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Pronunciations
How are the following pronounced?Jana
Shana
KiranThanks
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Jana: JAN-nah (with the JAN rhyming with LAN), YAH-nah, or JAY-nah
Shana: SHA-nah (rhymes with Jana), SHAH-nah, or SHAY-nah
Kiran: I would guess keer-ahn, but I can't say for sure.Array
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The Sanskrit name kiran (dust or ray, from kRR, meaning to pour or scatter, with cognates in Greek; the rays of the sun was mythologized as the reigns holding the horses to the chariot on which he rides; only the meaning ray survives today) would have a small i as in hit rather than the long one in heat. I have heard it pronounced with a long I only by non-Indians. In Vedic, the stress was on the a; stress as a morphological feature disappeared in later language.The n would be retroflex in Sanskrit and those modern Indian languages that distinguish it from dental. The a would be a short sound, like in English run, and not long like in barn, though its exact pronounciation varies in the various languages.
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Thank you!That's really interesting! I love learning about cognates across languages, and so I find your posts really fascinating. You do a really nice job of explaining the origins of names.Thanks for correcting me on the pronunciation--I had the feeling I had it wrong. I'll try to remember that, in case I meet a Kiran someday.Array
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Thanks!
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In Australia, Jana is YAH-na and Shana is SHAH-na.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Thank you.
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