How would you pronounce Frances?

[JessicaBearx]

I would pronounce it FrARNces. Is this how most pronounce it or do you pronounces in Fran ces?
Asking because i don't want to pick a name we are pronouncing "wrong". Thanks

I'm a kiwi and we pronounce it Frahn-ces, bah-th, pah-th, etc, with the long A.

So yes - Frahn-cis (long A), but Frank (short A) / Frankie (short A).

It's just one of those irregularities. That's the English language for you. With countless international, national and regional accents thrown in for good measure.

And we're not posh. It's just our accent.

There were names we rejected because anything we chose would have to work in 3 accents....

grandOlejukeofYork Wed 12-Jul-17 15:52:03
But that isn't being placed differently, that is having other letters place after them? They are both fran sounds?

Frank should really be spelled Frangk. It doesn't have a Fran sound.

So OP, will you be going for this totally uncomplicated name then?!

Frank should really be spelled Frangk. It doesn't have a Fran sound.

So true!

I used to know a dog called Phydough

Frank should really be spelled Frangk. It doesn't have a Fran sound

It does when I say it!

Regardless. People who pronounce Frances/Francis with a long A, pronounce Frank with a short A.

yeah I know, that's what a few of us are finding weird!

Off topic but I have this problem with Lancaster. My very southern accent needs to say Lancaaaster but that is obviously ridiculous. If I say Lancasta it sounds like I'm pretending to be from the North and putting on a fake accent. This problem means I can never say the word or go there due to inability to buy a train ticket.

Errrr why? Lancaster is always said with a short A, it wouldn't sound like you were taking the piss. Lancaster is Lancaster ,it truly unites the north / south divide

I'm now trying out Lancaster both ways and I don't know how I say it!

Doncaster I definitely say with a long a though.

Southerners I know say Laaarncaster

Oh I'd definitely say the first a short. It's the second one I'm not sure about. LancASter or LancAAHster

Fran (rhymes with man) Cis

Northerner but been living in the Home Counties for 12 years

grandOleduke-
but names due change according to accent.
My American friend has a daughter called Hannah, which she pronounces to rhyme with banana.
In an English accent, pretty much any from the UK, Hannah does not ryhme with banana.

That is pure pronunciation due to accent.

There are plenty more, Sharon has 2 pronunciations, long and short a. Long a is rarely heard today.
Isaac is sometimes said Izack but I wouldn't stress the second syllable.
My duaghters name can be pronounced with the middle s sounding like an s or a z.

My Aussie friend is called Megan. She says it completely differently to how I say it. I cannot pronounce it her way. (more like Meahgan)

Because our accents are different of course it changed the way we say it.
And even when we are saying it accoding to its original language, eg Yulia instead of Julia, I know for sure that we do not say Yooliya, correctly, which is closer to the Russian pronunciation, we say Yulier, with and unstressed a at the end, which is the closest most of us can get.

I would instinctively say LancaRsater.
But knowing it would sound weird, would force my self to say Lancaster, but as pp says, it sound as if you are mimicing someone when all the other A in words like this are long

extra in there:

LancaRster

Good post, Steppemum.

It's completely flabbergasting how many people don't seem to understand what a regional accent is, and think we're pronouncing Frances as 'Franrn-ciss' but Frank as 'Frank' just to be difficult. We don't make the rules!

Southerners I know say Laaarncaster

I'm as southern as they come and I would think anyone who said it like that was taking the piss or a bit of a knob

Doncaster is short A definitely or Donny for northerners

Frarn Siss

** actually it would be Donn eh

It's completely flabbergasting how many people don't seem to understand what a regional accent is, and think we're pronouncing Frances as 'Franrn-ciss' but Frank as 'Frank' just to be difficult

I wasn't at the start of the thread but I don't believe anyone said any such things, so I don't know why your flabber is so gasted. Everyone knows what a regional accent is, and why you pronounce the name as you do. The question was (I think) about consistency of regional accent and why it only sometimes changes names and not others.

grandoleduke-

That last post of yours is quite ummm disingenuous?
People have been pretty rude and aggressive saying that it SHOULD NOT be pronounced wiht a long A, there have been several posters getting quite insistent that it must be a short A because Sam is a short A, and it has been repeated a 100 times that it is a long A due to the accent and people haven't accepted it.
I am also falbbergatsed by this thread

someone said miles ago up thread that if you think about
glance, dance, stance, France and Frances, then you see a whole group pronounced the same.
And according to the phonics rule that an e on the end makes a long vowel sound (pin becomes pine etc) then it would be consistent to pronounce all of these with a long A

So why do all northeners insist on saying it wrong??

Apologies to all northeners, they are just saying it according to their regional accent, which is fine.
Point taken?