How do you pronounce Nuala?

[JudyR]

I think it looks pretty but not sure how to say it:

Noo-arla
New-arla
Nwarla
Noo-allah
New-allah

Or another way?? Don't want a DD whose name I can't pronounce properly. That said, not sure it's a good idea to have a name that may cause so many pronunciation problems full stop [hconfused]

Many thanks!

Noo-la

(its my mums name!)

Don't think it does Penguins - doesn't it mean "fair" like Fionn?

"Fair" as in light haired that is.

Noo la. Categorically

from google:

"Nuala "noo + la"
It is really a shortened version of Fionnuala (see Fionnuala above) and in Ireland it is more widely used than Fionnuala. Meaning "fair shouldered, exceptionally lovely," the name has been in existence since the 13th century"

and Fionnuala is pronounced fun/fin-oo-la. Fun/fin-new-la would sound completely wrong to an irish ear, it just doesn't flow

Yep Rita

Fionnuala means white/fair shoulder from Irish fionn "white, fair" and guala "shoulder".

If it were "new day" it would be Lá Nua, not Nua la in any case. It's a short form of Fionnuala and is pronounced Noo-la.

Noo-La. It's my middle name.

definitely noo-la

We say Finn - oola for our Fionnuala. Nuala is the short version so say it Noola. Think someone asked why there is a u in it. As its Gaelic not ENglish so effectively another language with its own variation on letters and pronounciation.

Gosh, you learn something new every day. Before reading this thread I would have said it like "koala". Nu-AH-lah.

(And with my accent, that would be noo-AH-lah rather than new-AH-lah)

I have a good friend Fionnuala and her Mum's Nuala. Categorically pronounced Noo-la. The only way you'd pronounce it New-la is if you'd never met someone with either of these names, nor come across it ever before. [hgrin]

Noo-La. Had one in my class who was always known as NoolaHoola.

Not 'New', especially if your 'New' rhymes with 'Mew'.

It's NOO-uh-la if you want to be really picky. UA is a diphthong in Irish, pronounced 'OO-woh'. There's a tiny almost inaudible schwa between the Noo and the La.

But NOO-la is close enough, with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Noola

My lovely midwifes name, spelt Nuala

Only ever met one Nuala, pronounced Nyew-la, not Noo-la

The name comes from 'Fionnghuala', the older form of Fionnuala, 'fionn' meaning fair and 'guala' meaning shoulders, so the meaning is 'white/fair shoulders'.

The GH in the older spelling would have given the name the pronunciation 'Fyung-OO-alah'. It was dropped as the spelling became rationalised and the pronunciation now reflects the newer spelling ('Fyun-OO-alah' or more frequently 'Finn-OO-lah') but makes the meaning more obscure.

It ain't Noo-la it's noo-a-lah with stress on the first syllable and the "a" almost swallowed. But it's three syllables not two.

Even in Ireland it does get mispronounced Noo-la but that's a feature of Irish accents in English I think because really becomes "reely" and Beatrice becomes "beetrice" etc. But in Irish pronunciation it's three sylls.

It's Noo-la.
Nothing else to say about it.

Noo-a-lah

My sister is a Nuala, and she is definitely Noo-la. I hadn't realised that there was any other way to prenounce it

Lavenderscream is right, but the majority of Irish people speaking English will say 'Noo-la' and swallow the 'ua' diphthong. I know I pronounce my own name slightly differently depending on whether I'm speaking Irish or English.

I have an irrational hatred of the name because of a dreaded Auntie Nuala, though I love Fionnuala as a name.

Noo la.lovely name