Originally Posted by
Dollander
I suppose General Powell's name can be compared to those rare individuals named Ian who pronounce it "eye-an" (like Ian Ziering). My boss says it's a separate name according to his friend who pronounces it that way, a variation of Ivan that happens to be spelled the same, but so far I've found nothing to support this. So I wonder if it's a case of giving one's child a name without knowing the proper pronunciation, or someone just getting tired of always correcting people and conceding to the incorrect version...
Ian, Eoin, John, Sean, Soin, Eathain, Iuan, Ifan, Ioan, Ivan, Evan and Iain are all the same name in various languages and spellings.
Iuan is a Welsh version pronounced Yaiyan so those pronouncing Ian as Eye-an is not too far from that.
To say any one is the correct version would be impossible. It would depend on where the persons background and choice of spelling is coming from.
In England when learning the alphabet you learn Gee, Aitch, I(eye) Jay, Kay,
In most of Scotland you Learn Gee, Atitch, I(eye), Jai, Kay.
I and J in old English being the same letter
Local pronouciation of individual letters can have a big influence on how words are pronounced..
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill
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