How do you pronounce...

[joethin]

Nguyen (Vietnamese: quoc ngu ; chu nom 阮) (pronounced /ŋwiɜn/, see below for a full explanation) is the most common Vietnamese family name.By some estimates, approximately 40 percent of Vietnamese people have this surname. In North America it is commonly pronounced "win," while the Asian Pacific Islanders (API) Name Pronunciation Guide [1] indicates "Nwen," although neither pronunciation is entirely accurate.

 

The correct pronunciation is /ŋwiɜn/ (see IPA chart), pronounced as one syllable. /ŋ/ is the consonant found at the end of the English word "sing" (in English this consonant is never found in initial position, unlike in Vietnamese). /w/ is the glide found in the English word "wet". /iɜ/ is a falling diphtong, meaning /i/ (pronounced like the ee of "see" in American English) is more stressed than /ɜ/ (pronounced like a shortened version of the u of "burn" or the e of "fern" in British English Received Pronounciation). The sound of this diphtong is close (but not identical) to the diphtong /ɪə/ found in British English Received Pronunciation in the words "beer" or "fear". Finally, /n/ is the same consonant as in English.

 

Besides these vowels and consonants, Nguyen is also pronounced with a tone in Vietnamese. In Southern Vietnam, Nguyen is pronounced with the dipping-rising tone, meaning the pitch of the voice first lowers from level 3 to 1 then rises back to level 3. In Northern Vietnam, Nguyen is pronounced with the creaking-rising tone, meaning the pitch of the voice rises from level 3 to 5, but with a sort of strangulation (constricted vocal cords), almost akin to a glotal stop heard in the middle of the word: /ŋwi (almost a glotal stop heard here) ɜn/.

[Marauders11]

i don't know how to pronounce it, but it usually smells like fish

[Hugh 0ne]

Now nghat? I ngant to think that nge as the people can come up ngith a solution that ngill satisfy the entire ngorld.

Edited July 12, 2006 by Hugh 0ne