Accent question on the name Selah

Girl Names
1

We’re naming our 3rd baby (2nd girl) [name_f]Selah[/name_f], after the word that comes after the outbursts and meditations of the Psalmist.

I’m aware that some think it’s pronounced SEE-luh, but after personally consulting several Hebrew scholars, most seem to agree that the correct (original) pronunciation was most likely two short vowels–more like Seh-leh.

Still, we’d like to pronounce it [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh.

Our oldest daughter’s name is Amaré, after the Latin infinitive of “to love” (see my signature). We added the “e” acute at the end of her name to make it sound like [name_u]RAY[/name_u] at the end, (sometimes this is referred to as accent aigu, as it used in [name_m]French[/name_m]). We pronounce it [name_f]Ama[/name_f]-[name_u]RAY[/name_u], as Beyoncé, resumé, etc.

So my questions is this: I’d like to spell [name_f]Selah[/name_f]'s name Sélah, both to match her sister’s name, and to help people not pronounce it SEE-luh, but rather [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh… would this be considered an accent aigu, as well? Or, does it need to be the grave accent (è)? From what I can tell researching, the grave accent is for a less prominent vowel, whereas we want to emphasize the beginning of her name, and also make it sound like the “AY” in resumé, beyoncé, bublé, etc.

If any of you are pronunciation and/or language experts, please weigh in. :slight_smile:

However, if you are just going to tell me to change the name or that you prefer SEE-luh, please refrain from commenting. :wink:

Thanks for the input!

[name_f]Rebekah[/name_f]

2

It’s funny, I’ve always pronounced it (mispronounced it, I guess) with the accent on the last syllable. Se-LAH.
This has been a favourite name of my husband’s for quite a while.

3

I’ve always heard it as always being pronounced [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh, so I don’t think you need the accent mark at all. If you just want it so she matches her sister though, I have no idea if it’s right or not. Sorry I’m not any help in that way :slight_smile:

4

The accent aigu on Sélah in your signature is correct for the pronunciation effect you want to achieve, but I think that [name_f]Selah[/name_f] is much like [name_f]Lena[/name_f] - many people already pronounce it [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh. I pronounce it that way. You could use the accent for style, but then I think Séla is cleaner than Sélah.

5

Thanks for your input! good to know most of you already say it [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh. I hear it SEE-luh so much that I was just assuming that it how it would go.

6

No expert but I right away pronounced it’s pretty similar to say-lah, so I don’t anticipate many issues with pronouncing it. [name_f]Selah[/name_f] is absolutely besutiful!!

7

I love this as a name! So pretty! :smiley:
Personally, I don’t think you need an accent - I read it as [name_m]Say[/name_m]-lah as soon as I saw it. However, I am a [name_m]Christian[/name_m], therefore used to Psalms, therefore might have one up on pronunciation. If you want to use an accent, I would use the aigu to match her sister. And as you pointed out, it is the most common accent to stress the “ay” sound.

8

Thank you! Yes, I just wanted to match her sister…and also it turned out that it gives the “ay” sound (if I’m right), as well, so I thought it was a win-win. But, although I was confident in Amaré’s spelling, I was not as confident in this one. [name_m]Just[/name_m] double-checking.

Thanks!

9

I don’t think [name_f]Selah[/name_f] would take an accent in [name_m]French[/name_m]. And definitely not a grave accent.

Sélah could work but does not seem natural from my [name_m]French[/name_m] eye. It looks like Célia, but at the same time, Sel does not take an accent.

Your daughters would still match with the letter Y and the meanings of Carys/Amaré.

10

I think it’s silly to add a [name_m]French[/name_m] accent to a letter of a word that does not have one in the first place if you’re still going to pronounce it with an English accent and not the way it would be pronounced in [name_m]French[/name_m] (é does not equal ay in [name_m]French[/name_m]).
I’d just go with [name_f]Selah[/name_f] and people will pronounce it the way you want it after you introduced her to them as [name_m]Say[/name_m]-la.

11

Well, that’s quite a way of phrasing your input, but I thank you for your comments on the accent.

12

OK, good to know. So, is [name_m]French[/name_m] your native language and/or a sell-studied second or third, etc? I appreciate your input. Of course, accents are used in different languages, as well, for emphasis, but definitely [name_m]French[/name_m] seemed to be the one that matched what I was going for. But perhaps not, as you point out. Thanks!

13

I wasn’t trying to be rude, I hope I didn’t come across too harshly but this is a thing that has always bothered me, wether it’s the [name_m]French[/name_m] é, the Spanish ñ, etc., I think if one borrows letters from foreign alphabets and puts them in words which they’re not orginally to be found in, the pronunciation of the letter should be correct.
I really didn’t want to offend you, personally, but knowing [name_m]French[/name_m], it just bothers me :confused:

14

I hear you. That’s one of the reasons I was asking. I’m confident my eldest daughter’s name uses the accent correctly, but wasn’t as sure about its use with the name [name_f]Selah[/name_f]. I can understand it can be hard to get across our knowledge and/or pet-peeves on such a sensitive thing as name choice. :slight_smile:

15

I personally would not add an accent, unless you happen to be [name_m]French[/name_m] or living in a [name_m]French[/name_m] speaking area. Amaré actually appears to look as though it is [name_m]French[/name_m] and the accent belongs there (even though my years of mandatory [name_m]French[/name_m] in school say otherwise), so I have less of a problem, but, (I’m not trying to be offensive in anyway), Sélah almost looks as though you’re trying to be [name_m]French[/name_m] to make it look fancy. Also, é usually translates into an ‘eh’ sound. As in Amélie ([name_m]Ah[/name_m]-meh-lee), or Ésme (ehs-may). The only time I can ever recall it becoming the ‘ay’ sound that you’re after, is when it appears at the end of a word. Honestly, as someone who has to correct their name on a daily basis, I’d just stick with [name_f]Selah[/name_f]. The majority will likely understand that it’s [name_m]Say[/name_m]-lah, after one correction. It’s much harder to correct the spelling of someone’s name and make it stick than to correct the pronunciation when it’s one syllable you want corrected.

16

Gotcha. Thanks.

17

I would say it [name_m]Say[/name_m]-la or Sell-a, See-la would probably be my last thought after those two. I think it would just take one correction for people to get it right and I don’t think the accent mark is necessary.

18

I’ve known a couple of friends-of-friends with daughters named [name_f]Selah[/name_f], and everyone pronounces is [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-lah. In fact, one time I had to listen for about five uses of the name before I realized that it wasn’t “[name_u]Sailor[/name_u].”

19

Thanks to all these commentors. I certainly have received the range… posted on [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names, too. Overall, I keep getting contradicting answers, as far as whether the accent would be used correctly, or not. I am leaning toward using it, as it is more of a matching thing with her sister, and represents the “ay” sound I’m going for. I am the mother of an Amaré (AmaRAY) and [name_m]Job[/name_m] – trust me, I am very used to people getting irritated and/or befuddled at our choices. haha. But, it’s good to know that the overall take is that the name would be most often and easily pronounced [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-luh, with or without the accent (and the biggest protest to the accent use seems to be mostly a personal preference thing anyways). Since my daughter is often called Uh-[name_f]MAR[/name_f]-ay, (like Amar’e the NBA player), and my son job, as in a vocation, I am well aware that usually one correction is all it takes. And if it makes people feel any better, most of the time, the accent aigu is left off when people write my daughter’s name, and she adds it herself, with pride. haha. So, non-damaged kid, and happy public. All is well. :wink:

thanks for your input, all, again! If you have any more accent-knoweldge, please don’t hesitate to add!

20

My sweet neice is [name_f]Selah[/name_f] and we pronounce it [name_m]SAY[/name_m]-lah. Most people my sister runs into do too. It’s a beautiful choice!