# pronunciation of Samhain **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314 "2005-10-28T14:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/1 "2005-10-28T14:33:24Z")
I pronounce it like it’s spelled, sam as in Uncle Sam, Hain to rhyme with rain. But I could swear I’ve heard a different pronunciation somewhere. What’s the correct way to say this word? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/2 "2005-10-28T14:36:20Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I pronounce it like it’s spelled, sam as in Uncle Sam, Hain to rhyme with rain. But I could swear I’ve heard a different pronunciation somewhere. What’s the correct way to say this word? Sow- (like female pig) an. (although that -an should be with a schwa, which I don’t know how to type) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/3 "2005-10-28T15:00:20Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Sow- (like female pig) an. (although that -an should be with a schwa, which I don’t know how to type) Thanks! Now, how do you pronounce a schwa? And how does Glenn Danzig pronounce Samhain? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/4 "2005-10-28T15:12:56Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Thanks! Now, how do you pronounce a schwa? And how does Glenn Danzig pronounce Samhain? You don’t pronounce a schwa; it’s an unstressed vowel. Sort of an “eh” sound. SOW-ehn. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/5 "2005-10-28T15:13:50Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Thanks! Now, how do you pronounce a schwa? The schwa is a non-descript filler vowel, and it is like the last vowel in “sopha.” It’s the upside-down “e” in the dictionary pronunciation (sp?) guide. I can’t find it on the character map, so I can’t type it. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/6 "2005-10-28T15:15:42Z")
A schwa is kind of an “uh” sound. Like in the word “adapt”, the first “a” is a schwa because you dont pronounce it with a hard “a” like A-dapt, it’s more like uh-dapt. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/7 "2005-10-28T17:24:05Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I pronounce it like it’s spelled, sam as in Uncle Sam, Hain to rhyme with rain. But I could swear I’ve heard a different pronunciation somewhere. What’s the correct way to say this word? That would work if “samhain” was actually an English word - but it’s not. It’s Gaelic. And in Gaelic, it IS spelled phonetically, which to English-attuned ears sounds like “SOW-en” ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/8 "2005-10-28T18:04:43Z")
Isn’t it pronounced “Halloween”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/9 "2005-10-28T18:06:54Z")
“Schwa” in Celtic tongues is pronounced “Cuthrod”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/10 "2005-10-28T22:22:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > That would work if “samhain” was actually an English word - but it’s not. It’s Gaelic. And in Gaelic, it IS spelled phonetically, which to English-attuned ears sounds like “SOW-en” The ancient Gaels used a Latin alphabet? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/11 "2005-10-28T22:58:17Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The ancient Gaels used a Latin alphabet? The _ancient_ Celts (those who spoke/speak the Gaelic in question) used the Ogham writing system. However, after the invasion of/adoption of Christianity they switched to a latin-derived alphabet. It was, however lacking in some characters used by English speakers, which is how you get letter combinations like “mh” sounding like the English “w” or “v” (please, don’t get me started on the rules involved) because the alphabet they used had neither w nor v. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/12 "2005-10-28T23:02:09Z")
There’s rules, Broomstick? Coz I’d love to know how the rules that decreed “Si-o-bh-an” is pronounced “Shi-vorn” came about 😃 Fookin’ Irish and their crazy moon-language. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/13 "2005-10-28T23:10:57Z")
> [@Sierra Indigo](#): > > There’s rules, Broomstick? Coz I’d love to know how the rules that decreed “Si-o-bh-an” is pronounced “Shi-vorn” came about 😃 I thought it was pronounced ‘shi-vahn’. Si = ‘Shih’ bh = ‘v’ an = ‘ahn’ The ‘o’? Either it’s part of the ‘shih’ sound, or it’s silent. I tried to learn Gaelic once, and the spelling was my downfall. (That, and I was coming in in the ‘second semester’.) One word I remember is spelled something like ‘claidheamh’, which IIRC was pronouced ‘clive’. It’s like they put extra letters in just to mess with us! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/14 "2005-10-28T23:31:13Z")
Go on then: pronounce my name!\* As I noted in another thread, the Irish for Hallowe’en itself is Oiche Shamhna (i.e. “the day before [the beginning of] November”), pronounced sort of “ee-huh how-na”. - It’s sort of show-suv. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/15 "2005-10-28T23:31:55Z")
“Siobhan” An S that is proceeded or followed by either an “i” or and “e” (or certain combinations of vowels, such as “io”) is pronounced aspirated, or as the English configuration “sh” The “bh” is an aspirated “b”, which is pronounced as either a “w” when in combination with a, o, or u, or as a “v” when combined with i or e. In this case, it’s following the lead of the “Sio” proceeding it, and thus is a v sound. the “an” is pronounced not too differently from the English combination. Thus, “Siobhan” in Irish is pronounced in a manner that, in phonetic English, sounds like “Shih-vahn” We see some of this in “samhain”. The “s”, being next to an a, is _not_ aspirated an thus resembles the English “s” rather than “sh”. It’s an aspirate “m”, which, like b, changes to a “w” in combination with a, o, or u and to a “v” when combined with i or e. The s-a-mh combination does affect the prnounciation of the “a”, which is a “sahw” rather than a “sow”, but to English ears the difference is quite subtle and not likely to be heard. And the final “in” is much like an unstressed English syllable, converting to a shwa. Thus: “samhain” = “sow-in”. It doesn’t help that Irish Gaelic has something like 60 separate sounds and only 21 letters in its alphabet. Compared to 40 English sounds and 26 letters. My understanding of the rules of pronounciation and grammer in Gaelic is limited - there are, I am sure, much more proficient people on this forum, they just haven’t shown up yet. ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/16 "2005-10-29T15:19:49Z")
Speaking as someone with someone who had to study Irish during 14 years in school I can confirm that **Broomstick** is correct and explains it a LOT better than I could ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/17 "2005-10-29T15:32:52Z")
Aside: I cringed whilst watching _The X-Files_ several years ago when Agent Mulder said ‘sam hane’. He, of all people, should know the correct pronunciation! :smack: I read later that ‘sam hane’ is an acceptable pronunciation, but I can’t accept that. (But then, I insist Porsche is not pronounced ‘porsh’. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/18 "2005-10-29T18:40:50Z")
Few nitpicks… > [@](#): > > An S that is proceeded or followed by either an “i” or and “e” (or certain combinations of vowels, such as “io”) is pronounced aspirated, or as the English configuration “sh” Any letter in Irish that is preceded or followed by “i” or “e” is palatalized, or pronounced with a “y”-offglide. This makes the “S” sound vaguely like an English “sh”, though they are different sounds phonetically. > [@](#): > > The “bh” is an aspirated “b”, which is pronounced as either a “w” when in combination with a, o, or u, or as a “v” when combined with i or e. In this case, it’s following the lead of the “Sio” proceeding it, and thus is a v sound. The “bh” is a lenited “b”. Lenited consonants in Gaelic are pronounced with the mouth slightly relaxed. If you say a “b”, your lips touch each other. Now imagine that you relaxed your lips a bit so they didn’t quite touch, and you’d get a sound somewhere between a “w” and a “v”, and that’s the sound that “bh” makes. Here’s where that “o” comes in – it’s inserted as a dummy vowel to keep the “i” from being next to the “bh”, so the “bh” isn’t palatalized. And finally, the “án” is pronounced like you’d expect, with the “a” like in Spanish and the accent lengthening the “a”. Wrt “Samhain”: > [@](#): > > It’s an aspirate “m”, which, like b, changes to a “w” in combination with a, o, or u and to a “v” when combined with i or e. Again, the “m” is lenited, not aspirated, and undergoes the same sound change that “b” does. > [@](#): > > And the final “in” is much like an unstressed English syllable, converting to a shwa. Thus: “samhain” = “sow-in”. The “i” is inserted as another dummy vowel, to palatalize the final “n”. It’s the “a” in the last syllable that’s producing the schwa sound. [This](http://fiosfeasa.com/bearla/language/sounds.htm) is an excellent guide to the details of Irish pronunciation and orthography. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/19 "2005-10-29T18:48:12Z")
How does one pronounce “Menzies” again? 😕😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314/20 "2005-10-29T19:05:55Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > Go on then: pronounce my name!\* My aunt who had the name Seosamh pronounced it “Tina Mae”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-samhain/328314.md?page=2)