SUE: Siw or Soo???

[TwatCat]

I never realised until today that people pronounce the name Sue differently. So is it:

Siw as in new or
Soo as in too?

I say Siw, but the Sue (Susan) I know, today said her name is pronounced Soo (Soosan) and I was mind blown. I always thought it was pronounced Siw (Siwsan) and our workplace was divided on the issue, about half and half of Siw vs Soo.

Lottie - where I am from, few is f-ew not fy-ew.

@TwatCat so how would pronounce Hugh

would you

I think I pronounce Hugh like the recording you posted for Huw

Hugh is a longer sounding name than Huw. Huw is cut short and the w is definitely pronounced.

I'm going to have to do a voice recording of what I mean and work out how to put it on here.

yep 😁

To me Few is f-ewe or like you, not F-oo.

But Sue is S-oo not S-ewe.

Huw / who / Sue

Hugh / Pugh / Pew / Syou

This may be getting more confusing as I think about it - even though it's simple really!

Ok, how about...

Ewwwwww
Only short
Ew

When you think something is disgusting you'd say ewww!
as opposed to ooooo

No clue what you are on about 🤣Sound the same to me !

S-ewww sound terribly affected, in an English accent.

I remember hearing "Syoozun" when I was little, I associate it with rather grand ladies of my grandmother's generation. The same people who say "Hellin" for Helen. I haven't heard it in years.

Do you mean like you would put an emphasis on the W? Like Soo-wuh? Am trying to say it in a welsh accent in my head and it kindof comes out like that?

I'm pretty sure that most people would say Soo and H-yoo. Not See-oo and Hee-oo.

I still think it's just that English people don't really go in for long 'ooo' sounds in the way you do. So Soo with your 'ooo' sound just wouldn't occur in an English accent.

Speaking as a person in possession of this name, it is Soo or Soosan.

Susan doesn't have a 'y' sound in it. Or 'ew' or 'iw' come to that. I might just cope with hearing it from someone with a cut-glass accent (eg Brian Sewell), but not otherwise.

I have a mangled accent because I have moved around. Sue is Soo but fork rhymes with pork and boot rhymes with foot. I am known by a shortened version of my given name and among friends and family, those from the north pronounce it totally differently from those from the south. Sometimes I feel I have multiple personalities!

I do recall posh ladies of my mother's era saying "Seew- san" but haven't heard it for years. I always thought it sounded very affected .

Ha! Good one. Syou-san Syou-well

@Myimaginarycathasfleas Helen is pronounced Hellin here too 🙈 or more of an Ehllin

I think I get it now, is it the emphasis on the sounds like @Myimaginarycathasfleas example Helllin vs Helen. Also reminds me of old ladies, the types who would say departmental store.

I get you and am welsh.
I have an Aunty Susan who actually welshified her name to siwsan.
So she is definitely known as Siw. All others are definitely Soo.

I don’t think Siw works in English. Closest approximation I can find is rhyming with Few.

So it’s ‘s yew zin’?

I thought you meant Soo or Syoo at first, but now I know where you're from, I understand exactly the sound you're describing when you say Siw. I just don't think it exists in any other accent!