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Help[Opinions] Catriona
What do you think of Catriona? I'm looking for alternatives to Katherine, and this name jumped out at me. I'd use the Kat-ree-oh-nah pronunciation. Is it too tired because of all the Kate/Kat/Katie/Kit variations out there? What would you think of the name with the nickname Riona?
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I adore Catriona and sometimes wish I had used it for my own dd, Katherine.
BTW, I used to be on another naming forum and a friend of mine was from Edinburgh. She told me once that Catriona is pronounced in such a way that nonScots hear 'Katrina,' however, it's actually pronounced like Kah-TREE-uh-nuh. She said the pronunciation is difficult to describe fully but the name actually has 3 1/5 syllables rather than four (the 'uh' is so very slight). Also, she said it's fairly common to hear 'Katrina' in Scotland.
I prefer Triona to Riona but it's not bad at all.
BTW, I used to be on another naming forum and a friend of mine was from Edinburgh. She told me once that Catriona is pronounced in such a way that nonScots hear 'Katrina,' however, it's actually pronounced like Kah-TREE-uh-nuh. She said the pronunciation is difficult to describe fully but the name actually has 3 1/5 syllables rather than four (the 'uh' is so very slight). Also, she said it's fairly common to hear 'Katrina' in Scotland.
I prefer Triona to Riona but it's not bad at all.
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I don't like the Catrina pronunciation, I prefer the four syllable Kat-ree-oh-nah pronuciation, which to my knowledge, is not incorrect.
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I don't like it. Its a mouthful for a little kid, and it sounds old-fashioned.
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I love Catriona & that pronunciation.
Not to keen on the nn Riona though.
Not to keen on the nn Riona though.
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I think it's really pretty. Very lovely. =] I wouldn't use the NN Riona... actually, I wouldn't use any NN unless it came from just naturally shortening the child's name. (As opposed to saying, "I'm naming my child X, but will nickname him/her Y.")
If you need more ideas, my current favorite Katherine alternative is Katharina. (kat-ah-ree-nah)
If you need more ideas, my current favorite Katherine alternative is Katharina. (kat-ah-ree-nah)
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I had a Scottish professor who used that pronunciation for her daughter, and it's listed as a pronunciation on the site here. I thought it was just a variant.
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I like Catriona. Not that pronunciation so much, because I'm it's just the pronunciation used by people who've read it in a book and not known how to say it. (Like pronouncing Aisling Ace-ling.) Still, I have met one or two Scots who use 4 syllables. It probably is prettier that way.
I think the Riona part seems contrived. Shortening a 4 syllable name to 3 just wouldn't come naturally to people. Riona would be a fine name on its own if you like it.
I think the Riona part seems contrived. Shortening a 4 syllable name to 3 just wouldn't come naturally to people. Riona would be a fine name on its own if you like it.
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I had a Scottish prof who used four syllables, so I thought it was an accepted pronunciation. I only like it with four - the Katrina pronunciation/name doesn't do anything for me.
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It's a known pronunciation, sure. It is "meant" to be Katrina in that it's a Gaelic version and that's the Gaelic pronunciation. 4 syls is like Mhairi pronounced "marry" instead of "varry", and you get that in Scotland too. The vast majority of people don't speak any Gaelic and these are all accepted variants.
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Hm. Good to know - it can get confusing when you get dialact/variant differences on a name.
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do you mean Loch Katrine?
I don't think it's related to the name Katherine, but I must find out. It's pronounced KAT-rin.
As to the original question, i agree with most posters that the 4 syllable pronunciation is considered unlearned and is technically incorrect, so for that reason I wouldn't use it although I do agree it has a nice sound to it. I think cat-reena is just as nice though. I prefer the nicknames Cat, Cate or Kitty.
I don't think it's related to the name Katherine, but I must find out. It's pronounced KAT-rin.
As to the original question, i agree with most posters that the 4 syllable pronunciation is considered unlearned and is technically incorrect, so for that reason I wouldn't use it although I do agree it has a nice sound to it. I think cat-reena is just as nice though. I prefer the nicknames Cat, Cate or Kitty.
This message was edited 6/10/2008, 3:22 AM
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