What do you think?

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

Today my Arabic teacher brought his kids to class. They are named Jabril and Sarah. Sarah is pronounced Sah-rah not Ser-ah, and the J in Jabril is a soft J, kind of like the "si" sound in Asia. I think that Jabril might go by Gabriel outside of Arabic-speaking company, but my teacher called him Jiji. I do think Jiji is a kind of an effeminate nickname in English but it doesn't feel the same way in Arabic, I guess. They were pretty much the most adorable kids I've ever seen, in any case.

Comments

[a-minor-third.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sarah pretty much encompasses all the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity). Same with Gabriel/Jabril.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

We pronounce Sarah like that here, too. I like it much better ;)

I had a Moroccan teacher once...I don't remember all of his children's names, but his daughter was called Bouchra (Boosh-rah). I wasn't really a fan of that.

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

zha-BRIL. The zha is like the middle of "Asia", a soft 'j' or a harder "sh".

[shortbutfast.livejournal.com]

i like the arabic version of sarah spelled as sahra.