How would you pronounce 'Aiya'?

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I would pronounce it like Isla with out the 'L'
Eye-ur

Can Tanya be pronounced more that one way?

Yes the A can be short or long
Tan-yah (as in cat)
Tarn-yah (as is armour)

Aye - ya (as in aye-ya bugger when you hurt yourself. Sorry. Scottish)

Like a friendly Midland greeting.

Eye-ah

The same as Ayah - like eye-a

Ay-ah.

But wasn't that what colonial children in India called their maidservant?

An ayah. Reminds me of poor old Mary Lennox.

But wasn't that what colonial children in India called their maidservant?

Yes. I thought it was a pretty well-known thing. I have friends who had ayahs. I'd find it weird as a name.

Makes me think of someone making a sound while doing a karate chop...

It's the sound I would make if I stubbed my toe, followed by the middle name 'bugger'.

"Aiya" is also an expression of surprise/dismay in Mandarin.

I think the fact that everyone disagrees on it's pronunciation means you'd be correcting people and getting irritated constantly!

What language is it?

Ay-ah. Which means round here everyone would be shouting 'Ay-ah, Ay-ah' at her all the time. (Hiya, Aiya...)

Not a great sound.

Aya is a very popular Arab girls name. Lot's in Lebanon and Syria. I think it's very pretty.

Aiya is also used in Japan as a girls name. It's pronounced EYE-yah.

I also read it in Chinese, as in aiyamaya = oh my goodness or aiya=ouch.

Very funny But most people won't.

Like Mrs Whirly said, it is a very popular Arab girls name, in fact it's my neices name.
Like a previous poster said it is pronounced like the Ayia in Ayia Napa.

So how might you spell it to get the "correct" pronunciation?

Or is it just not going to 'work'?

'Aya' would have the problem of AY-UH (long a sound at beginning)

Aia?

I just like the way it sounds. (At the moment - might change my mind)

I taught a little girl with this name as it was pronounced Ay-uh

Moomin my first thought was the same.

Ah ya , that was sare

Love Aia!

I've always loved the name Aya anyway. X

Aia? No!
It's not really much of a name is it? Just a collection of vowels, no substance. It's a very wispy, insubstantial sound. I really don't like it.