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Original poster

How would you pronounce the name....

117 replies

MamaMimi · 08/05/2009 12:37

...Catriona.

Dp and I have differing opinions on this and I just wonder what the consensus would be amongst everyone out there. Maybe it depends on where, in the UK, you come from(?)

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tassisssss · 08/05/2009 13:37

It's fairly common in Scotland. My Highland dh would pronounce it with a lovley Gaelic twang...Ca-tray-ona with the empahsis on the middle sound in a lilting highland way. I'm Scottish but without the Gaelic background and I'd say pronounce it like Ca-tree-nah, same as the name Katrina.

I think Cat-re-oh-na is the anglicised way.

OrmIrian · 08/05/2009 13:38

Ha! kaitni! At last. Some sanity.

I was beginning to feel invisible. It's my name and I know how it's bloody pronounced! .

PuppyMonkey · 08/05/2009 13:40

Caitni - that just sounds like the Irish accent coming out. Like when my mum says fi-lum for film.

wolfear · 08/05/2009 13:41

Same as Katrina

JoPie · 08/05/2009 13:43

Caitni, you're right of course, names are often pronounced quite differently in Donegal than they would be in the Peoples Republic of Cork, for example!

I'm in Leinster, and I don't recall hearing it any other way than Cat-ree-na, but then I wouldn't really notice probably!

I have a name which is very simple to pronounce, but its arabic, when people assume its Irish, so they make it harder than it is and are always throwing fadas and gh's in it!

Original poster
MamaMimi · 08/05/2009 13:45

Thanks everyone for the posts. I think the consensus sort of reflects the difference between mine and dp's opinions - more or less 50/50.

I just always thought of it as Ca-tree-na, as it would be said in Scotland or the celtic way, and would want it pronounced this way.(I am not Scottish but dd's and my surname is)

Then my dp argued that he knew someone with the name that was pronounced Ca-tree-oh-na and it got me thinking that it could be one of those names that you would have to constantly spell out or advise on how to say it, as OrmIrian says.

BTW, this was the girl's name I had decided on for dd before she was born as I liked the shortened names like Kitty or Cat aswell. As it turned out, apart from dp pointing out the potential problems with pronounciation, she didn't really suit the name when she was born and we picked something much more appropriate in the end.

That was a few years ago now and I am expecting dd2 now and we are struggling to come up with the right name, but it definitely won't be Catriona (even tho' I still like it when said how I would say it!)

OP posts:
Caitni · 08/05/2009 13:48

PuppyMonkey although again the "fil-um" thing depends on where you're from as I'm proud I've never done the two syllable thing on film (my Limerick mum on the other hand says "fil-um" which we thought was hilarious growing up, along with when she'd say "vay-hic-el" for vehicle" - poor woman, stuck with a crowd of Corkonian children who thought the Cork way was the only way )

OrmIrian funnily enough I ended up going by "Cait" (Irish for Kate) in school mostly as there was a Caitriona and a Triona in my primary class!

Caitni · 08/05/2009 13:50

JoPie up the People's Republic of Cork! . Now I'd love to know your name as I love when people assume all Irish names are all spelt with fadas and bhs and the like .

JoPie · 08/05/2009 13:58

I love sayin Vay-hick-el, just for the laugh like! My Oh is a Dub but he's a munster fan and should have been a Corkonian. I'm a mutt who moved around a lot, wasn't even born here.

I'd tell you my name but then I'd have to kill you...

mrsruffallo · 08/05/2009 14:03

cat-ree-owner

Salleroo · 08/05/2009 14:04

I'm with the Irish prounouncers (being one myself). Love the name, cant bear to hear it pronounced with the O rather then the lovely lilting uh.

Cork is the only way to go!

OrmIrian · 08/05/2009 14:07

Talking of ways non-English ways of pronouncing things, there was a Scottish poet on R4 yesterday talking about 'poyems'. I love that. It is such a beautiful sound.

macmam · 08/05/2009 18:10

Properly pronounced Ca-Tria-Na...Gaelic for Catherine. Def not Cat-tree-o-na uurgh....

But then again whatever floats your boat as it were..

JoPie · 08/05/2009 18:42

Haven't we established that there isn't one "proper" pronounciation?

salvadory · 08/05/2009 19:34

NOOOO it's pronounced Cat reen ah, saying Cat ri oh na makes me wince, I once got talking to a girl who said her name was cy ann and weh I said ooh that's unusual how do you spell it, she was just a mispronounced Sian, I didn't have the heart to tell her

pointydog · 08/05/2009 19:45

i|t should definitely be pronounced Cat-ree-na

TheFallenMadonna · 08/05/2009 19:48

Ca-TREE-uh-na

macmam · 08/05/2009 19:49

Following the rules of Gaelic phonics there is a proper pronounciation..it is a Gaelic name and spoken in Gaelic it is pronounced Ca-Tria-na...

Greensneeze · 08/05/2009 19:54

Ca TREE oh na

macmam · 08/05/2009 20:04

Not up here it ain't but I can only inform....

Mar sin leibh!

Sibh · 08/05/2009 20:16

Ca-Tree-uh-na hereabouts ...

My name has the "known" Celtic-weird-spelling-pronunciation thing going on Trillian and DD1 pronounces it Ver-Jorn.

FlappytheBat · 08/05/2009 20:19

Cah - tree - oh - na where I used to live (edinburgh)

pointydog · 08/05/2009 20:25

shows you how anglified edinburgh has become

macmam · 08/05/2009 20:27

I didn't like to comment! However I kind of agree!!!

Lemontart · 08/05/2009 20:28

catrina = cat-ree-nah

catriona = cat-ri-oh-nah

interesting how divided it is. Had no idea others would pronounce catriona the same as catrina.

I prefer catriona with the "oh" sounded, but both options not too bad really

not a lot of help am I ?

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