How do you pronounce these names?

[HerHighnessTheWestCoastLotus]

Ciaran?

And Melangell?

They're both Welsh names, as far as I know.

Kieran for Ciaran

no idea for the other one, sorry.

^^ what anony said.

Isn't Melangell just pronounced the way it is written - with a hard "g" (ie for "go" rather than "gel"). The only time I have ever come across the name, it was said in that way.

Ciaran

Mel -AN - gell, emphasis on the AN

Mel as in Melanie.

An as in Ann

gell with a hard g like got, an e like in egg, and the ll - put your tongue up on the roof of your mouth, pull back your lips so your mouth is open a bit and blow gently so the sound comes out of the sides of your mouth/tongue. ellllll. Not quite 'ethl'. If that makes sense!

Ciaran is Irish. 'KEER-awn'

Hamster, that does make sense - I never get the Welsh "ll" right. The closest I can come is to half-arsed "th".

www.i-want-baby.com/pronunciation/EN/melangell.ogg

Yes. You blow through your tongue while it's in that position, like a sort of sigh with a hiss. It's not an l or a th at all, it's a totally different sound which doesn't exist in English - it's just that those are the closest English sounds to it.

Tis easy to pronounce really! :)

Ciaran is Irish.

:o I don't think my tongue can do that :o

Dee, oops - I didn't realize it was Irish, it thought it was a Welsh name. Thanks!

you never know what your tongue can do until you try.

Cian is Welsh!

Cian is not Welsh.
It's Irish!

Cian, one of the earliest Welsh poets:

www.literaturewales.org/encyclopaedia/i/130662/

along with Aneurin and Taliesin which are also now becoming more popular as names.

...but, Welsh/Irish/early British - pretty much all of a muchness at this time, so I am sure Cian is just as much a traditional Irish name. I would think of Cian as Welsh and Ciaran as Irish, but they're so similar - just like John in all its European guises I suppose.

Nice name!

However you don't see quite so many Blwchfardds!

Cian was the son of Brian Boru. Means ancient. They are ten-a-penny where I come from. Never knew there was a Welsh version - how is it pronounced?

KEE-an.

Not massively common but certainly quite a few Welsh ones pottering about

Melangell is lovely but you have to be able to pronounce the ll properly imo.

I have heard of a few Welsh Ceiron or Ceirions...

Hamster... Blwchf... whaaaat???
Looks like it'd be a swear word :o

Ciaran is gaelic irish/scottish - kier-an
not familiar with other name

On that link I posted!

One of the other poets...strangely his name has NOT seen a revival

Or you could go for the equally catchy Henbeddestyr

Which (I kid you not) means 'Old Pedestrian'

Suddenly Melangell looks positively dull

Don't know of any Henbeddestyrs I have to say!!

Melangell is pronounced Melan as in Melanie, and gell as - Hard G followed by e as in Beth, and ll as in Ll-angollen/Llandudno/Llangoed etc