Donovan

[ivyblossom]

I was looking up the history of the name "Donovan" (because I was considering it for a character name, and I wanted to know when it first came into regular use as a first name), and I found this:

The boy's name Donovan is pronounced DAH-na-vun.

Can an Irish person (or English person?) help me out with this one? Is this an American pronunciation key, or do you really say it that way? I would have thought it was DAWN-a-vun.

Comments

[fractalreality.livejournal.com]

I'd pronounce it DON-a-vun, but then that might be a dialectical thing.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Yeah I guess we'll see. I would think it would have an O sound rather than an A sound, but I want to make sure that's right. Thanks! Your guess is better than mine. :)

[fractalreality.livejournal.com]

I know how I say it, just am never good at phonetics!
But yeah, the beginning has always been pronounced as it is written by people I know; and I'm pretty sure Londoners aren't all weird :P

[chaya.livejournal.com]

East-coast girl says: word.

[frozen-jelly.livejournal.com]

Me too, as in Jason Donavon!

[cyanei.livejournal.com]

That's American. Western.

Not that I'm an expert, but I've heard it that way from an Ohioan.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Ahhh okay. Good to know. :)

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

That's the name of my college's cafeteria thingy. O_o;;

And I know a man by that name.

I say "Dahn-a-vin" but that's because I'm a New Englander. :x

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Cafeteria thingy? Interesting name for a thingy, I must say. :)

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

Well the proper words escaped me [they still do], but "thingy" works just as well because the food kinda sucks. Then again, what college restaurant doesn't?

[fiercefragile.livejournal.com]

Hmm...no idea. I say it

"DOEN o vin"

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how to pronounce "DOEN". Like Doane?

[zorb]

My roommate's boyfriend is named Donovan, and she says it DAWN-uh-vin. She's from New England, but I'd say the same and I'm all Californian.

[zorb]

And where I wrote "vin," I meant "ven." Approximately.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

It's never occured to me that it might be anything but "Dah-na-vun."

I'm from America, the Midwest. (Not there currently, but I haven't heard the name since moving, so.)

[minna.livejournal.com]

o.O

I've only heard it pronounced DOH-no-vun.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Good to know! Thanks!

[sevensickles.livejournal.com]

In my half-baked British accent (because quite a bit of American east coast is also thrown into the mix), I say either Dah-na-vun or Dah-na-vin, depending on which accent is fighting for control (vun for the British half, vin for the American half--and it sometimes comes out more dahn-a than dah-na, which mostly depends on where in the sentence Donovan shows up, but on its own, it's always dah-na and usually vun).

[pyoor_excuse]

I'd say that it's Don-a-vun here. At least in my mutilated RP.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

It's interesting how that A gets thrown in so often, I just didn't see that coming.

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

*is Australian*

It reads as American-accented to me. But...*shrug!* I would pronounce it totally differently to everyone else who has replied here, but I think actually it would be the same...just with a different accent. Er. anyway. "Don-ah-vuhn".

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's exactly how I'd say it too.

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

I'd say dun-ih-vin (with the "ih" approaching "uh"). I've never heard it as a first name in Ireland, though, only as a surname.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

AHA! That's what I was waiting for! Yeah, I saw there was a surname O'Donovan, so I thought the Irish would be the people to ask. Thanks!

[cherrybomb07.livejournal.com]

As a Brit - don-a-vun. I've never heard it it said any other way.

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

I'd say Don-nah-vun. With the emphasis on the first syllable. That would be the Anglicised pronunciation.

I spellchecked this time!

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Right, yes. Good. I get attached to these character names so early, and then when I hear it said in such an unexpected way I get strangely defensive. *takes deep breaths* It's probably just the hormones.

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

I would definitely say it Don (like the first part of donald) -uh-vin or vun, depending on how Yorkshire my voice is at that particular moment. But I can definitely hear it in my head the way daegar writes it.

Stress on the first syllable too.

Mind you, my name (Nicola) was pronounced in a real variety of ways when I lived in the US, so I wouldn't be suprised if Donovan had many accented pronunciations. (For my version of Nicola the stress is on the first syllable, so I am NOT a new form of soda drink)

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I presume Nic-COLA is what you say if you've only ever heard the name Nicole and then you see an 'a' stuck on the end of it.

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

I guess yes, I had never considered that, it makes me feel a little more sympathetic towards them. I have a buddy who used to call me Ni-Diet-cola, which was entertaining for about 12 seconds.

Heh, this seems to have jump started my own little rant. I also hate it when you tell people your name, and then immediatley say a nickname, and there's no way they could have misheard: "Hi, I'm Nicola" "Nicky?" "NO YOU FOOL, NICOLA (with big glarey eyes of doom)"

Generally I think that a person can be rellied upon to know her own name, and introduce herself with that.

[complicittheory.livejournal.com]

meep!

You should go try out names you know how they sound and do a comparison of THEIR pronunciation. It is not accurate in any technical linguistic sense... but it is pretty good to me. If I heard it from an irish native it would be as given... slightly dahn/dawn-a-van; think lilt and sing-song. I'd expect a british/scots to be donno-vin. I'm influenced by the pop-star, of course, and he, in Ontario English, in between, as you'd expect; no so 'oo' as in "so what?" and not so 'ah' as in "waaaaaaaaa". Donovan is, IMHLO (in my humble linguistic opinion) is Dannavin; 'anna' as in my home town of Toronto (which I pronounce Taranna). Of course, in Japanese it could be Donnoban in the west, and in the East with a different intonation, with no emphasis.

Thank god there can be no good answer to the question.

[theebee.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend's highschool was called Donovan, and he always pronounces it "Dawn-a-vun". But he's also got this weird Oshawa accent that seems to be entirely unique to that city.

[navy-bean.livejournal.com]

even though I just kind of had an LJ tiff with you on the feminist page... after reading your LJ I kind of want to be your new best friend. hehe. would you mind if I friended you?

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

!! Really! And my lj is so much more boring than it used to be...wow, I hardly know what to say! Welcome, welcome!

[navy-bean.livejournal.com]

Oh dear god. you have an enormous friends list. It seems I have competition to be your new best friend!!! (thanks for friending!I have but a wee friends list so it boosts my waining ego!)

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're only a vestige of my ancient slash fanfiction-writing past, don't mind them.