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Baby names

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Original poster

How would you pronounce Maya

137 replies

acrossthebay · 28/07/2024 12:02

Out of interest? I like the name but hear variations in pronunciation.

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Shinyandnew1 · 28/07/2024 13:08

I’ve taught lots of girls called Maya -some to fire with player and some to fire with fire. It’s a name I would avoid for this reason!

Original poster
acrossthebay · 28/07/2024 13:08

GourmetLettuceMix · 28/07/2024 12:59

I would pronounce it My-a. I worked with someone who pronounced it Moya.

Are you sure they weren’t just from Birmingham or that neck of the woods?

I think I’d assume Mia was My-ah / uh

OP posts:
Meadowwild · 28/07/2024 13:01

My-uh

DragonFly98 · 28/07/2024 13:01

"my" ryhmes with pie "a" as in apple.

Pieceofpurplesky · 28/07/2024 13:00

I once had a Mia, Maya and a Miah in the same class - blew my mind trying to get them right!

My friend's Maya is my-a

FedUpMumof10YO · 28/07/2024 13:00

May-a

JimNast · 28/07/2024 12:59

Mah-yah

WhatHoJeeves · 28/07/2024 12:59

Many thanks to people explaining the player/my-uh rhyming difference.

I've tried saying it with the 'r' sound emphasised at the end of player and I understand now how the accent makes a difference.

Interesting for poets when they write rhyming poetry!

GourmetLettuceMix · 28/07/2024 12:59

I would pronounce it My-a. I worked with someone who pronounced it Moya.

NoWordForFluffy · 28/07/2024 12:57

acrossthebay · 28/07/2024 12:34

It probably is accent dependent to a certain extent. It’s horrible though. I can’t think of any other country it would be acceptable to be this scathing about the accent.

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Any thread which discusses pronunciation has utter eejits joining in the thread who are apparently totally unaware of the huge variations across the country dependent upon accent. It's bonkers!

Eastcoastie · 28/07/2024 12:53

A girl in dd class is Maya - My-ah

Lemonsallday · 28/07/2024 12:52

My- ah to rhyme with fire too

Bournetilly · 28/07/2024 12:47

My-a rhyming with fire

SonicTheHodgeheg · 28/07/2024 12:46

Ma-ya (rhymes with fire) not May-a (rhymes with player)

PaTuBo · 28/07/2024 12:45

BreatheAndFocus · 28/07/2024 12:37

My-uh, but I also know a child who’s name is pronounced May-uh (May to rhyme with ‘play’. If I chose it for a child, I’d probably consider a subtle spelling change to push people towards the pronunciation I wanted.

I'd agree with the spelling change. My cousin did this with her daughter's name, was one of those with different pronunciations. She didn't want her DD spending her life correcting people so she tweeked the spelling so there was no ambiguity

BeEasyonYourself · 28/07/2024 12:43

I'd automatically say My-ah. But if someone introduced themselves (or their parents etc introduced them) as May-ah I'd remember that.

alloutofcareunits · 28/07/2024 12:42

May-a, I have a niece called Mya and it's pronounced My-a, they're two different names to me

FoleyHuck · 28/07/2024 12:39

We have a Maya in the family and she's Maya rhyming with Fire.

BobbyBiscuits · 28/07/2024 12:37

I've never heard it pronounced phonetically, like the month. It's always a silent A, so 'My-ah'.
My mates daughter is called that. It's quite cute. I don't think many would mispronounce, but I can see here a lot say it with the A sound.

BreatheAndFocus · 28/07/2024 12:37

My-uh, but I also know a child who’s name is pronounced May-uh (May to rhyme with ‘play’. If I chose it for a child, I’d probably consider a subtle spelling change to push people towards the pronunciation I wanted.

PortiaWithNoBreaks · 28/07/2024 12:35

WhatHoJeeves · 28/07/2024 12:31

How do the endings of player and Maya pronounced my-uh not sound the same? Honest question as they sound the same to me when I say them!

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It could be a regional/accent thing. I’m Scottish and if I was to say Maya to rhyme with higher or player, it would have a definite r sound at the end. More like My-ur

Elyalbert · 28/07/2024 12:34

May uh

Original poster
acrossthebay · 28/07/2024 12:34

WhatHoJeeves · 28/07/2024 12:31

How do the endings of player and Maya pronounced my-uh not sound the same? Honest question as they sound the same to me when I say them!

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It probably is accent dependent to a certain extent. It’s horrible though. I can’t think of any other country it would be acceptable to be this scathing about the accent.

OP posts:
ActualChips · 28/07/2024 12:32

@WhatHoJeeves many accents pronounce Rs. Er and uh are pronounced as they're spelt.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 28/07/2024 12:32

Maelil01 · 28/07/2024 12:18

How on earth could Maya rhyme with player?
-er isn’t pronounced the same as -a!

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Many English people don't (can't?) say r at the end of a word, so player is "playah" and fire is "fie-ah". I used to consider it a speech defect but I have got used to it since coming here from Ireland and being told that water should be pronounced "wauh-tah" (no thank you).