How would you pronounce...

[aaww-my-bees.livejournal.com]

Rya/Mya (I say R/Mye-uh)

Ria/Mia (I say R/Mee-uh)

Rei/Mei (I say R/May)

Rai/Mai (I say R/Mah-ee)

I always think about this, but I thought I'd post after seeing the one with Maile (pronounced either My-lee or May-lee) It's a really cute name, I would pronounce it My-lee and I honestly don't understand how 'Mai' would be like 'May'. It seems so strange to me.

My name is Rya and I'm always being called Ree-uh, and I've had friends name Mia and they would get called My-uh. On a forum I used to goto a girl's screen name was 'Rai' but she would pronounce it 'Ray'

So how would you pronounce them? Also where are you from? I think it can depend on where someone is from.

Comments

[aaww-my-bees.livejournal.com]

Oh! I actually didn't think of that. It makes sense if someone took French(I never did) to pronounce it like that.
Thanks! :)

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I'm half italian, half american, living in Italy, and I pronounce those names exactly like you do :)

I think the last three are easier for me because that's how you'd read them by italian phonetics, while I read the first pair by english phonetics, as 'y' doesn't exist in the italian alphabet.

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

I pronounce the first two as Ry-uh and My-uh (regardless of spelling) and the second two as Ray/May (regardless of spelling).

[eleanorgrace.livejournal.com]

I just learned, thanks to PBS kids, that phonetically you're supposed to pronounce the first vowel as a long sound when two are next to each other (http://pbskids.org/lions/songs/two_vowels_qt.html).

That means that, if you want to be consistent with what your kid is going to learn by reading, Mei should be MEE and Mai should be MAY (as would be the case in a word like rain or main). I don't think it's vital to do it that way, but those pronunciations make the most sense to me.

I think Mia and Mya are a little different because the "a" sound is more distinct. I say Mia as MEE-uh (I've a relative by that name) and Mya as MY-uh.

I would pronounce Maile as MAY-lee (or possibly "mail").

[eleanorgrace.livejournal.com]

And, for the record, I speak standard American English (the same way national newscasters do: without any particular regional accent).

[neverstarsburn.livejournal.com]

i say Rya/Mya, and Rei/Mei the same was as you, but i would say Rai/Mai like Rye and Mye

[neverstarsburn.livejournal.com]

ps. i'm american, ohio to be exact.

and i'd say Maile like Mail, maybe because i took french

[a-groovy-gypsy.livejournal.com]

In college, I had a Japanese roommate whose name was Rei. It was pronounced Ree-ay.

[http://users.livejournal.com/hajari_/]

I'm from Australia. I'd pronounce the first two like you, but not the others.

Rei I would say 'Rye', but for Mei probably 'May'. Rai/Mai would be R/May.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

rAIn
agAIn
plAIn


AI does make the sound ay.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

OH, and i'm english.