Page 10 | How would you pronounce Zana ?

RoseApp · 2024-09-18T17:38:41+00:00

My friend assumed people would pronounce her child’s name Zana like Zah-nah as in Suzanna but several people have pronounced it as Zar-na

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ShillyShallySherbet · 18/09/2024 21:16

I wish there was a setting on mumsnet to record little voice notes so I could hear all these amazing different pronunciations!

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:14

GoldenNuggets08 · 18/09/2024 21:12

I'm Irish and Bath is pronounced like Bat where I'm from because we don't pronounce our "th"s... but we also don't pronounce our Ts very often either so some people would just pronounce it bah! 🙏🤣🤣

Oh that other poster will love you. You don't add letters, you take them away 😂

GoldenNuggets08 · 18/09/2024 21:12

I'm Irish and Bath is pronounced like Bat where I'm from because we don't pronounce our "th"s... but we also don't pronounce our Ts very often either so some people would just pronounce it bah! 🙏🤣🤣

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:11

ShillyShallySherbet · 18/09/2024 21:06

Yeah the way I say it does rhyme with barf. How do you say it? I know some people say bath to rhyme with cath, like the beginning of the name Catherine.

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I think the PP hit the nail on the head when they said that in some places when r is used, it's rolled a bit. So thinking we say barth sounds odd to them as they're not pronouncing barth in their head like we do in the south. Baahth might make more sense... but looks equally ridiculous 🫣

AgileGreenSeal · 18/09/2024 21:09

ShillyShallySherbet · 18/09/2024 21:06

Yeah the way I say it does rhyme with barf. How do you say it? I know some people say bath to rhyme with cath, like the beginning of the name Catherine.

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Yes Bath to rhyme with Cath sounds good to me. Baath. An aaah sound.
I’m Northern Irish, by the way 😊

ShillyShallySherbet · 18/09/2024 21:06

AgileGreenSeal · 18/09/2024 21:02

To my ear “Barth” sounds very strange for the city of Bath 😄 Sounds like barf or something. Anyway - what a fascinating study we have made for linguists here 🤣

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Yeah the way I say it does rhyme with barf. How do you say it? I know some people say bath to rhyme with cath, like the beginning of the name Catherine.

AgileGreenSeal · 18/09/2024 21:05

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:05

Oh believe me, I'm in London, but bordering Essex and some definitely go to Barf or have a nice bubble barf.

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🤣🤷🏼‍♀️🥰🥰🥰

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:05

AgileGreenSeal · 18/09/2024 21:02

To my ear “Barth” sounds very strange for the city of Bath 😄 Sounds like barf or something. Anyway - what a fascinating study we have made for linguists here 🤣

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Oh believe me, I'm in London, but bordering Essex and some definitely go to Barf or have a nice bubble barf.

OnlyWhenILaugh · 18/09/2024 21:04

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:55

I know. I thought of puht but then it just sounds like but 😂 There's a bit of an 'oo' going on but not quite 🫣

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And this is why there is a phonetic symbol system.
We all had to learn it as Speech Therapy students in order to transcribe speech exactly as produced.

Each sound has a symbol and we were given a list with key words as reference. But the reference only worked if you knew the RP pronunciation! There are 2 different symbols for 2 u sounds and the list gave the references of "put" and "cup". Great if you're from Windsor but but no help at all if you're a Mancunian and the u sounds the same in both 😉

NoUseForAN4me · 18/09/2024 21:03

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:01

Agreed! Although not everybody pronounces book the same, so back to square one!

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And this is the same for the word ‘but’? I have heard put that way, it’s a Spanish pronunciation, but not but? I have heard but like baht and but (with the u being like under) but never like oo?

AgileGreenSeal · 18/09/2024 21:02

ShillyShallySherbet · 18/09/2024 20:52

I don’t think I really have an accent, I’ve moved around a lot. But the word bath I would say barth, I don’t think it’s that unusual.

Edited

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To my ear “Barth” sounds very strange for the city of Bath 😄 Sounds like barf or something. Anyway - what a fascinating study we have made for linguists here 🤣

NotLeavingWithoutTheSpringRolls · 18/09/2024 21:01

Using the IPA should help get around this regional accents issue. (Sorry if this adds extra confusion but it is all easily Googleable!)

I would say it Zaːnə if the name is spelt with one n (first ‘a’ sound like in father, with the second being more of a schwa sound). With double n it would be Zænə which I think is the pronunciation the friend is after (first ‘a’ sound as in apple).

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 21:01

BarbaraVineFan · 18/09/2024 20:59

In my accent the u sound in put rhymes with the oo in book.

Agreed! Although not everybody pronounces book the same, so back to square one!

ExquisiteEmelda · 18/09/2024 21:00

This thread is making my head hurt. OP can’t she just call her Jane? 🤣

Confused Always Sunny GIF by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

BarbaraVineFan · 18/09/2024 20:59

In my accent the u sound in put rhymes with the oo in book.

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:59

ExquisiteEmelda · 18/09/2024 20:57

Yes it’s not poot like boot 😆 but a little oo sound

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I'm just scared of adding too many letters now 😂 Still, it's not an r at least!

NoUseForAN4me · 18/09/2024 20:58

shoopshoopdedoo · 18/09/2024 20:52

Well, I’m obviously wrong, but to me “zar” and “zaa” would read differently. I’d pronounce “zar” to rhyme with “car” and “zaa” to rhyme with “ca”, like the sound in “cat”. I’m not a professional linguist though. But I would still read the name as Zar-na. Sorry.

This is precisely what I was trying to say, but you explained it better! Adding the h is also like ‘ca’ in cat and not car to me too.

ExquisiteEmelda · 18/09/2024 20:57

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:55

I know. I thought of puht but then it just sounds like but 😂 There's a bit of an 'oo' going on but not quite 🫣

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Yes it’s not poot like boot 😆 but a little oo sound

muddyford · 18/09/2024 20:57

Zanner

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:55

ExquisiteEmelda · 18/09/2024 20:53

Puht? I know what you mean it’s so hard. ‘But’ is pronounced Butt but ‘put’ does not rhyme with it, down south.

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I know. I thought of puht but then it just sounds like but 😂 There's a bit of an 'oo' going on but not quite 🫣

OnlyWhenILaugh · 18/09/2024 20:55

MerryMarys · 18/09/2024 20:47

Yes but people put the r to exaggerate the sound.

The A sound?

Then why not just add another A?

Why add a completely different letter?

Because if you speak with a non-rhotic accent, the letter r after a changes the pronunciation to long vowel.

In this accent the car rhymes with the word Pa (as in Grandpa).

The speaker doesn't pronounce the r.

In a rhotic accent car does not rhyme with Pa because the r is pronounced.

Undisclosedlocation · 18/09/2024 20:55

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CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:53

fortheveryfirsttime · 18/09/2024 20:50

I know a Zana and she pronounces it Zanna like Joanna.

Yeah... definitely safer that way I reckon 🤣🤣

ExquisiteEmelda · 18/09/2024 20:53

CellophaneFlower · 18/09/2024 20:44

I'm finding it really hard to describe how I say put 🙈

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Puht? I know what you mean it’s so hard. ‘But’ is pronounced Butt but ‘put’ does not rhyme with it, down south.

shoopshoopdedoo · 18/09/2024 20:52

Well, I’m obviously wrong, but to me “zar” and “zaa” would read differently. I’d pronounce “zar” to rhyme with “car” and “zaa” to rhyme with “ca”, like the sound in “cat”. I’m not a professional linguist though. But I would still read the name as Zar-na. Sorry.