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Help[Surname] Re: Pronunciation?
in reply to a message by Meanwhile
With great difficulty unless you are an Arabic speaker.
The second syllable takes more stress than the first, and the H is definitely pronounced. Another spelling is Yahya, but the first A becomes more like an E sound because it is not stressed. The Y instead of an I gives a better guide to pronunciation, I think.
It is the Islamic version of John, John the Baptist being recognised as a prophet by Muslims. The Christian Arab equivalent is Yuhana.
The second syllable takes more stress than the first, and the H is definitely pronounced. Another spelling is Yahya, but the first A becomes more like an E sound because it is not stressed. The Y instead of an I gives a better guide to pronunciation, I think.
It is the Islamic version of John, John the Baptist being recognised as a prophet by Muslims. The Christian Arab equivalent is Yuhana.
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