I know a girl who spells her name this way and pronounces it “[name_u]Brit[/name_u]-nee” and I’ve always struggled not to pronounce it “[name_u]Britt[/name_u]-uh-nee” Why has the “a” become silent in spellings like “[name_f]Brittany[/name_f]/[name_f]Britany[/name_f]” become silent?
I’m not really sure why some names have silent letters. The spelling or name could be from a different culture or maybe it’s just how the parents wanted the name to be pronounced. I met a woman named [name_f]Maya[/name_f] who pronounced her name ma-A-a, without pronouncing the y, like most Mayas would. Also,for example, the Irish/Scottish name [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] is pronounced kee-va or kwee-va or key-va, despite the spelling, so culture or the origins of the name may also have a part in it.
I would pronounce it Britt-nee, that’s how it’s normally pronounced in English-speaking areas.
Honestly, and this is just a personal observation, I suspect [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] gets only two syllables of pronunciation because of how common it is, combined with high profile namesakes like [name_f]Britney[/name_f] Spears who spell it with a two syllable-type arrangement.
It might not make sense that a name gets shortened verbally when it’s used more often, but in my mind it’s like a sort of laziness - the same reason I don’t always enunciate t sounds in the middle of words, or why “crayon” often comes out as “cran”. It’s just a shortcut, from what I can tell.
[name_u]Brit[/name_u]-knee.