How do you pronounce Niamh?
Niamh (Irish pronunciation: [n̠ʲiəvʲ], from Old Irish Niaṁ) is an Irish feminine given name (meaning “bright” or “radiant”), anglicised as Neve, Nieve, Neave or Neeve .
Niamh.
| Pronunciation | [nʲɪəw] English: /ˈniːv/ |
| Gender | feminine |
| Language(s) | Irish |
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Word/name | Ireland |
Why is Niamh pronounced Neeve?
Niamh is an Irish (Gaelic) name, so it uses the pronunciation rules from that language, not English. In Irish Gaelic, “mh” is a consonant. When it’s “broad”, it’s pronounced a bit like an English “w”, or like “v” but with the back of the tongue pushed up towards the roof of the mouth.
How is Caoimhe pronounced?
A fairly common feminine name in Ireland, Caoimhe is pronounced kee-va and comes from the Irish caomh, meaning dear or noble.
How do you pronounce the Irish name Saoirse?
How do you pronounce Gozleme?
How do you pronounce Nguyen?
Southern Vietnamese tend to clip some of their sounds, so Nguyen would be pronounced something like “Win” or “Wen.” Northern Vietnamese would keep it, giving a pronunciation more like “N’Win” or “Nuh’Win,” all done as best you can in one syllable.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.