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The pronunciation of "Gillian"

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(@tatiana-larina)
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Joined: 16 years ago

What is the correct pronunciation of the given female name "Gillian"? J.C. Wells' Longman Pronunciaiton Dictionary gives only the form /?d??l i??n/ (as in "ginger"), on the other hand I've heard an interview with David Fincher, who pronounced the name of his screenwriter /?g?l i??n/ (as in "get").

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(@emmettredd)
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Joined: 18 years ago

Jill, of fetching water fame, has a sound equivalent to the soft 'g'. Gill, as an anatomical feature on a fish (ghoti), has a hard 'g' sound. With that being said, many rules are ignored when it comes to personal names (and often times in English).

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(@Anonymous)
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There are no rules on how to pronounce people's names. They're the only ones who can tell you.

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(@Anonymous)
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For what it's worth.  I know two females named Jillian with a J.  I look at that as the correct spelling.

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(@Anonymous)
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To expand on Peano's statement, there are no rules on how to spell people's names. I have known Gillians of both pronunciations. And I have a grandson whose middle name is Mathew. I gently protested, but was overruled. Not my kid, not my decision.

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