How would you pronounce Zana ?

[RoseApp]

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

This is what people are saying but they’re using the r sound to describe the sound. It’s like bar or car. There’s not annunciation of the r or rolling of the r.

I’m Scottish and would rhyme it with Hanna / Hana.

I know somebody called Xana pronounced the same.

The initial R in Rory isn't that soft, is it?

Yes but people put the r to exaggerate the sound.

The A sound?

Then why not just add another A?

Why add a completely different letter?

Because baaaathe can be interpreted differently, like the baaa of a sheep. It’s be more like aaaah which isn’t the same.

I’m sorry, I can’t write out what I mean. But multiple aaa’s is a different sound in my head than how I pronounce bath or grass.

Because baa and bar sound exactly the same in some accents.

How can it be made clearer?

So they're fine to add an h, just not an r? You keep saying there doesn't need to be a letter added but you have to add something to exaggerate the sound.

Good point @CellophaneFlower !

😂

Depends where you’re from.

I know a Zana and she pronounces it Zanna like Joanna.

I don’t think I really have an accent, I’ve moved around a lot. But the word bath I would say barth, I don’t think it’s that unusual.

Well, I’m obviously wrong, but to me “zar” and “zaa” would read differently. I’d pronounce “zar” to rhyme with “car” and “zaa” to rhyme with “ca”, like the sound in “cat”. I’m not a professional linguist though. But I would still read the name as Zar-na. Sorry.

Puht? I know what you mean it’s so hard. ‘But’ is pronounced Butt but ‘put’ does not rhyme with it, down south.

Yeah... definitely safer that way I reckon 🤣🤣

Because if you speak with a non-rhotic accent, the letter r after a changes the pronunciation to long vowel.

In this accent the car rhymes with the word Pa (as in Grandpa).

The speaker doesn't pronounce the r.

In a rhotic accent car does not rhyme with Pa because the r is pronounced.

I know. I thought of puht but then it just sounds like but 😂 There's a bit of an 'oo' going on but not quite 🫣

Zanner

Yes it’s not poot like boot 😆 but a little oo sound

This is precisely what I was trying to say, but you explained it better! Adding the h is also like ‘ca’ in cat and not car to me too.

I'm just scared of adding too many letters now 😂 Still, it's not an r at least!

In my accent the u sound in put rhymes with the oo in book.

This thread is making my head hurt. OP can’t she just call her Jane? 🤣