How would you pronounce Dahlia?

[Whatsinagirlsname]

I love this as a girl's name, but in pronunciation I prefer "Dar Lee uh" to "Day Lee uh". Do you think this would cause too much confusion?

We weren't taught about the letter R in different accents, but maybe we should have been.

No! It's only in a few accents that people choose not to pronounce it. There's no need to teach this!

Adding an R to Da makes it a decidedly long-sounding vowel.

Not necessarily. In my accent, 'ma' and 'pa' have exactly the same vowel sound and length as 'bar' and 'car'. And indeed the same as the a in 'path' and 'grass'.

No! It's only in a few accents that people choose not to pronounce it. There's no need to teach this!

Are you seriously suggesting that people choose the features of their regional accent?

Besides, I wouldn't call it 'only a few accents'. According to a quick Google, Scotland Ireland, America and Canada are mostly rhotic. England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are mostly non-rhotic, along with some parts of the southern and eastern U.S.

Day - leer

Americans and Canadians most certainly pronounce the R in car or dar!

But how you get Da leer from Dah lia I will never understand ?!

I know a Dalia and it's pronounced dar-lee- ah.

Pretty name.