[name_m]Hi[/name_m] again Berries!
So I obviously love [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] but kind of made up my own pronunciation.
I sadly don’t like the gen-uh-veev pronunciation due to the fact of the [name_f]Gen[/name_f] beginning. I have a cousin [name_f]Jen[/name_f] so I’m worried that if we use this name for a girl that she’ll end up being [name_f]Gen[/name_f], [name_f]Genna[/name_f], or [name_f]Genny[/name_f]. The french pronunciation is better but no real nickname. Plus my fiance and his family wouldn’t pronounce it correctly. I was think something like [name_m]Jhon[/name_m]-uh-veev. If that makes sense? So kind of like [name_u]Shawn[/name_u] or the french pronunciation of [name_m]John[/name_m]. Is that a different name like [name_f]Guinevieve[/name_f]? Is that made up? I kind of like VeVe or [name_f]Eve[/name_f] as a nickname.
Thank you!
I really don’t like this idea, to be honest. Everyone will pronounce it using the more familiar pronunciation. Using the [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation would be a bit pretentious in an English speaking context unless there was a legitimate reason for it, but using a made up pronunciation is just asking for trouble and constant corrections.
VeVe and [name_f]Eve[/name_f] both make perfection sense as nicknames for [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] with the gen-uh-veev pronunciation. If you’re worried about people using [name_f]Gen[/name_f], [name_f]Genna[/name_f], or [name_f]Genny[/name_f], just explain to them that you prefer [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], VeVe, or [name_f]Eve[/name_f]. If you catch them using one of the nicknames you don’t like, correct them. Much less hassle than completely changing the pronunciation of the name.
I agree entirely with Nono
I’m going to have to agree. [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] is a hard enough name given that it can be pronounced jen-uh-veev or jen-uh-vee-ehv. Trying to superimpose a non-standard pronunciation is going to be difficult and can come off as a little pretentious (unless you are [name_m]French[/name_m] or bounce between countries).
I’d call a [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] (pronounced jen-uh-veev) [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] or [name_f]Eve[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f] long before I’d make up a whole new pronunciation for [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]. I like [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f].
If I wanted [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f] and [name_m]French[/name_m] with no chance of [name_f]Gen[/name_f]/[name_f]Jenny[/name_f], I’d go with [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. If I wanted a long pretty G name, I’d go with something like [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f], [name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] (gwen-EYE-ra) or [name_f]Giselle[/name_f] or something.
[name_m]Jhon[/name_m]-uh-veev is a non-starter for me, sorry.
[name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Guinevieve[/name_f]? Is that a real name? You are right, I could just nicely correct people if they ever use [name_f]Gen[/name_f] as a nickname. I just have horrible associations with [name_m]Jens[/name_m]. I know two personally.
I don’t think that “hybrid” pronunciation is a good idea. And I’m not crazy about [name_f]Guinevieve[/name_f], either. [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] and [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] are both lovely, but the smoosh just doesn’t do anything for me. If you love [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f], call her that. No one is going to call her [name_f]Gen[/name_f] if she’s already nicknamed [name_f]Vivi[/name_f].
It’s ‘gwen-AY-ra’.
why not go for [name_f]Gwenevieve[/name_f]? It’s a legit name… 
I agree completely with this.
If you don’t want her to go by [name_f]Gen[/name_f]-something as a nickname, call her [name_f]Eve[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f]. They’re pretty intuitive as far as nicknames go and most of the little [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]'s I’ve met are [name_f]Eve[/name_f]/[name_f]Evie[/name_f], never [name_f]Genna[/name_f]/[name_f]Gen[/name_f]/[name_f]Genny[/name_f].
Thank you for your opinions. I was thinking more of the hybrid of the two pronunciations. I thought it could possibly be a real name. Not trying to sound pretentious at all. I was thinking the beginning of the french and middle and end of the more common pronunciation. So it’d be [name_m]Jhon[/name_m]-uh-veev or Génevieve. I really like this one and would be willing to correct people. This is the only name my fiance has said is perfect. However, when we thought of it more we were unfortunately reminded of my cousin [name_f]Jen[/name_f] so we say the beginning the french way. I’m thinking Génevieve…
Thank you personphone90, I like [name_f]Gwenevieve[/name_f], I’ll keep it in mind
I have to agree that mashing the two pronunciations together would lead to problems. I have a little [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], and no one has ever called her [name_f]Gen[/name_f]. Sometimes people ask me if we call her [name_f]Gen[/name_f] or [name_f]Genny[/name_f], and I just say no. She is either [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] or [name_f]Vivi[/name_f]. Never [name_f]Gen[/name_f] or [name_f]Genny[/name_f].
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] is a gorgeous name that I think would be rendered less gorgeous by changing the pronunciation to be a mash-up between [name_m]French[/name_m] and English.
I agree [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] is a gorgeous name
Okay so I’m back to loving [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] in the common form. I’ve loved this name forever and am over thinking too much.