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Why do the English pronounce the first name "St. John" as "sinjin" but they pronounce the last name "Saintclair" as "saint clair" (and not "sinclair")? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

41 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Checkmate, Chuck. 👑

Edit: Given the number of downvotes I'm getting, I'm guessing a lot of people have just learned that they've been pronouncing St. John wrong. Don't beat yourselves up. It's not like it's a terribly common name.

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago (5 children)

We don't as far as I know. St John is usually pronounced Saint John. Though English is weird and you might have come across a local pronunciation. Do you know where abouts in the UK that one comes from?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Roger Moore pronounced his alias St John Smythe as "Sinjun Smythe" in "A View To A Kill"

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

The definitive answer :-)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Perhaps not precisely "sinjin". Wikipedia gives the IPA as /ˈsɪndʒɪn/ or /-ʒən/ where the ʒ is the g in beige or the s in pleasure so it's a bit more of a zh sound than a j sound: "sinzhin"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_(name) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Though the English ~~is~~ are weird

Local names in Britain do my head in

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Oh no not in Utica

[–] MrsDoyle 2 points 4 weeks ago

It's an upper crust thing. A bit old-fashioned as well.