(no subject)

[retrodancekitty.livejournal.com]

Let's have a poll (sort of)!
How do you all pronounce the name Cheyenne?

The reason I'm asking is that I've always pronounced it "Schay-YEN", but I've seen so many wild spellings that made me confused (Cheyann, Schyan, etc.)

Comments

[bookity.livejournal.com]

I would say shy-ann

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

I would say it the way you say it, but I knew a little girl with that name that was said like shy-ann

[sparklymoon.livejournal.com]

Shy-Anne

[taniableu.livejournal.com]

Shy Anne.

[thegreylioness.livejournal.com]

Shy-Anne.

[sidium.livejournal.com]

Shy-anne.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

"Shy-Anne." It's how the city and tribe names are pronounced.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

shy-ANN.

[bingybingy.livejournal.com]

shy-ANN

[sweetserenity71.livejournal.com]

Cheyenne \che-yenne, cheye(n)-ne\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Cheyenne), is pronounced shy-ENN. It is of Native American Indian origin, and the meaning of Cheyenne is "unintelligible speakers". From the French name "shaiyena". Name of a Native American tribe. The Cheyennes were famous for their courage in battle, and the capital city of Wyoming is named after the tribe.

[retrodancekitty.livejournal.com]

In fact, I was reading it by french phonetics and I still can't understand why it would be shy-ANN. It's -EN in french.
I guess the "shy-" part makes sense, in relation to "shai-", but not the way it's spelled today, "Chey-" is "Shey" phonetically.

Maybe it would help to understand who named the tribe.
I thought the French did, so that's why I've always read it in french.

[sweetserenity71.livejournal.com]

In digging around, I also found various reputable, educational sites that state this:

The name Cheyenne (shy-EN) comes from the Sioux term for "people of strange speech," however these people call themselves Tsitsistas.

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The Cheyennes called themselves Dzi-tsi-is-tas, Our People. The name Cheyenne came from the Sioux designation of this people, that is, from the Sioux word Sha-hi-yena, those who speak a strange language. It had been said that the name came from the French word Chien—dog—but this is not so.

So, being derived from the Sioux language:

Lakota (Sioux) is written with the same five vowels as English, but in Lakota each of them are pronounced in one way only. These vowels are called oral vowels in contrast to nasal vowels.

Oral Vowel Pronunciation IPA
a "ah" as in 'fall' /a/
e "eh" as in 'bed' /e/
i "ee" as in 'ski' /i/
o "oh" as in 'low' /o/
u "oo" as in 'duke' /u/

That shows that the "e" sound is definitely pronounced as a short "e" sound, and not a short "a" sound.

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The name Cheyenne is pronounced as shy-yen.

___

I can definitely understand the "Chey-" part being pronounced as "Shy" according to what I have read. As for the ending, it's correctly pronounced "-en", but I think Americans (and many others) have unintentionally changed the pronunciation to "Shy-ann" because it's just easier to say it that way, even if it is slightly wrong. There is no short "a" sound in Cheyenne at all.

[http://users.livejournal.com/-dahling-/]

The only way I've ever heard it is shy-anne.
Do you live in the US? It's the name of a Native American tribe . That's why it's not pronounced like it's spelled.

[chibisah.livejournal.com]

Another Shy-Anne!

[arrien.livejournal.com]

Shy-ANNE

[piperwest12.livejournal.com]

Schy-ann

[autopsycorpses.livejournal.com]

Shy-Ann. I had a dog by the name of Cheyenne.

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

I say Shy-Anne

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

I think I usually say "shy-EN," but my SIL (who used to live in Cheyenne, WY) says "shy-ANN," so that may be more correct. I've never heard the first syllable pronounced as "shay."

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

shy-ann

[my-fair-kadie.livejournal.com]

Shy-ann

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Shy-anne, pretty much.

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

shy ann

[mirhanda.livejournal.com]

Shy Ann, just like the town.