Mhairi

[Mamma3456]

I know that Mhairi is supposed to be pronounced Var-ree. But does anyone in Scotland pronounce it as Mah-ree?

DH and I are debating which to use. We like the spelling of Mhairi but the pronunciation of Mairi. DH is Scottish and knows a Mhairi who is known as Mah-ree, though he suspects it's because she couldn't be bothered to correct everyone, so I was wondering how common this pronunciation is used?

I do think it might annoy some of DH's Scottish relatives though who are a bit pedantic but don't speak Gaelic.

On a related note, is Mhairi Black known as Var-ree? I was just wondering if there is some well known precedence?

@Mamma3456 , I think that in Gaelic it's Mairi (Maree) but if you are addressing her you use Mhairi.
The Mhairi spelling is Varee.

I'd go with Mairi to be sure of pronunciation.

@Nineandtwenty , Mari (Welsh form of Mary) is Marry, but people say Marie or Mar-ee.

I have a relative called Mhairi pronounced Varee.
I love it.
I would obviously pronounce it that way whenever I say the name!

I would go with the V pronunciation as that's the sound the MH combination makes. I only know one Mhairi who pronounced it Mairi. I do also know of someone who spells it Vairi and one who spells her name Varry. I don't like either of those spellings though!

I was at school (in England) with a Mhairi - pronounced Varee- but she did get called ‘mu-hairy’ A LOT (& not just in a mistaken pronunciation way, kids are mean), so I’d be wary if you are not in Scotland.

I attended school with 3 of them(In Scotland) . All pronounced their name with an M.

I know three people that have the Mh spelling. Two pronounce it Mairi, one is a Vairi.

Does that happen when speaking English or only when speaking Gaelic?

The vocative takes a h in Irish too, but it’s only used when speaking in the Irish language iyswim. Is it different in Scotland?
In Ireland for someone called Máire it’s ‘Dia duit a Mháire’ in Irish, but ‘Hello Máire’ in English.

I know a Mari who is from Scotland living in England. She pronounces it MA-ree but I've heard other call her Mah-ree (long Southern a) or even Marie. She told me that growing up in Scotland nobody would spell it correctly and down in England nobody really pronounces it correctly (and often misspell it too). She's quite easy going though and it doesn't seem to bother her all that much

Càite a bheil Màiri? = Where is Màiri?
Hallo a Mhàiri = Hello Màiri
So Mhàiri is the vocative form, and the correct pronunciation is something like Vah-thee

Irish here.
As Gaeilge I think the vocative would be a Mháire - which would anglicise to Woy-ra) when addressing Máire (Moy-ra)

not sure that helps 🤣 but love seeing Gaelic names being used whether in Éire or Alba 🥰👍

*edited for missing fada 🤦‍♀️🤣

That’s interesting actually.

I knew a Mhairi called MAH- ree who would be 90 now (only she passed away). No idea of her background but that was the pronunciation she used. She used to get irritated if people said Mah-REE ( like Marie).

That depends on dialect too though.
The mh in ‘A Mháire’ has a v sound at the start where I am in Ireland.

As the mother of a long suffering teenage Mairi, this thread has been very interesting!

I've heard this, about the vocative case being pronounced differently, but have never come across it in practice, and I lived in the north of Scotland for around 5 years.

I know a few people with this spelling - most produced Va-ree, a couple (like the MP) pronged it Ma-ree. Didn't know anybody who just used Va-ree when addressing directly.

As I am English I was taken aback by the v pronunciation at first, but the lady told me "it's just like the Mh in Niamh" and it made perfect sense.

OP, I prefer the Va-ree pronunciation, but I would probably want definitive explanation of the whole vocative thing first.

Certainly in Ireland the vocative case is absolutely how a name would be said but only in the Irish spoken language.

If the same two speakers were speaking to Máire in Irish or English that would determine whether A Mhaire (A voy ra) or Maire (Moira) were said. The same two people could use either depending which language they were speaking.

Nonsense, in Mumsnet school playgrounds absolutely no teasing whatsoever about names ever ever happens, and people will only need to be corrected about pronunciation or spelling once.

I've known a couple of Mhairi's but only ever pronounced it Mar- ree. I'm in england though so maybe thats the reason.

I am joking of course, and at least on here the possible teasing gets mentioned.
I got teased about my name but didn't rise to it.

The pronunciation would be an issue in England. The spelling and use of vocative in Scotland, maybe.

Brought back memories of "all for marees wedding" at music lessons 70s kids will know it well.

Step the ceilidh on we go, heel for heel and toe for to-oe... Makes me think of ceilidhs and weddings 💒

I’m from NI and really wanted to call my DD Marie, which is pronounced Mari/marry in NI, but we live in England and I just knew she would get MaREE (French pronunciation), so we tried out Mairi, but then had people calling her May-ree and Varry so we gave up and called her something else!

I think if you call her Mhairi she will get Varry so Mairi is probably safer, but not foolproof!

is it people being told their grandmother was always known as, say "Ros Mhairi" etc and they didn't realise it was the genitive case? Rather than the vocative?

Wouldn't that be Ros Mairi? (i.e. Ros Mhairi being the vocative form being used when it should be the genitive Ros Mairi)