how do you say and spell the name Bailey for a girl?

[5lilfish]

If tailor were pronounced with a short 'a' instead of a long 'a', wouldn't it sound the same as 'taller'?

Nope...lol.

Tail has a short 'a' like cat, mat, mail, sail, etc.

Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl.

Jess

 

[stacy347]

Nope...lol.

Tail has a short 'a' like cat, mat, mail, sail, etc.

Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl.

Jess

But mat and mail do not have the same "a" sound. Mail sounds like male (my dictionary has the exact same pronounciation for both which is [meyl]) and sail sounds like sale (this is why they are called homonyms or homophones.)
Tailor is definitely not pronounced tallor (not correctly at any rate...I understand it may in fact be pronounced that way in certain regions but it is not correct).

 

[5lilfish]

But mat and mail do not have the same "a" sound. Mail sounds like male (my dictionary has the exact same pronounciation for both which is [meyl]) and sail sounds like sale (this is why they are called homonyms or homophones.)
Tailor is definitely not pronounced tallor (not correctly at any rate...I understand it may in fact be pronounced that way in certain regions but it is not correct).

What the dictionary says is the CORRECT pronounciation is somewhat moot. We all know that pronounciations change regionally.

Around here: Tail rhymes with 'ale' with an 'ah' sound. Sail and mail, at least here, are definately not pronounced seyl and meyl. Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl. The 2 sound very different.

Taylor, for us, is pronounced TAY-ler. I have heard it pronounced Tail-or (like sailor). I do not like the second prounciation.

Jess

 

[lilyv]

What the dictionary says is the CORRECT pronounciation is somewhat moot. We all know that pronounciations change regionally.

Around here: Tail rhymes with 'ale' with an 'ah' sound. Sail and mail, at least here, are definately not pronounced seyl and meyl. Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl. The 2 sound very different.

Taylor, for us, is pronounced TAY-ler. I have heard it pronounced Tail-or (like sailor). I do not like the second prounciation.

Jess

Actually, Taylor and sailor rhyme. Regionalisms exist, but the dictionary is helpful in determining the overall correct pronunciation.
As the United States is a large country, there are bound to be localized variations in speech patterns and pronunciation.

 

[5lilfish]

Actually, Taylor and sailor rhyme. Regionalisms exist, but the dictionary is helpful in determining the overall correct pronunciation.
As the United States is a large country, there are bound to be localized variations in speech patterns and pronunciation.

Taylor and sailor don't rhyme here (atleast for the majority of people I know named Taylor). Here, the TAY in Taylor rhymes with Pay, Day, May, etc. The OR in Taylor sounds like 'er' not 'or.' Tailor and sailor do rhyme though.

Jess

 

[stacy347]

What the dictionary says is the CORRECT pronounciation is somewhat moot. We all know that pronounciations change regionally.


Jess

Which is precisely why I addressed that point in my post but that still doesn't negate the fact that it is indeed incorrect. That is all I was saying...I don't walk around correcting people's grammar or pronounciations, LOL...I was just stating a fact.

 

[Kath2003]

I say Bay-lee but it's considered quite a 'chavvy' name in the UK and personally I wouldn't name my child after a popular alcoholic beverage, no matter how creamy that beverage were.

 

[stacy347]

I say Bay-lee but it's considered quite a 'chavvy' name in the UK and personally I wouldn't name my child after a popular alcoholic beverage, no matter how creamy that beverage were.

OK, now that's funny and it gets the thread back on topic!

 

[5lilfish]

I say Bay-lee but it's considered quite a 'chavvy' name in the UK and personally I wouldn't name my child after a popular alcoholic beverage, no matter how creamy that beverage were.

Bailey is neither too 'popular' nor too 'different' here. I believe it ranked #55 last year.

Lots of names have secondary meanings or other things that share the name. I didn't name my Bailey after an alcoholic beverage any more than I named my Miranda after a person's miranda rights!?!

Jess

 

[Kath2003]

Bailey is neither too 'popular' nor too 'different' here. I believe it ranked #55 last year.

Uh...'chavvy' doesn't mean popular, or different. It's not in the top 100 here for girls or boy currently.

 

[EMom]

I would have to work overtime and expend a great deal of effort to pronounce Taylor and tailor differently. I believe I might just sprain my mouth.

 

[5lilfish]

Uh...'chavvy' doesn't mean popular, or different. It's not in the top 100 here for girls or boy currently.

No..Chav is a not-so-nice slang word used often in the UK. I hardly think Bailey, in the USA, is considered low class or low quality. I'm not sure I'd say that about any name, but coming in at 55, Bailey seems unlikely to stir such bad feelings here.

I quoted you, mainly, for the Irish Creme reference.

Jess

 

[pozey]

Around here: Tail rhymes with 'ale' with an 'ah' sound. Sail and mail, at least here, are definately not pronounced seyl and meyl. Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl. The 2 sound very different.

Just curious as to where you live?

And I am somewhat confused with some of your pronunciations. You say "Tail" rhymes with "ale".....but with an "ah" sound? Wouldn't that make them sound like "Tall" and "all"??

To me....."Tail" and "ale" rhyme.....with a long A sound. Just like mail, male, nail, pale, ect.

To me "ah" sounds are all, mall, tall, stall, ect.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm still wanting to hear where it is in the US that cat, mat, mail, and sail all have the same "a" sound.

What I'm seeing in this thread is that for some folks there seem to be not two but three pronunciations of the letter A, one long as in the name of the letter itself, but two "short" sounds, one sort of higher-pitched than the other.

Then there is that other issue of whether or not it is possible to stop a trailing L sound so that it doesn't end up as the beginning sound of the following syllable in the same word. I think that for most Americans, it really isn't.

 

[Kath2003]

No..Chav is a not-so-nice slang word used often in the UK. I hardly think Bailey, in the USA, is considered low class or low quality. I'm not sure I'd say that about any name, but coming in at 55, Bailey seems unlikely to stir such bad feelings here.

I quoted you, mainly, for the Irish Creme reference.

Jess

True. But then most names which are considered 'chavvy' here seem to be related to alcoholic drink: "Chardonnay", "Brandy", "Tequila" (yes, I've met people with all these names!!).

Or cars: "Mercedes", "Royce", "Lexus" (really), "Porsha" (not Portia )

Gotta love popular culture...there are always a disproportionate number of names relating to music or TV shows too so there are a lot of Rihannas, Jack and Kates toddling around these days!

 

[pozey]

I'm still wanting to hear where it is in the US that cat, mat, mail, and sail all have the same "a" sound.

Me too.

What I'm seeing in this thread is that for some folks there seem to be not two but three pronunciations of the letter A, one long as in the name of the letter itself, but two "short" sounds, one sort of higher-pitched than the other.

To me.....there are 3 "A" sounds..... Long A - male, tail, stale, tale, etc. Short A - cat, nap, stat, etc. "Ah" A - tall, mall, stall, call, etc

Then there is that other issue of whether or not it is possible to stop a trailing L sound so that it doesn't end up as the beginning sound of the following syllable in the same word. I think that for most Americans, it really isn't.

Agreed. I think it is more of where you break the syllables......Tay-ler vs. tail-er. To me, it is difficult to break a syllable with the letter "L" in this case.

 

[EMom]

To me.....there are 3 "A" sounds..... Long A - male, tail, stale, tale, ect. Short A - cat, nap, stat, ect. "Ah" A - tall, mall, stall, call, ect

Agreed. I think it is more of where you break the syllables......Tay-ler vs. tail-er. To me, it is difficult to break a syllable with the letter "L" in this case.

From Deep in the Heart of Texas, I'm right there with you all on three counts.

 

[Robinrs]

What the dictionary says is the CORRECT pronounciation is somewhat moot. We all know that pronounciations change regionally.

Around here: Tail rhymes with 'ale' with an 'ah' sound. Sail and mail, at least here, are definately not pronounced seyl and meyl. Tall has an 'aw' sound like crawl. The 2 sound very different.

Taylor, for us, is pronounced TAY-ler. I have heard it pronounced Tail-or (like sailor). I do not like the second prounciation.

Jess

There HAS to be a correct pronunciation... regional info only mattered before transportation!

This thread has given me a headache! I have a degree in English AND speech and I stick to the denotative... or dictionary... pronunciation of just about anything. Alas many words have variant pronunciations, and all are "correct". Names have never had a right or wrong, it's based on the wishes of whoever gave the name. Words, on the other hand, may have evolved into their own sound because Bobby Joe or Bubba said it a certain way... but it doesn't make it right.

Having lived in several different states and having my EARS BLEED at the way things are pronounced from region to region makes me want for a criteria that everyone can agree to be correct. Some variants make sense, others leave out entire syllables or letters.

For instance, in Georgia, the town Marietta is sometimes pronounced MayRETTA... I remember asking someone, isn't it "MAR-EE-Etta" only to be told "you'll call it MayRETTA, too, after while..." Uh, NO I won't! People kill me thinking they can destroy the King's English (or French or Spanish, for that matter) just because EVERYONE says it that way.

Lafayette is pronounced lahFAYette ...
Albany is pronouned ahl-BENNY....

... somebody kill me NOW!!!

Stepping off of my vent box now!!

 

[5lilfish]

I'm still wanting to hear where it is in the US that cat, mat, mail, and sail all have the same "a" sound.

QUOTE]

I agree that 'a' in mat and cat is different than the 'ai' in tail. I mis-spoke there. But to me Tail does not have a long 'A.' T me, a long 'A' is a word that pronounces 'A' just like you would say it if you recited the alphabet. For example, May and Day. I also, do not think tall sounds like 'ah' but rather like 'aw.'

Jess

 

[Robinrs]

I'm still wanting to hear where it is in the US that cat, mat, mail, and sail all have the same "a" sound.

QUOTE]

I agree that 'a' in mat and cat is different than the 'ai' in tail. I mis-spoke there. But to me Tail does not have a long 'A.' T me, a long 'A' is a word that pronounces 'A' just like you would say it if you recited the alphabet. For example, May and Day. I also, do not think tall sounds like 'ah' but rather like 'aw.'

Jess

If not a long A, what sound do you hear??? Where are you from?