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I'm a little bored and have been meaning to post this. I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone pronounces Kirsten. The options are...
A) Keirsten- eir like weird
B) Kursten- ur like fur
C) other
I say it like B normally, but sometimes I say it like A.
I pronounce it like choice B. I have no idea if it's correct, but even if it isn't I could never change it. She's been "Kur-sten" for nearly seventeen years now!
I actually asked a customer service rep this question and she said it was A. Keirsten
Choice A for me. Interesting question.
I say it somewhere in between your two choices. We knew a real little girl with this name and we pronounce the name the way she did. The closest sound might be like the "ir" in birth; a little higher and shorter than the "ur" sound in fur, but not as high as the i sound in weird.
Since I found out it's supposed to be "A", that's how I've been trying to pronounce it. But through my childhood it was always "B", so sometimes I have a hard time getting it right. [img]redface.gif[/img]
I would say A, because I've heard Scandinavian people say it like that.
I've never heard it any other way than choice B, and I'll probably keep right on saying it that way--I'm getting old and stubborn. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I have always pronounced it like choice A.
We pronounce it like A ("Keirsten"). If I slip up and say it like B ("Kursten"), DD11 quickly corrects me -- the B pronunciation drives her crazy for some reason.
A, which thanks to Kirsten Dunst (who is half Swedish), is how I've always thought that it was. It also sounds far more foreign than Kursten
This, however, may be the correct way, for the name "Kerstin," and the person later says "Kirsten" is a bit different, although they do say the "'E' is...never like the English 'UR,'" so it appears to not be choice B:
"Pronunciation is a little difficult to describe in English text, but something like 'chash-tinn' could perhaps do.
'K' is soft before an 'E', somewhat between English 'CH' and 'SH'.
'E' is pronounced '?' before an 'R' (never like the '?' in English 'UR'.
'R' and 'S' combines to a retroflex 'SH'.
'I' is always short.
Stress is on the first syllable."
Looks like Kirsten may be "Chershtin." I wish AG had a little forward in her books stating how it should be said, like they do for Kaya. I know Kirsten isn't exactly a foreign name here, but since it's probably not the Americanized version that they intended, it would be helpful. Guess we'll have to wait until the movie [img]wink.gif[/img] .
we used to say it like b) until we heard the American Girl cd's and they say it like a), so now it's always Keeersten for us!
Laurie (and Diana)
When I was little I pronounced it A. When I got older, and heard Kirsten Dunst's name pronounced "Kursten",(she said it in a interview) I changed it to B. I asked 2 different CS reps and one said A and the other said B. I guess its a mystery to never be solved!
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">She pronounces it Keersten. I have heard her, as well as others in reference to her, say it many times.Quote:
When I got older, and heard Kirsten Dunst's name pronounced "Kursten",(she said it in a interview) I changed it to B.
Here, here, here, here, here, here(where Paula Deen says "?Well I didn?t have the opportunity to work with Kirsten?? She backtracks and says ?Keersten. She doesn?t like it when you call her Kerr-sten, she likes to be called Keer-sten. I heard she got on a reporter in Toronto that kept calling her kerr-sten. Yeah so call her Keer-sten.? *laughs*"), here, here and MANY others state it being "Keersten, not Kursten"
I pronounce it like A. "Keer-sten."
But I've heard that the correct Swedish pronunciation is neither A nor B... close to "Sher-sten."
But my Kirsten has been Keersten since I got her twenty years ago, so it ain't changing! [img]smile.gif[/img]
I've always heard Swedish people pronounce it "Keersten" and I had a Danish pen-pal who pronounced it "Keersturn".
Choice A for me, "Keersten." To me, it sounds better. [img]smile.gif[/img]
A - Kearstin for ours. Actually my daughter usually calls her Keary. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
I've always pronounced it like A, Keerstin. My one friend when I was younger pronounced it like B, Kursten, so that was how we'd tell our Kirstens apart. [img]wink.gif[/img] I do like Chersten, though, and that might provide a good reason for why my Kirsten shortened hers to Kira (hard 'k', not Chira) as it would sound more American when she moved here. Good question!
I asked a Swedish woman how it is supposed to be pronounced and she sais "Schursten" actually, without even the K sound . . .
I cand stand the sound of "A" so I always call her by choice "B" or "sh"
I didn't notice that someone else mentioned the same sort of Swedish pronunciation. I think it is really cute.
<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ May 22, 2006 03:50 PM: Message edited by: simplepretty ]</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Same with me [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img] . I don't know why, exactly, but the B way of pronunciation does bother me. I've always pronounced "Kirsten" as "Keersten."Quote:
Originally posted by Melissa*Olivia:
...the B pronunciation drives her crazy for some reason.
Defintly A, I never knew there waws a differn't way!
I usually say it like choice "A".
I say it like A, but as a kid, I pronouced it Kristen for many years until someone finally corrected me!
A for me too!
I used to say it like choice B, but now it's choice A for me.
I say A. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Always been A for me!
I have always said it the choice A way. That is how I have always heared it pronounced at AG fashion shows, AG place, the sale etc, etc. For some reason I do not like the B. pronounciation.
We've always done "B." That's how my DD read it aloud when she was 6, and it's always stuck. I doubt that we could change it now! DD has a friend who pronounces Josefina with a "J" sound not a "H" sound, and that about drives me crazy- but she's a kid, and that's how she's always said it.
Jo
Little DD always calls her Korsten so that's her name in our house. LOL! Love that age when they have trouble with the "R" pronunciation!
I say "A" as well... but this seems to be the eternal AG debate. [img]wink.gif[/img]
I say "A" as well... but this seems to be the eternal AG debate. [img]wink.gif[/img]
Just another note- my DD says when she plays the American Girls Trivia Challenge on the Club, when you pick Kirsten, the computer says, "Hi I'm Kirsten" and it's pronounced like "A". But we're still saying "B" in this house.
Jo
Wow. This is over my blonde head.
I always thought it was pronounced just how it's spelled Kirsten.
With Kir sounding like Kir rhyming with Mir.
I have a friend who is Kiersten with the Kier sounding like 'Kere" rhyming with Here. Is that what choice A is really supposed to be? Or is this yet another way.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL! i am choice AQuote:
Originally posted by AsianAG:
I've never heard it any other way than choice B, and I'll probably keep right on saying it that way--I'm getting old and stubborn. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I have always said it like A. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I had a friend with the name who pronounced it like A, so that's how I've always pronounced it.
K-ear-sten. I've never actually met anybody who pronounced it Kursten. Interesting to see how many there are!
I pronounce it like A. There is a new girl at work named Kiersten who pronounces her name the same way. I asked her if she had a Kirsten doll, and she said no, but she always wanted one and read all the AG books. [img]smile.gif[/img]