Pronounciation of the name Phelim
This is our son's name. It is an Irish name, whose root is from a Gaelic word meaning constant or always. I believe the Irish spelling of the name is Feidlham, or something like that. Here's my question, we pronounce the name "FAY-lim" -- a pronounciation we found in an Irish baby names book. We know of only one other Phelim, who always pronounced it "FAIL-im." Are both acceptable? Where do the two pronounciations come from?
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Oh, gee, how on earth can you tell the difference between FAY-lim and FAIL-im in normal speech? Very few people are going to make enough of a separation between the two syllables for this to be an issue. For the huge majority of people, these ARE the same pronunciation, and so they "come from" the same place. So I'm sure both are "acceptable", though if you want validation for the way your prefer, that's how the name is divided in the pronunciation guide in Irish Names by Donnchadh OCorrain & Fidelma Maguire.
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