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My four-year-old recently got a pet frog. When he named it, he said, "θæn" (note: that is IPA, "θæn" sounds just like the word "than" but it has an unvoiced first consonant). I'm not sure how to notate this into English though. My wife suggested we just go with "Than", but to me, that's the common, "ðæn". I was thinking perhaps "Thann", but that looks like it should be "θɑn". Is there already a word which is pronounced θæn? If not, what would an English spelling look like?

cwallenpoole
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    How does look like it should be pronounced /θɑːn/? That would definitely be /θæn/ for me (of course, I'm English). – Angelos Jun 21 '16 at 14:20
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    I agree. Double the final consonant to devoice the initial consonant. Isn't English spelling funn? – John Lawler Jun 21 '16 at 14:50
  • In English I have heard the word "then" pronounced with just about every vowel sound imaginable. "Than" has a bit less variation, but its still not as standard as you make out. – T.E.D. Jun 21 '16 at 14:54
  • *Thy thigh is thicker than this thistle*. That pronunciation exercise might help learners appreciate the fact that there are two different phonemes involved, but the orthography itself doesn't seem to offer any clues as to which is which. – FumbleFingers Jun 21 '16 at 15:12
  • @Nothingatall Probably because I'm an American who's studied German. German words with the "ann" structure are ɑn. – cwallenpoole Jun 21 '16 at 15:50
  • @JohnLawler Is there a rule there? Or is that something you've just observed? – cwallenpoole Jun 21 '16 at 15:50
  • @JohnLawler I'm inclined to agree with you, but I'd love to know WHY. – cwallenpoole Jun 21 '16 at 15:51
  • @cwallenpoole Doesn't German have a centralized or front /a/? – Angelos Jun 21 '16 at 15:58
  • The closest word I can find to this pronunciation is the name Thanatos, which has a first syllable pronounced θæn and only uses one n. – SomethingDark Jun 21 '16 at 16:26
  • Inspired by Ha'ant http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hant pronunced hænt maybe you could use "Th'an" ? Or else there's at least a word where than is pronunced θæn : thanathos (god of death) -->ˈθænəˌtɒs There's a comic's character call Thanos derived from this, probalby where your son got it from. – P. O. Jun 21 '16 at 16:38
  • @cwallenpoole Perhaps you could transliterate it as people have encyclopædia - with a long e sound: Theen. – Rob Jun 21 '16 at 18:47
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    @cwallenpoole Lawler was making a joke about the state of English spelling. 'Thann' makes sense as a spelling because it follows a rule of not following rules. – Mitch Jun 21 '16 at 19:39
  • It's not a dead-on match, but I would suggest the English word thane. – Hot Licks Jun 22 '16 at 02:39
  • Throwing my hat into the ring: go with Thanne. Rhymes with Anne! – No Name Apr 19 '22 at 02:44

1 Answers1

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As requested:

thanh

It is one of the very common names in Vietnam. Usually for a girl. Actual meaning in Vietnamese: Blue, pure. from here

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