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Help[Facts] Re: how would you pronounce NAIMA?
in reply to a message by lilyana
It is definitely Arabic(though orignally both Hebrew and Arabic derved from one language, thus "Naima" also has a meaning n Hebrew, with is loosely translated as "harmonious or pleasant".(Pronound tthe vowels all "long", as in Nye-ee-ma) In Arabic, it has different meanings depending on the country, but it comes from one of 200 words which describe qualities of God. I have been told it is everything from "process of purifcation" to "renewed, reborn" to "gift of God". I found it as the name of a song by John coltrane and it was his (African American) wife's name. In Swahili it means "benevolent" and in Dakara(a dialect in West African Burkhina Faso)it means "I am the queen". I expect it has close meanings in most indigenous communities around the world, including Polynesian and Native American.
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It is amazing that someone might correct someone who has the actual name on its pronounciation, although it could be pronounced differently in Swahili.
Naima is, of course correct on the Arabic pronounciation- NYE-EE-MA is the closest approximation (although the 'a' is actually an Ayn- a very hard sound for non-Arabic speakers). It is the name of a close female relative of mine.
Naima is, of course correct on the Arabic pronounciation- NYE-EE-MA is the closest approximation (although the 'a' is actually an Ayn- a very hard sound for non-Arabic speakers). It is the name of a close female relative of mine.
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