Am I pronouncing this name correctly?

[Maybree]

Our daughter is due on December 6th and we’ve decided to name her Alana. We will pronounce the name “Ah-lar-na”. I haven’t come across many people with this name so I just wanted to check.

The girl I know is Al-an-na

I know many Alana/Alannahs and have never heard it pronounced with an ‘r’ sound in it. As others have said it is probably an accent thing so I imagine you’re English and that’s the way it’s pronounced where you live. In Scotland we pronounce it closer to the original Irish way. This doesn’t necessarily mean your way is wrong though! Just that it’s evolved from the original. My name is originally from a European county and my pronunciation is definitely a lot British sounding than the original.

GemmaRuby - I would pronounce Julia as JOO-lee-ah or JOOL-yah. No R.

One of my best friends is a Julia who grew up in Boston (the US one), and many of her extended family add the r at the end. She doesn't pronounce it that way, and her parents don't, but she doesn't mind if people do. It would seem strange to expect or correct someone to add the r if they don't have that accent, though.

non rhotic speakers don’t pronounce the ‘r’ sound as a hard ‘r’

So you pronounce Rat at At? And Ray as Ay?

I'd pronounce it uh-lar-na if I saw it.

So not only adding a R but also changing the first syllable from A to U?

So not only adding a R but also changing the first syllable from A to U?
I don’t think you get to use the superior emoji if you don’t actually understand what you’re responding to.

Sorry if I used the wrong emoji! I was trying to express confusion.

I also thought that emoji was for confusion! I'm learning so much from this thread 😂
I know 2 little girls called Julia pronounced
Yool ee ah
(I'm not au fait with the IPA so I'll go with a traditional over the top phonetic spelling)

www.thoughtco.com/rhoticity-speech-4065992

This link explains it a bit Blubells. When speakers with a non-rhotic accent write Ah-lar-na, they are indicating how they'd say the second 'a' of Alana, not suggesting they'd actually pronounce the 'r' they write (because they never would when it's in that position in a word). It would be better to use IPA, but most people don't know it. Well, I don't anyway

Sorry! Genuinely thought you were being a dick

– usually used on MN to be a superior dick
– usually used on MN to be a confused dick

(Please note I use both with abandon, as also a dick)

Thanks hotmeatymilk
I always thought meant superior dick too, but now I look more closely at the panic-stricken eyes, I realise you're right!

means hmm
means confused
as in that's what it says in brackets when you use them. Any other interpretation is made up by the user.

DDs best friend is called Alana. You’re pronouncing it correctly!

@hotmeatymilk

My kingdom for MN to have an audio feature for pronunciation posts, particularly where “ar” vs “but there’s no R?”, rhotic vs non-rhotic words come into play.

Yes, this! Always so much confusion.

This reminds me of posts on here about the pronunciation of Aaron versus Airon-some have got very heated!!

I think it’s not just about whether it is a short or a long ‘a’ sound, but also the shape of the mouth when that sound is made. So a Scottish person might say Al-a-na with a short ‘a’ and the mouth wide and open for the ‘a’

Someone from Southern England like me, would likely say al-aaaa-na with a long ‘a’ and with the mouth less open and lips slightly rounded on the ‘a’ sound.

There are technical names for all this in phonetics/phonology but probably not accessible to most people, which is why Southerners write ‘I’d say Al-arrrr-na’ and then other posters get confused about the ‘r’.

Thanks hotmeatymilk. When I look closely at the emojis I can see that I should have used this one to express my confusion.

I can cope with a bit of debate about the second ah.

It’s the alleged first Ah that’s confusing me.

Ah-lana?

So people would say Arr Larr Na?

A-lah-na is how I’d say it.

Pleasure! I regret being so rude now we’ve all been so civilised – is this even the internet?

@hotmeatymilk, did you get your username idea from the weird food thread by a y chance 😂

I know three Alanas. They all pronounce it A-lay-nuh.

At what school in Britain are children taught that writing an r after an a means "make the a into a long sound when speaking but don't make an actual letter r sound when speaking" ? Where do ppl learn this convention if not in school?

@YeOldeTrout

At what school in Britain are children taught that writing an r after an a means "make the a into a long sound when speaking but don't make an actual letter r sound when speaking" ? Where do ppl learn this convention if not in school?

It's not about being taught anything formally, just comes from the sounds the people around us make.

@YeOldeTrout

At what school in Britain are children taught that writing an r after an a means "make the a into a long sound when speaking but don't make an actual letter r sound when speaking" ? Where do ppl learn this convention if not in school?

People are trying to write names phonetically, but sounds vary a lot between accents, that's all. 'Ar' is said very differently in rhotic and non-rhotic accents.

But, to answer your question, children are taught the 'ar' digraph in phonics, and its pronunciation will vary depending on location. The 'Jolly Phonics' cd has to be thrown out the window here (Ireland) when teaching the 'ar' and 'er' sounds, as the recording by English non-rhotic speakers just causes total confusion.

''Where's the 'r' gone, Miss, and why does the 'a' sound funny?'

How many kids now age 13+ remember anything about digraphs they were taught at age 4-7?