Friday, April 09, 2010

A note on pronunciation



Anneka and Mariella would like you to know how to correctly pronounce their names. The pronunciation may be counterintuitive to some American-English speakers.

Anneka Sophia is AH-neh-kuh ("A" as in "yawn", *not* as it "at") Soh-FEE-uh.

Mariella Beatrix is Mah-ree-ELL-uh BAY-uh-tricks ("Mah-ree-", not "Mary-", and "Bay-uh-", not "BEE-uh-").

Postscript for the minutia-minded:

The terminal "Uh" sound in Mariella, Sophia, and Anneka is an American approximation to the European "e" sound. There, the names could be spelled Marielle, Sofie, and Anneke, and the terminal "e" would be pronounced as a separate syllable sounding much similar to -- but not the same as -- the American "uh" sound.


We have preserved the Dutch spelling and pronunciation of Beatrix. As you can see from the notes above, the pronunciation of vowels varies significantly in Europe.

7 comments:

gwalter said...

Awesome! They are beautiful!

Congratulations and welcome to the club - where sleep is overrated, clean clothes are a distant memory, and joy competes with a broken-heart.

I'm very happy for you four!

marjan said...

Hi Jolene and Case,

These names sounds familiar to me. So I wonder:
Is there more story behind those names? Are they named after somebody perhaps? Or just picked for the beauty of the (meaning of the) name.
I am curious..

Jerry Nelson said...

Jolene and Case,
We showed off pics of your beautiful girls on the big screen at church today. We are thrilled for you and happy for us as your proud church family.

Love,
Jerry

Jim said...

Hey, Bro! Great photos, esp the first one. Beautiful girls.

Hey Sis-in-law, welcome to the roller coaster of parenting; a ride you'll not always enjoy, but never regret.

God bless you both real good!

Jim said...

Hey, Bro! Great photos, esp the first one. Beautiful girls.

Hey Sis-in-law, welcome to the roller coaster of parenting; a ride you'll not always enjoy, but never regret.

God bless you both real good!

Ketting Family, Perth said...

Well done both of you.
The girls look perfect.

The Wooten Crew said...

Case, Jolene, Anneka & Mariella,
We're so so happy for you four and excited to see the newest additions to our church family!
Call me when you're ready for your meals!
Blessings and hugs to all of you!