I'd say most Ngaires I've met are pronounced as 'Nai-ree' rather than 'Ngai-ree'.
It's correct for Tuhoe and some East Coast Maori pronunciation as well as English, anyway, to say /NG/ as /N/, IIRC.
However, I can see your readers' point. It's not just the NG, which leaves readers unsure of whether to say the last sound in 'sing' or to come up with something like an Africanesque N-followed-by-G combination; it's also the 'aire' which I have found leaves non-New-Zealanders confused. They don't know whether to say it as 'air' or 'air-uh' or 'air-ee' or 'ai-ree' or 'ai-ruh'. That's a lot of possible renditions for one spelling. Two possibilities for the first two letters, two for the last letter, and two for the second and third, and yet another for the last four letters. Ten pronunciations in total, I think.
It's a perfectly valid name, but, like my own, not one I'd wish on an SFF reader without a good explanation at the first use.
no subject
Date: 5 Jul 2011 07:45 am (UTC)It's correct for Tuhoe and some East Coast Maori pronunciation as well as English, anyway, to say /NG/ as /N/, IIRC.
However, I can see your readers' point. It's not just the NG, which leaves readers unsure of whether to say the last sound in 'sing' or to come up with something like an Africanesque N-followed-by-G combination; it's also the 'aire' which I have found leaves non-New-Zealanders confused. They don't know whether to say it as 'air' or 'air-uh' or 'air-ee' or 'ai-ree' or 'ai-ruh'. That's a lot of possible renditions for one spelling. Two possibilities for the first two letters, two for the last letter, and two for the second and third, and yet another for the last four letters. Ten pronunciations in total, I think.
It's a perfectly valid name, but, like my own, not one I'd wish on an SFF reader without a good explanation at the first use.