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Help[Opinions] Maali?
I stumbled across this recently and it’s not really my usual style, but it’s the Noongar word for the black swan and that would be meaningful for me as a West Aussie a long way from home.
Maali is also suggested as a Nordic variant of Maala, and some research shows it’s also a unisex Arabic name to do with nobility and greatness.
What do you think of it? Would you use it? What first name would you use with Maali as a middle name?
https://nanowrimo.org/participants/christine-seaforth-finch
http://christineseaforthfinch.blogspot.com/
Maali is also suggested as a Nordic variant of Maala, and some research shows it’s also a unisex Arabic name to do with nobility and greatness.
What do you think of it? Would you use it? What first name would you use with Maali as a middle name?
http://christineseaforthfinch.blogspot.com/
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Replies
Are you pronouncing it more like may-lee or mah-lee? I've actually heard about (didn't meet) of a girl named "may-lee" (spelling not known) and she had some indigenous background. It's ok, it's simple yet pretty and has a "modern/trendy" sound to it, but it's a little "cutesy" for me to appreciate as a first name. I personally wouldn't use it. As a middle name it is fine. Probably something with 3 (or 4?) syllables and ending in -a would flow best?
Jacinta Maali
Riona Maali
Cassarah Maali
Ginevra Maali
Irene (German, Dutch pron.) Maali
Johanna Maali
Kerenza Maali
Rowena / Rowenna Maali
Jacinta Maali
Riona Maali
Cassarah Maali
Ginevra Maali
Irene (German, Dutch pron.) Maali
Johanna Maali
Kerenza Maali
Rowena / Rowenna Maali
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It would be mah-lee - the ‘aa’ spelling is used to transcribe ‘ah’ in Noongar words.
I like most of these, but Jacinta Maali is stunning!
I like most of these, but Jacinta Maali is stunning!
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It looks like a typo for the country of Mali to me.
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If I heard but didn't see it, I'd assume it was short for Amalia, and that it was spelt Mali. Which immediately makes it look geographical rather than ornithological ...
I like the sound better than the look, which is inconvenient because one sees mns more often than one hears them.
It seems to want a D name, not sure why. Would any of these work?
Diana Maali
Dinah Maali
Delia Maali
Dorothea Maali
Deborah Maali
Danica Maali (that's daNITsa, not DANika)
Dorelia Maali
Davina Maali
Demelza Maali
I like the sound better than the look, which is inconvenient because one sees mns more often than one hears them.
It seems to want a D name, not sure why. Would any of these work?
Diana Maali
Dinah Maali
Delia Maali
Dorothea Maali
Deborah Maali
Danica Maali (that's daNITsa, not DANika)
Dorelia Maali
Davina Maali
Demelza Maali
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I've never heard it, and I can't really say that I like it. I have a hard time seeing it as a name, as I keep thinking of Mali, the country.
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I looked it up on PronounceNames.com. It would sound pretty much the way I'd say Molly, according to that. But I don't think the sound is what you are specifically attracted to, and I can appreciate that. Changing the spelling to Molly would defeat the whole purpose. I was not previously familiar with it. But I didn't necessarily think it looked made up. Just unfamiliar. I think it's visually kind of pleasing. And since you are thinking of it in the middle spot, it's easier to be a bit more fanciful than it might be as a first name. I think it's absolutely usable.
This message was edited 9/19/2020, 9:30 AM
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It wouldn’t sound like Molly in my accent :)
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OK. I'm a little confused, I guess. Would you pronounce Molly the same as us, but pronounce Maali differently from us?
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English and Australian phonics have a very short /o/ sound which doesn’t exist in most North American accents. If you’ve ever heard a British person say “lorry”, it’s that /o/ sound which we use in Molly. Maali on the other hand would have a longer /ah/ sound, like the /a/ in “fast”. It would be indistinguishable from Marley but distinctly different to Molly.
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OK. Thank you. I understand what you mean now. Anyway, I do still like the name!
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Thank you for this!
You captured it exactly :)
You captured it exactly :)
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If you hadn't said any different I would have thought it was a creative spelling of Molly, or maybe of Mali, the country. It sounds just like Molly so to me, there'd be no point in using it if I wanted that sound; I'd just use Molly.
I don't really like Molly that much. It's cute, but kind of pet-like.
I don't really like Molly that much. It's cute, but kind of pet-like.
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Interesting - it doesn’t sound a thing like Molly in my accent! Mali yes, or Marley, but not Molly.
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