How to pronounce Cliodhna

[MediumOrchid]

My cousins have just had a little baby girl, and they've called her Cliodhna. They are from Ireland (unsuprisingly!). Now just how do you pronounce Cliodhna? I've looked on Google and every site seems to have a different pronunciation!

Clee-uh-na
or Clee-oh-na

Like "Fiona" but with a "Cl" at the start instead!

Looks like a disease in English unfortunately.

If I were you I would ask them how they pronounce it.

Klee-na

No, it's not like Fiona.

Cliodhna is pronounced KLEE-uh-na, emphasis on the first syllable, with a schwa in the middle.

I was assuming Clee-oh-na too. I prefer that to Klee-na.

And yes I will ask them, I just wanted to have some idea first.

I quite like it myself, and she looks very sweet in the pictures they have sent!

The 'uh' is very quick, almost not there when I've heard people with it, IYSWIM.

pronunciation as watsthestory says, and yes, the "uh" is almost not there.
I love it!

Spanner in the works.. Depends on the regional Irish accent and whether it's pronounced in Irish or in English - can be Clee-na or Clee-own-a or Clee-'n'-a

Does anyone else here follow Celtic Religeons?

It's supposed to be cli-uh-na but realistically it sounds more like cleena as few people bother putting in the middle syllable when speaking (prob coz we speak fast!)

I haven't a clue, but going off the Celyic names I have known I'd have thought Cloda as in Clodagh Rogers.

The correct pronunciation is always KLEE-[uh]-na with the schwa in the middle. Everything else is a mispronunciation. You can't just ignore the [odh] syllable.

Also, the N is broad so you are forced to insert the schwa in order to pronounce it as a broad N.

I used to work with a girl who was Cliona, as in Fiona. Loved her name, and I think she spelt it like that on her name badge, so people could pronounce it easier.

Knew a girl with this name, pronounced Kleena.

Yes, it's supposed to be pronounced CLEE-uh-na but people usually just say CLEE-na

It's definitely not pronounced Clee - OH -na, like Fiona. There's no fada on the O.

I usually see the spelling cliona (fada over the I)

I think a non-rhotic speaker (like most English people) would say 'clear' like the 'KLEE-uh' in this name, so it is like an English* person saying 'clear-na'.

*except from some parts of the North or the South-West.

Am not an expert, but the sound (schwa) we are talking about is an 'uh'
sound, not a 'r'. It's sometimes called a 'lazy' sound - think teenagers saying 'uh, whatever'

So CLEE -uh-na. I think you need an Irish accent (I don't have one) to do it properly. Here is one www.forvo.com/word/cliodhna/

Maybe there's more than one way to pronounce it. I'd just ask them for clarification. I'm sure they won't mind.

I'm Irish and pronounce it Clee n ah.

Ditzy - you know better than me, then, and yours is probably a better way of writing it. The point is, I think, that is has 3 syllables and does NOT sound like either Fiona or Cleaner!!!

To make the proper KLEE sound most of your tongue (apart from the tip) should be touching the roof of your mouth, making a slender L.

To get the broad N sound of 'na' right at the end you have to bend your tongue the other way and put the tip against your front teeth, while keeping the rest of it away from the roof of your mouth.

If you do this you will hear the schwa while you bend your tongue.

But non-rhotic speakers don't say 'r' at the end of clear!