version. Though, according to wiki Finn can be pronounced Fin or fyun. I've never heard the latter pronunciation in my corner of Ireland.

lljkk · 15/12/2023 17:17

I would have guessed it's a girl's name pronounced like first part of Fiona, or maybe Fye (to rhyme with bye)-own.

Am a foreigner.

frogswimming · 15/12/2023 16:46

Marmite - could you write out those pronunciations please?