Baby name Amala?

[julyyrain]

What are your impressions of the name Amala and how would you assume it was pronounced?

I'd automatically say Ah-mar-lah but could be corrected to Ah-mah-lah.

It's nice enough but I prefer Amalia (Ah-mar-lee-ah)

I would have guessed west African origins but that is based on a former colleague from Ghana with a very similar name. No idea of the roots of her name though!

I would pronounce it a mah la.
I prefer Amara.

I prefer Amal.
Use Amal as it is well known via the strong and successful woman - Amal Clooney.

What is the pronunciation? As PP has suggested or more like Am-ah-la like Pamela?

I've never heard America said the way you're saying it's pronounced. It's an ah sound.

Clearly you have a different accent then because America has uh sounds in many regional accents. Just because you don’t have one doesn’t mean it’s a lie!

@Hollyhobbiive also just checked and my standard southern accented husband also says America with uh sounds. You don’t have to overpronounce it but if you say the word you’ll note it sounds like a light ‘uh’ rather than the A of Arithmetic in the majority of British accents.

I would say Uh or Ah.
I would also pronounce the name Amanda and Aman both ways (Uhmanda and Amanda) and Uman and Ahman. These are two if my oldest friend's names and know I switch between as so many people!

A mal a if northern, Am ar la if southern. I would link with someone of possibly Indian heritage too.

I prefer Amalia

Me too.

I’m Nigerian, so to me amala is food: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amala_(food)

Are you from a non British culture? If you are, then I don’t feel qualified to comment. If you aren’t, then I’d say that it sounds like an amalgam and will probably get confused and misheard and lots of people will say “Sorry? I didn’t catch that!”

Ah-mal-la. I like it 🩷

I’ve never heard America with an Uh sound. I’d definitely say Ah mal ah. I like it. Nicer than Amelia et al.

I'm another one who prefers Amalia. I first heard it as the name of the Netherlands Crown Princess and I've loved it ever since

Amala is very pretty and I think quite unusual.

It does blend in a bit with all those names like Amelia, Amelie, Maya, Mia etc though.

Amala is pretty, but I am missing the P, and getting Pam Ah Laaaaah vibes.

In English unstressed vowels get said as a schwa.

Amala has the stress on the middle syllable, so is
uh-MAL-uh.

Alan has the stress on the first syllable, so is AL-un . Alana has the stress on the middle syllable, so is uh-LAN-uh.

But why the UH? Why is it uh - MAL - uh? Why not Ah - MAL - ah? Why does the AH sound turn into UH?

I would never say Alun for Alan, I would say Alan.

But why the UH? Because it's an unstressed syllable.

Alan is /ˈæl.ən/ or AL-uhn.
Amanda is pronounced as uh-MAN-duh, /əˈmæn.də/
Len is /lɛn/, Helen is /ˈhɛl.ən/
Lan is /læn/, Alan is /ˈæl.ən/

I would never say Alun for Alan, I would say Alan
I would say the name Alun as 'AL-in' because I'm familiar with the Welsh name.

I don’t understand why an unstressed syllable changes the sound from AH to UH

A - mah- la

It’s gorgeous
I’d assume Asian?