Names--Irene

[filkferengi]

Some folks hereabouts feel that the name Irene has an old lady vibe. It has been considered old-fashioned in some circles until recently, but maybe it's time we re-think it. Try pronouncing it differently. In French, it's pronounced EE-renn, in Spanish ee-RAY-na. This is extra-funny because the French & Spanish words for queen are pronounced renn [reine] & RAY-nah [reina]. So, in a way, her name says I-Queen [like we didn't already know--weg].

Another suggestion is to go out & read the Irene Adler mysteries by Carole Nelson Douglas, starting with _Goodnight, Mr. Holmes_ and _Good Morning, Irene_. Anything less old-ladyish than the intrepid Irene Adler would be hard to imagine. Best of all, by the time you find & read all 7 or 8 mysteries, ACoK will be out. I recommend earplugs to help with the inevitable squee.

Comments

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I never thought of Irene as an old lady name. I never even realized other people did until a couple years ago. I think it's because I went through grade school with a girl named Irene. She was the only Irene I ever knew, so I associated it with her and not old ladies. Besides, old ladies are awesome. :P

[filkferengi]

I have a very good friend named Irene who's even shorter than I am. She volunteers at conventions for fun--one of those save-the-galaxy-before-breakfast types.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Aww thanks!

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

That is, thanks for saying old ladies are awesome!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I think of Irina Derevko from ALIAS, who is if anything slightly scarier than Attolia, so no problems there. :)

[missadventure02.livejournal.com]

My grandma's name is Irene (and my grandpa's name is Eugene, how cool is that?!?), so I couldn't immediately make the name Irene match with Attolia. It works now, more so after having read KoA, but my first reaction to the name Irene is still "Grandma?" Still, like sandtree said, old ladies are awesome. :)

[filkferengi]

That's very cool.

Also, grandmas rule the world; just ask mine. ;)

[coyul.livejournal.com]

My grandmother's name was Helen. :D

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Yep. And remember, it's three syllables in Greek, too.

[filkferengi]

Yeah, but which of them is it accented on?

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Second. (Also, in French it's accented on the second as well)

[filkferengi]

Of course; one always accents the queen. [Except Gen, who accents *whatever he wants*.]

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Lol.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

thanks for catching that--my ears are squirming at EE-renn.

and how do you pronounce the "e"s in Greek?

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it matters. It would have been something between eh and ay, probably, but over the years the vowels shifted to i (pronounced ee). So I think you can take your pick. Pronounce it some way that sounds right to you.

[keestone.livejournal.com]

I pretty much have to pronounce Irene differently from the usual English pronunciation in order to avoid getting this stuck in my head:

[elvenjaneite.livejournal.com]

Oh, the Weavers! I haven't listened to them in such a long time.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Honestly? It has a 1950s vibe. I mean, I know it's actually Greek, but because of association, to me it feels 1950s. *shrug* Oh, well, I still love it. Especially when Gen says it. Heh heh. Yeah.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I had a question about the pronounciation of Eddis.

I've always pronounced it "Eeedis" (Stress on the "e") but then later when my sister read it, she pronouced it "EDDis" Like Edd and is
and that sort of makes sense because then Eddia would wouldn't sound as awkward (Eeedia vs EDDdia) but if Eddis is Helen, a girl, I like the pronounciation Eeedis as in Eden Edis, Am I making any sense?

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

the people pronounce it EEddis, but the Sounisians (and presumably the Attolians) pronounce it EDdis (well, they might say edDIS, but the point is it's the eh not the ee).

so I try to mix up my pronunciation based on who's saying it.

I personally haven't figured out the first syllable of Sounis. Soonis? Is that how everyone else says it?

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks for that. Doesn't Gen say something about that in the theif? *must reread*

Personally, I've heard it two ways...okay its hard to write but SO[Oh]nis, like that? With a stress on the O-oh. and I've heard if pronounced S[UE]nis

[(Anonymous)]

I read QoA when I was too young to care how to pronounce it and just sort of skipped over the unfamiliar word.

With the result that my head ignored the 'u' and I now read 'Sonnis'- an 'o' like in dog or log.

~crazyviolin

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, same here. I looked at and was like 'yeah I'd rather pronounce it this way with the O> Sonis and a silent U (is there even such thing..I mean we have silent K's so why not U's too?)

this kind of reminds me of when the Harry potter movie came out and I found out I was pronouncing Hermione wrong. that was an epic fail.

[(Anonymous)]

Ah yes- Hermione was Hermun!

~cv

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm, I always said Soo-NEESE, with the last syllable pronounced like the word "niece" ... :)
--Mede-line

[filkferengi]

Now I'm hearing Soo-eee!, like calling pigs, only that'd be more aptly applied to Na-hoserfish. [weg]

[(Anonymous)]

I myself pronounce it as in "least said, Sounis mended....

Charlotte

[filkferengi]

Ooh, clever. *has severe clever pun envy*

[tencups-i-swear.livejournal.com]

Eeddis is the Eddisian prounounciation (Oh gosh how do you spell that? My spelling is never good in the morning) But the Sounisians and Attolians pronouce it EDDis. I think.

[tencups-i-swear.livejournal.com]

(oops, got in second now I see! :))

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Lol, well it's confirmation then :]

[inkasrain.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of the name, myself. I think my grandmother had a best friend named Irene, so I can only hear it in a really thick Brooklyn accent. (But Keestone, I get the Peter, Paul and Mary version of that song stuck in my head, too ;-)) So I usually pronounce it "Ih-reen" just to satisfy my need for exoticism! How is it meant to be pronounced in Greek?

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

I don't know any Irenes in real life, so my only real association with the name is Attolia. So I love it, of course.

I think in Greek it might be something like ay-RAY-nay, but my Greek accent is terrible (especially on eta versus epsilon). I still pronounce it the American English way in my head when I read, though. Probably because I learned Greek after I read these books (though when I was in Greek and saw the word for "peace" on our vocab list, I squealed rather loudly).

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

It's so awkward sounding when I try to say it, but I feel like I might try to say it the Greek way now. Maybe if I can say it enough, it will work. XD

[smills47.livejournal.com]

Yep, ay-RAY-nay in ancient Greek, ee-REE-nee in Modern Greek.

[tearoha.livejournal.com]

Anyone else here say it AI-reen?

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

I say it Eye-Rene

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

I think that's kind of how I say it...I don't actually pronounce it out loud very often. It definitely only has two syllables in my head, despite the fact that I know in Greek (among other places) it should have three.

[tearoha.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know it probably technically have three syllables, but I just can't make myself say it after so many years of saying Ai-reen, even though I managed to change my pronounciation of Magus, Ambiades, Sounis and Eugenides. My mental ear won't do it. And then, there are so many different ways to say it that it's hard to decide on one. The only other I can make myself feel convinced about is 'Ai-ree-nee', which is how one of my coworkers pronounces her name, and somehow it doesn't have quite the regal ring to it!

names-Irene Adler

[carolendouglas.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the mention of my Irene Adler series!

The Brit pronunciation is eye-REEN-ie and that's what I've been saying after long association with Sherlockians, but the Jeremy Brett version of "A Scandal in Bohemia" used a more exotic Continental version, i-RAIN-nah.

Good Night, Mr. Holmes, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, is just out in a new trade paperback edition with a Reader's Guide. The Adler series has a great mention in a rave review of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes film due Christmas Day.

See the Elle article at http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Movies-TV-Music-Books/Sherlock-Holmes

See the complete list of Irene Adler titles on the Irene Adler page at http://www.carolenelsondouglas.com

Re: names-Irene Adler

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

used a more exotic Continental version, i-RAIN-nah.

Oh, I like that! Of course, Jeremy Brett could read a grocery list and I'd listen. Avidly. Drooling, maybe.

Thanks for the info on your books, and welcome.

names-Irene Adler

[carolendouglas.livejournal.com]

This time LJ allowed me a choice of pictures, so I'm using the Irene Adler one. :))) I don't have time for much blogging, so am not up on all the tricks. I do have a blog on my recently revamped website, but the action there is very tame so far.

I agree about Jeremy Brett! A brilliant portrayal after years of "stock" Sherlocks. Glad to weigh in after Google alerted me. Happy Holidays!

[faerietaleredux.livejournal.com]

I'll admit I've never been to keen on Attolia's name. But I think it's an interesting contrast to her image. I don't look at her (figuratively, that is, lol) and think 'Irene,' which has a kind of normal person feel to it (and not a royal one, like fantasy characters are typically given).

So her name, to me, shows a very different side to her than post people ever encounter. Eugenedes does. He knows that she isn't just the tragic, seemingly otherworldly Queen that she portrays. She's human--vulnerable.

Oddly enough, I always think of her in terms of her title. And leave it for Gen to call her by her given name.

[filkferengi]

Yeah, Gen is all about the whole "to boldly go" where nobody else could, would, or should thing.