I'd just like to know the correct pronunciation of a name if it is at all possible for you to tell me .....How do you pronounce the name Xian.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2000

Answers

Well. Probably like xeney. Zion?

Big help I am.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

I've seen "Xian" used as an abbreviation for "Christian." As a separate name, I have no idea how it would be pronounced.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

Hmmm... this may be totally wrong in all things good and grammatical, but I'm thinking it could be pronounced "Zhee-an."

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

At the library where I work we get lots of students with that name, or a very similar name. They usually pronounce it Zian. While we're at it, how would you pronounce Katia?

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

I've heard "Katia" pronounced as "Kat-ya."

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

Ex-ee-an.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

That prods a thought. How exactly do you pronounce "xeney" then?

I pronounce it zee-ney... Is that what you intended?

There's a whole nunch of journals and journaller names that I'm probably murdering out of their actual pronounciation.

The accent does it sometimes too. I told some staff member yesterday that another staff member was on a Holiday. Today Ihear they heard "Heart Attack" hence their peturbed "Oh No! She's so Young!".

I was busy, not really listening to their response, and kept saying in an offhand manner, yep, Holiday, that's it.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

You got it right, Amanda. "Ex-eney" sounds like a skin condition.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

I know someone named Xuan, and you pronounce it Zwan. Xian.... Zwin!!! I have no idea. I cant't pronounce most peoples name, no matter how simple. Mine's pronounced exactly how its spelled. No twisted up things KAN-DAR-PA isn't that easy? Then tell me why NO ONE can pronounce it right.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2000

Regarding the Xian as abbreviation for Christian thing, I think the more usual abbreviation is Xtian, with the added "t". And I've only ever seen it used by boringly hardcore alleged Satanists who can't quite bring themselves to utter the word "Christ", and also only in print. Don't know how they'd go about actually saying it.

http://www.geocities.com/jgwr/

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2000

Nope, I've seen it used by teenagers. I think it's a trendy abbreviation. But you may be right about the T.

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2000

Yeah, usually with the T. (and I've mostly seen it done on old pagan BBS forums, or in my notes for history classes)

As for the question... I would think Zee-yan, or maybe Shee-an? Or something between the two?

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2000

So, if it's supposed to be 'Xtian', then the X in Xmas stands for 'Chris,' not 'Christ,' so it're really Chrismas? Well, that is how it's pronounced, I guess... Poor satanists. Such a hard lot in life. Can't say 'christ'. Betcha they still yell "Jesus!" or "God Whatever" when they hit their thumbs with hammers, though.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2000

Actually, the idea that the "X" in "Christmas" (and, I suppose, "Xtian," or "Xian," as it is indeed spelled in the article below) is a modern and disrespectful abbreviation is untrue, so you can all get your panties out of a wad and stop attributing it to Satanic sources. (Remember, "satanic" was the adjective of the last millenium. Oh, all right, you can use it for one more year, but then you have to stop.)

Anyway: the Snopes debunking of the "Xmas" myth.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2000

Yeah, I've always abbreviated Christian as "Xian", and i'm neither Christian nor Satanist, just lazy. It wasn't until quite recently that someone pointed out that "Xtian" might make more sense.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2000

I've heard this name pronounced like "Sean".

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2000