(Note, this is unrelated to SOL unless Bookapy starts selling audio books.)
In the UK, everyone seems to pronounce the name 'Deirdre' as Deirdree. I've recently heard the name used in US TV dramas and pronounced Deirdruh. Is that pronunciation standard throughout the US? It sounds ugly to me.
AJ
Is that pronunciation standard throughout the US? It sounds ugly to me.
i don't know specifically about Deirdre, but I doubt there are many words that are universally pronounced the same way throughout the U.S.
Are you sure about that?
Deirdre (/ˈdɪərdrə, -dri/ DEER-drə, -dree, Irish: [ˈdʲɛɾʲdʲɾʲə]; Old Irish: Derdriu [ˈdʲerʲðrʲĭŭ]) is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times.[1] She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (Irish: Deirdre an Bhróin). Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland.
Here's a youtube that has the pronunciation as Deirdruh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk06gzxSxwM
-dree
Your source accepts dree as an alternative pronunciation. I wonder whether that applies anywhere other than the UK.
AJ
Yes - at least that is how my Irish cousins (Tipperary, Kerry and Waterford) pronounce it when speaking of my cousin by that name. It would have an "i" with a fada (accent) if it were pronounced "ee."
Could be a Southern Irish way then, because I never heard anyone say it that way in NI. Considering it's a Gaelic name, I would expects Northern Scots to pronounce it that way as well, especially by the ones who speak Gaelic. They don't, hence my scepticism.
Pixy,
I've never been to the North but I have a friend from Belfast who'll I ask.
I have very little Irish, but I do know that there are major pronunciation differences between Ulster and Munster.
It hasn't been a common name anywhere I've lived, but when I have heard it pronounced it was always deedruh, but the uh is so soft as to almost be missing — it's more or less there to define the dr that precedes it. Not saying that's the 'correct' pronunciation, if such a thing exists, just that it's how I've heard it.
Close to the person I just mentioned elsewhere, but she's very much 'Day'-druh, not 'Dee'-druh.
Both Americans named Deirdre I've known pronounced it DEER-druh, FWIW.
(The second was surprised I'd met another Deirdre.)
I know an American woman (born and raised, not an immigrant) who pronounces it Day-druh (with no R sound in the first half of the word) and is offended if anyone pronounces it with any R sound there.
(OT)
There was an excellent author with the pen name "Deirdre" on usenet and ASSTR, once upon a time. Since the ASSTR site appears to have died several months ago, I haven't been able to locate many of her stories. Any suggestions?
I think I remember the name but I don't think I've read any of her stories. Did she also do reviews?
If the wayback machine is no help and the rumoured illicit ASSTR download is no longer available, I don't know what to suggest. Perhaps some kind SOL readers might offer you a copy of any of her stories they have via PM.
AJ
Like I mentioned earlier, I've never heard it pronounced that way, and somewhat amusingly, I heard it pronounced that way in a TV show last night ((The) Mayfair Witches). A quick check of IMDB states that the character is 'Dierde'. Maybe it's always been that way and I have just never noticed, and now that it has been brought to my attention I'm hearing it now...
I googled for girls' names ending in 'dre'. To be honest, most of them I'd pronounce 'druh' at the end eg 'Alexandre'. Deirdre is the only one I'd clearly pronounce 'dree'.
One of the UK's most prestigious newspapers had an agony aunt column 'Dear Deirdre'. It occasionally got mentions on the telly and it was always pronounced 'dree'. Similarly a character in the soap opera, 'Coronation Street'. If she's still in it, the character's probably in her twentieth marriage ;-)
AJ