Re: Name Prenounciation ?

[David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>]

Poster: David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>


Dafydd Welsh-knight greets Cheapside!

Corun writes much that is correct about Welsh, and one thing which is a
little inaccurate:

> The accent in Welsh names is usually always on the first syllable (I say
> usually, but I can't really think of an instance where it's not). Thus we
> have MIR-hthin, DAV-yth, COR-un (which is also Welsh but has no double d's
> or l's), HLLEW-elyn (note, this last is *not* pronounced hllew-EL-yn).

Actually, the accent in Welsh is nearly always on the second-last
syllable.  Exceptions are verb-nouns ending with -au, -au-, -eu, -oi,
which represent contractions, such as "iachau" (to heal) or "tecau" (to
make or become fair).  Some words beginning with Ys-, Ym-, and Yngh- are
also exceptions, as are emphatic personal pronouns.  All such exceptions
are emphasized on the last syllable.

Some few modern Welsh words borrowed from English are empasized as in
their original language (ocsigen `oxygen', fioled `violet'), but even
there the Welsh often attempt to stress the words regularly.

All of the above information is per _The_New_Welsh_Dictionary_,
Christopher Davies, pages xvii-xviii.

For two-syllable names, of course, accent on the second-last syllable is
the same as the first syllable.  But Llewelyn is accented hlleh-oo-EL-ehn,
and Angharad is accented ang-HAR-ad, not ANG-har-ad.

Dafydd


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