Giratina ♀
what's your sign?
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I've been saying it you-NO-vah.
5th Gen Unova Pronunciation: You-Na-va? or Un-No-Vah?
- Thread starter Llennoccm8
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I say it how it is in the cartoon... "You-na-vah" but before that I was always saying it like "You-nova".
Honest
Hi!
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For me, it's You-Know-Va... I really haven't heard any other pronunciations.
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I always pronounce it u-no-va (oo-know-vah).
Yusshin
♪ Yggdrasil ♪
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It's You-no-va.
Based on English grammar, and assuming it follows the normal rules, the vowel+consonant+vowel+consonant+vowel pattern (U-N-O-V-A) produces three long vowels ("U" and "O") and a short vowel ("A"). Therefore, the "N" not followed by another consonant forces the "U" to be pronounced as "You". Similarly, the "V" not being preceeded or succeeded by another consonant forces the "O" to be pronounced as "O" and not "Aw" or "Oo" (only when two "O"s are stuck together does an "O" produce the "oo~" sound).
The "A", being the final letter and no consonant or vowel present afterwards, causes the region's name to end in a short vowel - "Ah" and not "Eh".
You see this pattern in all words in English, except controversial ones based on accents in different countries and regions.
"Battle" is pronounced "Bah-tul" for the same reason. The three consonants after the "A" forces it to be pronounced as "Ah" and not "Eh". The final letter, "E", is short and pronounced as "Euh" instead of "Ee".
"Cool" has two of the same vowels side-by-side, producing the long sound of "Oo". If the word was spelt "Col", it would be the short sound - "Uh" - instead of "Oo" due to being succeeded by a consonant. However, if the word was spelt "Cole", the "O" would again be a long sound - "Oo" - due to the following consonant ("L") being followed by the vowel "E". No letter follows the "E", thus it retains a short sound - "Euh".
When two vowels collide, it forces the first one to be long, and the second to be short, unless the vowels are the same. Examples:
Italian
Dictionary
Italian is pronounced "Ee-tal-ee-an". The "I" is long due to the following "T" being a lone consonant. The first "A" is short due to the following consonant+2(vowel) combo. The "I" is long ("Ee") while the second vowel, "A", is short ("Ah").
Dictionary is pronounced "Deuh-ctee-uh-nair-ee". The "I" at the beginning is short due to being followed by two consonants - "C" and "T" respectively - while the second "I" is long due to being followed by the short vowel, "O". The "A" produces a long sound due to being surrounded by one consonant before it, and one after it. The "Y" in this case is a vowel, and produces an "Ee" sound for it is at the end of this word in particular.
Every word requires a vowel. "Why" is an example of when a "Y" acts as a vowel. Rather than being a long vowel and producing "Ee" like in "dictionary", it produces the short vowel of "Eye" due to the "WH" preceeding it.
Some words that are disputed are "Apple", "Tomato", and "Potato". Following grammar and not regional accents, the correct pronunciation of the word "Apple" is "Ah-pull" (due to three consonants following the "A"). However, the latter two are controversial. Neither "Toe-may-toe" nor "Toe-mah-toe" follow the basic rules of pronunciation (vowel & consonant combinations), thus why it is a disputed matter.
Homonyms are also tricky. "Dove" (white bird) and "Dove" (past tense of "to dive") are spelt the same, mean different things, and are pronounced differently. Neither are pronounced as "Doo-veh"; respectively, they're pronounced "Duh-veh" and "Doh-veh". In the result of a homonym, one of them doesn't respect the rules, while the other does. Like mentioned earlier, the longer sound of "O" ("Oo") only occurs when two of this vowel are stuck together side-by-side. This is not the case. The result should be "Doh-veh", based on the rules, which leaves the first word, meaning the white bird, as the one that doesn't follow the rules ("Duh-veh"). Just like in every language, similar rules apply for pronunciation, and you subconsciencely recognize them when reading, writing, and saying words.
Since "Unova" is a term created in fiction, and is not a homonym of an existing rule, it should follow the basic pronunciation rules of the English language since it's intended for an English audience. Thus why the most logical answer would be "You-no-vah" and not anything else.
There's always exceptions, though, and since it's fictional, you can pronounce it how you want. If you want to use the most logical pronunciation, though, then "You-no-va" is the way to go.
Based on English grammar, and assuming it follows the normal rules, the vowel+consonant+vowel+consonant+vowel pattern (U-N-O-V-A) produces three long vowels ("U" and "O") and a short vowel ("A"). Therefore, the "N" not followed by another consonant forces the "U" to be pronounced as "You". Similarly, the "V" not being preceeded or succeeded by another consonant forces the "O" to be pronounced as "O" and not "Aw" or "Oo" (only when two "O"s are stuck together does an "O" produce the "oo~" sound).
The "A", being the final letter and no consonant or vowel present afterwards, causes the region's name to end in a short vowel - "Ah" and not "Eh".
You see this pattern in all words in English, except controversial ones based on accents in different countries and regions.
"Battle" is pronounced "Bah-tul" for the same reason. The three consonants after the "A" forces it to be pronounced as "Ah" and not "Eh". The final letter, "E", is short and pronounced as "Euh" instead of "Ee".
"Cool" has two of the same vowels side-by-side, producing the long sound of "Oo". If the word was spelt "Col", it would be the short sound - "Uh" - instead of "Oo" due to being succeeded by a consonant. However, if the word was spelt "Cole", the "O" would again be a long sound - "Oo" - due to the following consonant ("L") being followed by the vowel "E". No letter follows the "E", thus it retains a short sound - "Euh".
When two vowels collide, it forces the first one to be long, and the second to be short, unless the vowels are the same. Examples:
Italian
Dictionary
Italian is pronounced "Ee-tal-ee-an". The "I" is long due to the following "T" being a lone consonant. The first "A" is short due to the following consonant+2(vowel) combo. The "I" is long ("Ee") while the second vowel, "A", is short ("Ah").
Dictionary is pronounced "Deuh-ctee-uh-nair-ee". The "I" at the beginning is short due to being followed by two consonants - "C" and "T" respectively - while the second "I" is long due to being followed by the short vowel, "O". The "A" produces a long sound due to being surrounded by one consonant before it, and one after it. The "Y" in this case is a vowel, and produces an "Ee" sound for it is at the end of this word in particular.
Every word requires a vowel. "Why" is an example of when a "Y" acts as a vowel. Rather than being a long vowel and producing "Ee" like in "dictionary", it produces the short vowel of "Eye" due to the "WH" preceeding it.
Some words that are disputed are "Apple", "Tomato", and "Potato". Following grammar and not regional accents, the correct pronunciation of the word "Apple" is "Ah-pull" (due to three consonants following the "A"). However, the latter two are controversial. Neither "Toe-may-toe" nor "Toe-mah-toe" follow the basic rules of pronunciation (vowel & consonant combinations), thus why it is a disputed matter.
Homonyms are also tricky. "Dove" (white bird) and "Dove" (past tense of "to dive") are spelt the same, mean different things, and are pronounced differently. Neither are pronounced as "Doo-veh"; respectively, they're pronounced "Duh-veh" and "Doh-veh". In the result of a homonym, one of them doesn't respect the rules, while the other does. Like mentioned earlier, the longer sound of "O" ("Oo") only occurs when two of this vowel are stuck together side-by-side. This is not the case. The result should be "Doh-veh", based on the rules, which leaves the first word, meaning the white bird, as the one that doesn't follow the rules ("Duh-veh"). Just like in every language, similar rules apply for pronunciation, and you subconsciencely recognize them when reading, writing, and saying words.
Since "Unova" is a term created in fiction, and is not a homonym of an existing rule, it should follow the basic pronunciation rules of the English language since it's intended for an English audience. Thus why the most logical answer would be "You-no-vah" and not anything else.
Spoiler:
There's always exceptions, though, and since it's fictional, you can pronounce it how you want. If you want to use the most logical pronunciation, though, then "You-no-va" is the way to go.
Last edited:
bwburke94
Forever Aspertia's Aspie
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By now, it's basically been decided as YOU-no-va, but the apparent origin of the region name suggests OO-no-va (from the Spanish "uno") or possibly oo-NO-va (to make it sound like an English term rather than foreign.)
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My pronounciation is like a mixture of those two options:
You-no-vah
You-no-vah
FuRrY321
Rookie Trainer
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Just like Arceus, how I used to say "Ar-seeus" before watching The Jewel of Life, now I must correct my way of saying Unova.
All of my friends and I pronounce it "Uh-no-vah", or "Ah-no-va," but seeing as how apparently the anime pronounces it "You-no-va" I must force myself to change it (I can't stand being considered to be in the wrong...)
I really don't know, I don't watch the anime anymore, as IMO the quality has dropped, but I still watch the movies (those are still excellent).
All of my friends and I pronounce it "Uh-no-vah", or "Ah-no-va," but seeing as how apparently the anime pronounces it "You-no-va" I must force myself to change it (I can't stand being considered to be in the wrong...)
I really don't know, I don't watch the anime anymore, as IMO the quality has dropped, but I still watch the movies (those are still excellent).
The Nightmare
"I fight for what I belive in"
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I say "Uh-no-vah" which makes it sense for me.
Woobat
Koromori
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Ever since the name was revealed I've said it "You-no-vah" and that's the only one that makes since to me, but I guess everyone can pronounce it how they prefer.
~*!*~Tatsujin Gosuto~*!*~
Buffalo State College
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I pronounce it as You-nah-va, I know that its wrong, but there are different ways to prounce English words, so this is one of those "words"
:t354:TG
:t354:TG
Hibaru
Advanced Pokemon Trainer
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Yup, its Un-No-Vah (maybe). But hear that name made me think that the name Isshu is way more better for me to hear. I love the name Isshu more than this, Un-No-VAAAAAH!
Virgilia
Chronos.
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You-No-Vah.
And you all seem to be like "It's not You-No-Vah, the narrator said it wrong". Well, someone must have told them how to pronounce it, huh? So I guess it's gotta be You-No-Vah.
And you all seem to be like "It's not You-No-Vah, the narrator said it wrong". Well, someone must have told them how to pronounce it, huh? So I guess it's gotta be You-No-Vah.