Do you like the name Alana, and how would you pronounce it?

[WhyTheHeckMe]

I'm 32 weeks pg with dc2.

Got a 2 year old DS called Theo. Loved his name because it wasnt too popular but not chavy either.

We don't know the sex but have a huge struggle with girls names. I have just suddenly tonight realised I actually really love the name Alana.

But what's your opinions? We've kept all name options entirely to ourselves so need opinions of strangers :-)

I would like it pronounced 'Ah-larnah' as opposed to 'Al-Anna'

Is the spelling correct for this?

If you have this name or a do with this name do you find the spelling and pronunciation an issue?

Lastly does it get shortened to anything?

Theo doesn't and I can't see that Alana could apart from 'Lana' maybe.

Is it even a nice name? !

Putting an invisible r confuses those of us with rhotic accents (Scottish, Irish, American..) as we roll and pronounce the r sound, whereas I think you are referring to an elongated a sound? In my accent for example scarf does not rhyme with giraffe or laugh- they sound entirely different.

I know a few Alanna's (pronounced Alan-ah) I've never heard anyone pronounce it with an r in it!? So if you'd pronounce Alana as Alarna how would you pronounce Alan? Surely not Alarn?

Alanna/ Alana is a pretty name.

No R's required

Yes and the na versus nah is confusing too as nah can be said at least two ways.

Phonetics is not feasible so I'd rather contrast la and lar ( non rhotic r) than detail la as in lack rather than the sound in park.

I was addressing the op who is a non rhotic speaker.

Lark not park!

Lark is the wrong example..
The a sound in father isn't right in my local Scots accent..

Father is a great example though! There is no R in it yet everyone I know pronounces it "farther"

Father and farther sound quite different to my ear!

It does not mean serenity. It doesn't even mean darling child. It means baby, as if you are addressing the baby: "a leanbh".

I know 4 OP, 2 adults and 2 children. 2 spelt Alannah, one spelt Alana and one spelt Alanna. All pronounced as the OP. I like it.

I know an Alanna. I love the name, it flows beautifully.

Ah-lah-nah

I've got an Alannia, pronounced Al-an-ya, she goes by Lani, pronounced Lanny. It is often mispronounced as Al-arn-ya and Larny but we just correct whoever

It does confuse rhotic speakers because the majority of people pronouncing it "A larna" aren't putting a vocalised r in it. The "ar" makes an aaaahhhhh sound because most English people say it this way. Which is why baa rhymes with car and shorn rhymes with lawn (in non rhotic accents). Perhaps in some parts of England they may vocalise an r in Alana but I suspect the vast majority of us would pronounce it "A laah nuh" but phonetically write it "Alarna".

I know a one year old Alana and she's Alaanah. Both parents of Indian descent.

So do you mean the difference between 'Ah-lanna' with no stress on the middle bit, and 'Ah-laaaaaana' with a long drawn out middle 'A' ?

Irish accent here, so I when I pronounce this in my head I don't quite understand the different pronunciations people are referring to, I'm just trying to get my head round it.

I've only ever known one Alannah and she was enough to put me off the name for life, but this thread has totally confirmed my feelings. There is no r in the name, so why would you even pronounce it with one? Rhotic and non rhotic aside, there isn't an r in the word so why put one in?

A-lan-a simple.

I am Scottish, so often get the rage at this ridiculous need for extraneous letters in words that I see on here.

I really like Alana/Alannah. I know an adult and child with the name pronounced as you do OP. It's on the list if we have another DD. I would probably go with Alana spelling.

One of the nicest people I know is called Alana. She pronounces it Al a na.

I would pronounce it like op, because of the single n. Alannah i would pronounce like Anna.

I know an Alana, pronounced Ah-larnah.

I'm Irish so I'd spell it Alannah and pronounce it without an "r". That's definitely a regional thing. There is no R in there!!! I love the name and if I'd had a daughter it would have been in the mix. I love the meaning of it - precious child

Littlecandle it's not ridiculous it's purely down to accents as to how words are pronounced.

How about Alaina (Ah-lay-na)

Well if it's an accent thing there will be no 'correcting' people, surely. They will say it in the way that feels natural, in their own accent.

I knew a German woman who had a son called Jonah and insisted everyone drag it out in a very German 'Yooooooooonah' but it felt awkward. I always wondered why she couldn't just accept that they lived in England and his name would become Anglicised as part of that, if not to her.