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Help[Opinions] Re: Pronunciation of names containing -ar- - such as Sarah and Karen
in reply to a message by Kellan
Names:
Aaron - 3
Ariana - 1
Darren - 2 or 3
Mary - 3
Karen - 2
Sarah - 3
Cara/Kara - 2 (This is my middle name)
Tara - 2
Cary - 3
Barry - 2 or 3
Carolyn - 2
Clara - 2
Gary - 2
As mentioned, my middle name is Cara. I've found that my pronunciation (a as in cat) is extremely difficult for people to pronounce. I think the "a as in cat but when there's an r" phoneme itself must be regional. The only people I've known to pronounce it correctly are either from the same NY/NJ area that my family is from, or from Ireland (note: this has not been an exhaustive study :P ). The "air" pronunciation is by far the most common and I've given up on trying to correct people. Actually, I'd be curious to know how the way people pronounce these names corresponds to whether or not they experience the Mary/marry/merry merger.
ETA: It might be interesting so see how it all varies by place so I'll add that I'm from Florida but more than likely pronounce these more akin to my NY roots
Aaron - 3
Ariana - 1
Darren - 2 or 3
Mary - 3
Karen - 2
Sarah - 3
Cara/Kara - 2 (This is my middle name)
Tara - 2
Cary - 3
Barry - 2 or 3
Carolyn - 2
Clara - 2
Gary - 2
As mentioned, my middle name is Cara. I've found that my pronunciation (a as in cat) is extremely difficult for people to pronounce. I think the "a as in cat but when there's an r" phoneme itself must be regional. The only people I've known to pronounce it correctly are either from the same NY/NJ area that my family is from, or from Ireland (note: this has not been an exhaustive study :P ). The "air" pronunciation is by far the most common and I've given up on trying to correct people. Actually, I'd be curious to know how the way people pronounce these names corresponds to whether or not they experience the Mary/marry/merry merger.
ETA: It might be interesting so see how it all varies by place so I'll add that I'm from Florida but more than likely pronounce these more akin to my NY roots
This message was edited 8/8/2019, 3:43 AM
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