How would you pronounce Zana ?

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My friend assumed people would pronounce her child’s name Zana like Zah-nah as in Suzanna but several people have pronounced it as Zar-na

You're proving my point - why are you adding an r sound to any of those either?
Bath not Barth
Grass nor Grarss
Castle not Carstle.

Who in the name of God pronounces any of those words like that???? THERE IS NO R!

I'd pronounce it Zah-na

I would have to ask.

Girarffe? 🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣

I would think Zah-na, like Lana. I'm not understanding the Zayna? Can't think of anything else that ends in ana that's pronounced that way.

Agreed zanna if you want a short a sound.
I'd guess Zarna if I saw it, because it looks like the name Zara.

Zara has an r in it, Zana doesnt.

But zah-nah is the same as Zarna to us southerners... @GoldenNuggets08

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GOOGLE RHOTIC VS NON-RHOTIC ACCENTS!!!!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry for shouting, but this happens EVERY time.

Surely people were just trying to emphasise the extended ahh sound. Does it really matter if everyone isn’t an expert in how to clearly convey something phonetically?

I pronounce the words bath, grass and castle as if there is an ‘r’ in it, even though I know there isn’t. I know others don’t but it doesn’t make me wrong and them right, it’s just different dialects.

Similarly I would pronounce Zana as if there were an ‘r’ in it even though there isn’t. I’m intrigued how people are pronouncing zah-na because to my ear that would sound like ‘Zarna’ too.

Fine, you win. I shall text my friend of over 50 years and tell her she’s got her own name wrong then 😂

I think you're a bit confused. Nobody thinks it needs an r. They are adding the r to explain the way it sounds when they pronounce it.

And there is an r in the pronunciation of Bath particularly in a West Country accent which would be more like a pirate saying it as Barrrth

Yes I know- I just think many people will say zarna by analogy.
Obviously if corrected they'll know! But the thread asked how you'd pronounce a name you've never seen.

Lana has an 'ar' sound in most UK accents, doesn't it?

It's incorrect to tell others there should be an r sound there though.

But would either say Lanna for Lana?

Zay-na or Zar-na but then I wouldn't say su-zah-nah I'd say su-za-na

A few accents, definitely not most.
The correct name is La-na, not Lar-na.

There’s no R in it.
Zah-na for me

This is where I’m struggling…. Like a previous poster I can’t see the difference between those 2. I’d sound those out as exactly the same

Lanna and Lana don't sound hugely different, just a slightly shorter a with the double n. Neither are close to Larna though.
Out of interest, to those who say Larna or Zarna, for Lana and Zana, do you also add another r to Lorna?

“Lana has an 'ar' sound in most UK accents, doesn't it?”

no

it’s not Lar-na .

How bizarre, on tv show I watch a particular character is called Lana it’s pronounced Larna and my friend is called Jana and she pronounces it Jarna.

Guess different pronunciations. I’ve never heard then pronounced any other way personally.

Oh and we also pronounce it ‘Barth’ and grarss’. Just like most people do where I live.

Languages and accents are complex, and the English language has a lot of silent letters and words which are spelled the same but pronounced differently.

Just don't pronounce the additional r sound after the a, as if you were saying lap but don't pronounce the p.