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Original poster

How to pronounce Cliodhna

31 replies

MediumOrchid · 15/04/2010 14:49

My cousins have just had a little baby girl, and they've called her Cliodhna. They are from Ireland (unsuprisingly!). Now just how do you pronounce Cliodhna? I've looked on Google and every site seems to have a different pronunciation!

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CrisisCat333 · 22/06/2017 22:07

I'm not sure on how others pronounce it, But I've seen it been pronounced Klee-Uh-Nah or Clay-na

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 27/08/2014 11:07

Brilliant ! A 4 yo zombie thread!

DiaDuit · 27/08/2014 11:04

Fs! Grin

NoArmaniNoPunani · 27/08/2014 10:52

The baby is now 4, I'm sure the OP knows how to pronounce her name by now :)

DiaDuit · 27/08/2014 10:46

Looks like a disease in English unfortunately.

Theres always fucking one! Hmm

badtime · 27/08/2014 10:45

They say 'clee-uh' or 'clee-eh'!

However, math has explained it better than I ever could. I do have an Irish accent (albeit Northern), and do know how to say 'Cliodhna', but I have only recently started to try to learn Irish.

badtime · 27/08/2014 10:38

But non-rhotic speakers don't say 'r' at the end of clear!

mathanxiety · 27/08/2014 01:11

To make the proper KLEE sound most of your tongue (apart from the tip) should be touching the roof of your mouth, making a slender L.

To get the broad N sound of 'na' right at the end you have to bend your tongue the other way and put the tip against your front teeth, while keeping the rest of it away from the roof of your mouth.

If you do this you will hear the schwa while you bend your tongue.

florascotia · 26/08/2014 19:31

Ditzy - you know better than me, then, and yours is probably a better way of writing it. The point is, I think, that is has 3 syllables and does NOT sound like either Fiona or Cleaner!!!

DitzyDonkey · 26/08/2014 17:37

I'm Irish and pronounce it Clee n ah.

Viviennemary · 26/08/2014 17:32

Maybe there's more than one way to pronounce it. I'd just ask them for clarification. I'm sure they won't mind.

florascotia · 26/08/2014 17:28

Am not an expert, but the sound (schwa) we are talking about is an 'uh'
sound, not a 'r'. It's sometimes called a 'lazy' sound - think teenagers saying 'uh, whatever'

So CLEE -uh-na. I think you need an Irish accent (I don't have one) to do it properly. Here is one www.forvo.com/word/cliodhna/

badtime · 26/08/2014 15:36

I think a non-rhotic speaker (like most English people) would say 'clear' like the 'KLEE-uh' in this name, so it is like an English* person saying 'clear-na'.

*except from some parts of the North or the South-West.

FoodieMum3 · 26/08/2014 09:33

Yes, it's supposed to be pronounced CLEE-uh-na but people usually just say CLEE-na

It's definitely not pronounced Clee - OH -na, like Fiona. There's no fada on the O.

I usually see the spelling cliona (fada over the I)

roughtyping · 26/08/2014 07:30

Knew a girl with this name, pronounced Kleena.

Longdistance · 26/08/2014 07:12

I used to work with a girl who was Cliona, as in Fiona. Loved her name, and I think she spelt it like that on her name badge, so people could pronounce it easier.

mathanxiety · 26/08/2014 06:27

Also, the N is broad so you are forced to insert the schwa in order to pronounce it as a broad N.

mathanxiety · 26/08/2014 06:25

The correct pronunciation is always KLEE-[uh]-na with the schwa in the middle. Everything else is a mispronunciation. You can't just ignore the [odh] syllable.

Onesleeptillwembley · 25/08/2014 23:53

I haven't a clue, but going off the Celyic names I have known I'd have thought Cloda as in Clodagh Rogers.

babyblabber · 25/08/2014 17:50

It's supposed to be cli-uh-na but realistically it sounds more like cleena as few people bother putting in the middle syllable when speaking (prob coz we speak fast!)

CelticViking · 25/08/2014 16:01

Does anyone else here follow Celtic Religeons?

DeirdreB · 16/04/2010 23:19

Spanner in the works.. Depends on the regional Irish accent and whether it's pronounced in Irish or in English - can be Clee-na or Clee-own-a or Clee-'n'-a

chipmonkey · 16/04/2010 23:10

pronunciation as watsthestory says, and yes, the "uh" is almost not there.
I love it!

watsthestory · 16/04/2010 22:57

This reply has been deleted

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Rockbird · 16/04/2010 22:54

The 'uh' is very quick, almost not there when I've heard people with it, IYSWIM.

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