Do I tell her?

[03cg73]

i have a slight situation with a friend of mine and the name she has chosen for her little girl

my friend is French, living in London where this child will grow up. She’s 39 and this is a very much longer for baby

shes been saying since the start that she wanted a Latin name. Her partner is Spanish and they thought the Latin influence would connect them. All lovely. Very excited for them. Until this afternoon when she sent me a picture of a baby blanket she’s had personalised to reveal the name to me and the name they have chosen is Saline.

I’ve checked and it genuinely is a Latin girls name. I asked the pronunciation thinking it could be said like Celine or something. But no. Pronunciation is Saline. Like the wound wash

normally I’d just keep my mouth shut but years ago a friend of SIL (again, English was not this persons first language) named her baby Chanel, thought it looked better spelled with 2 N’s and ended up naming her poor kid Channel. No one said anything, and when it came out months later she was annoyed that no native English speakers had pointed this out at the time and has since removed the extra N

so do I tell my friend she is naming her daughter after a surgical wash? Or keep my mouth shut and hope the the kid doesn’t grow up getting the piss ripped out of her? friend absolutely loves the name and has been gushing about how perfect it is 😬

The pronunciation of Saline in Spanish absolutely would not be like the English word 'saline'. Her partner would know that if he's Spanish.

Suggest Sabine

I'm confused. Saline pronounced English style bears absolutely no connection to the same word as it would be said by a Spanish or French person so completely defeats the object of what they were apparently going for. As well as the unfortunate medical connotations. Not a single French, Spanish or even English person hearing the name Saline pronounced English style will realise it's supposed to be a Latin girl's name.

Exactly my thought. Either way they'd be more Saleen or Saleena. A genuine french person would never pronounce it like that.

Thanks everyone. Have spoken to another friend who also received the photo and was feeling the same as me. we’ve agreed that we need to mention it.

when I asked her about pronunciation it was over WhatsApp. I asked if it was pronounced like Celine and she replied saying no, it was pronounced say-leen. Which is exactly how people round here (I’m not from London) pronounce the medical wash

Saline as in salty is usually ˈseɪlʌɪn, @03cg73 .
(Say-line not say-leen )

Tbf @BaldMouse I have heard both (in context of discussing contact lens solutions over many years!).

Depends how close a friend you are and what your friendship is like.
It tricky, ihad a similar situation when a friend (from china) called her newborn daughter Chlamydia.
In the end i said are you certain about your daughter name choice and do you do know Chlamydia is a sexually acquired infection ?
She didn't believe me at first and insisted it was the name of a flower.
She did change the name though...

Telling her gently and sweetly is what friends are for. But I d only tell her once, then not bring it up again.

I would tell her and also about the Channel example so she understands why you are saying something

‘Say-leen’ sounds (to my English ears) like how a French person would say Celine/Selene when it has an accent over the first ‘e’. This seems like an accident of spelling rather than anything else.

Ah, hadn't realised you were pronouncing saline with an "ee" sound. However as this thread shows, probably a majority of native British English speakers will pronounce the second syllable as in 'Caroline'. The a in the first syllable still makes no sense, English is AFAIK the only European language where "a" is ever pronounced as "ay".

Selina would give much closer to the pronunciation she wants if she doesn't like the actual French Céline?

I have mainly heard it pronounced Say - Line in the UK. The Say - Leen pronunciation is more common in USA. So the pronunciation might not be an issue but the spelling might.

yrs I immediately think of saline drip...so it could easily become a disaster for the child. So I think you shoukd say...before its too late.

Find a photo of a product named this and send it with an explanation then its up to her.....

@03cg73 Calpol Saline Nasal Spray 15ml - ExpressChemist - Buy Online
Nasofed Congestion Relief Saline Nasal Spray 15ml
Vizulize Contact Lens Saline Solution 360ml - ExpressChemist

Who needs pencil cases, keyrings and door plaques?

Yes, please say something. That poor kid is going to be called 'Drip' all the way through school.

I think when I have heard saline pronounced by probably Northern older people I know it's say-leen which i would have said as a child but would now pronounce it as say line (as in a line of soldiers) as I think that's correct. Bit like you learn that Moet has a hard t and is not pronounced mo-ay.

I heard the name “Rhubella “ years ago and thought it sounded nice, but familiar. Looked it up. German measles . Not so nice.

I would just ask her if she’s aware what saline is in English. Tell her. Then You could suggest “celine “ as a similar name. After that, leave it

Sorry op but the kid could play with an unfortunate child called Malaena…problematic name too in medical terms 😊

Waiting for the OP's update 😬

I would ask if she knows saline is salt water solution commonly used especially in hospital situations.

Ask if the pronunciation would bother her.

Seline might work well?

Say - leen isnt the same as saline tho, especially if it is a two word name, like Emma-Jayne, Annie-May etc, instead of Emma or Annie
Say-Leen
If its spelt like saline then yea, u wud need to say ..