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Help[Opinions] Does Leila work as LY-la in an English speaking country (more)
In Arabic Leila is LY-la and in German as well. It is also listed as one of the English pronunciations on this site.
I asked you how you'd spell LY-la and I was a bit surprised no one chose this option. Instead I saw Lyla and Lilah a lot which, to be honest, look really misspelled to me (Lylah too). I also saw Lila a bit which I like but not nearly as much as Leila.
So in an English speaking country if someone told you they were Leila pr. LY-la would it work for you? Or do you think it makes no sense at all?
Please rate my list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/6232
I asked you how you'd spell LY-la and I was a bit surprised no one chose this option. Instead I saw Lyla and Lilah a lot which, to be honest, look really misspelled to me (Lylah too). I also saw Lila a bit which I like but not nearly as much as Leila.
So in an English speaking country if someone told you they were Leila pr. LY-la would it work for you? Or do you think it makes no sense at all?
Please rate my list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/6232
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I know that for some reason people tend to pronounce the Star Wars character as "Lay-uh" today, but I remember it as "Lee-uh" in the original movie.
Hear at about 35 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAAXorA4pg8
Hear at about 35 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAAXorA4pg8
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I think it could work, but it’s not ideal. By that I mean people would probably mispronounce it at first, but would get it when corrected.
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Most times people would pronounce it Lay la
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Nope
It’s phonetically untenable in English.
It’s phonetically untenable in English.
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How so? I mean "height" makes the EI sound like EYE, for example.
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Yeah, I think English is just inconsistent, but for some reason that seems the least likely way to pronounce "lei", out of the three possibilities (lay, lee, lie).
This message was edited 7/2/2021, 4:17 PM
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This.
Ny.
Ny.
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No
It doesn't make sense according to English phonetics.
It doesn't make sense according to English phonetics.
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Really? We say Einstein correctly. Feisty. Height. Seismic. What sound should ei- make?
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I before e, except after c. So, deceive!
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And then there's words like neighbor and seize.
I always want to pronounce sieve with an ee sound, too, as if it rhymes with believe. English is confusing.
I always want to pronounce sieve with an ee sound, too, as if it rhymes with believe. English is confusing.
This message was edited 7/2/2021, 4:03 PM
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Oh but there are a bajillion exceptions.
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OF course. And also, exceptions to the exceptions! If you want logic, do not turn to English spelling for examples. This is one of the many things that makes teaching English as a foreign language such a challenge, and such fun.
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This pronunciation would not naturally be the first one an English speaker in the United States would try when they first look at this name. I think only English speakers who are familiar with the way German is pronounced would naturally think of it as a possibility.
Other common words and names which start with Lei- (leisure, Leigh, Leighton) are pronounced either rhyming with Lee or Lay by most Americans, so those would be the natural pronunciations of this spelling for most people. In my experience, elderly American women named Leila usually pronounce their name as LEE-la, though younger generations will often use LAY-la. But you really need to spell it Lila or Lyla for most people to try the "lye" pronunciation first.
Other common words and names which start with Lei- (leisure, Leigh, Leighton) are pronounced either rhyming with Lee or Lay by most Americans, so those would be the natural pronunciations of this spelling for most people. In my experience, elderly American women named Leila usually pronounce their name as LEE-la, though younger generations will often use LAY-la. But you really need to spell it Lila or Lyla for most people to try the "lye" pronunciation first.
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It works in that someone could spell it and pronounce it that way, and people would accept it as an individual's name, but I'd probably guess their parents had a different first language. It seems very unlikely to me it'd be intuitively pronounced that way. I think it's more common where I am for the Arabic version to be spelled Leyla or Lyla? I still pronounce Leyla as lay-la if not corrected, though.
My first guess for Leila is lay-la, which is the same as I pronounce the Lei in Leia, and my 2nd guess is that it'd rhyme with Sheila.
Eta:
Leila isn't in Arabic; it's a common transcription of a Persian pronunciation. The Arabic "lie-la" is meant to be transliterated phonetically into whatever language or dialect, so there's not really a correct/standard spelling for it outside of Arabic script.
My first guess for Leila is lay-la, which is the same as I pronounce the Lei in Leia, and my 2nd guess is that it'd rhyme with Sheila.
Eta:
Leila isn't in Arabic; it's a common transcription of a Persian pronunciation. The Arabic "lie-la" is meant to be transliterated phonetically into whatever language or dialect, so there's not really a correct/standard spelling for it outside of Arabic script.
This message was edited 7/2/2021, 6:45 AM
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