While I know how my name is pronounced, I've run into many non-native english speakers who have stumbled over this unique exception to English. Even in the female name, "Stephanie", the ph is pronounced as f.
What is the etymology of "Stephen" and is there any other instance of ph being pronounced as v in either American or British English?
The source of Stephen is the Greek name Stephanos. This name was borrowed into English long enough ago that the intervocalic [f] sound was voiced to become [v]. This is a regular sound change that was also responsible for some other f~v alternations in English, such as loaf~loaves. However, in the name Stephen the spelling "ph" remained (or has been restored) due to the influence of the Greek original. In other words, Stephen and Steven are pronounced the same way, but the former has an anachronistic spelling.
f~v example you mention is a rule though, isn't it? loaf~loaves leaf~leaves elf~elves dwarf~dwarves but leaves oaf~oafs surf~surfs staff~staffs? And what about Stephanie why has the pronunciation or spelling not been changed?
Commented
Jan 24, 2011 at 16:27
f~v alternation was a sound change, and words that had already entered English when the sound change occurred exhibit this alternation, while words that entered more recently or which have been regularized don't. It's interesting that you mentioned staff, since that in fact does have an archaic plural staves that alternates, though it's been replaced with the regular staffs in most registers. I suspect that Stephanie doesn't illustrate this alternation because it was borrowed from French at a later date, after the sound change had occurred.
of vs off an example of this transition as well? I was taught to pronounce the first one similar to ov.
Commented
Apr 12, 2018 at 9:36
I always found interesting that both "phial" and "vial" exist in English, having a common origin but different pronunciations. OED lists "vial" as an alteration of "phial"; the "ph" is originally Greek.
Does this count?
Is there any other instance of "ph" being pronounced as "v" in either American or British English?
In British English, nephew can be pronounced nev-yoo.
Stephen is of Greek origin (Stephanos). The ph is unusual in its v pronunciation. The only possibility I can think of is that it arrived in English via Spanish, where it is spelt 'Esteban'. The Spanish pronunciation of 'b' is somewhere between English 'V' and 'B'. In Hungarian it is spelt 'Istvan', so there's another possible source.
Born in London, I have always pronounced nephew with a 'v' sound. Locals in Essex (England) also pronounce the village name of Bulphan as 'Bulvan' rather than 'Bulfan', even though the second syllable is derived from the word fen.
"STEVEN" is the canon pronunciation because Old English make-shift gender phonetics are applied to the E-PH. However in common rumor, a user of the name may be required to know the two pronunciations presented by text key models in probable instances rendering it differently pronounced than that of the "V" spelling. http://babynames.net/names/stephen
As one bearing the name of Stephen, I have read a little etymology and it seems that many people try to answer the question by pointing to the Greek Stephanos, which is incorrect because the question is asked of English, not of Greek. Was there not a Norman King of England, Stephen, whose court spoke French? Could there be a precedent in old Norman for the use of ph in the name? As well, the biblical saint, and first christian martyr, Saint Stephen, is ALWAYS pronounced the way King Stephen, and Stephen King, are pronounced. Stephen's Green in Dublin and almost all uses of Stephen in Ireland, follow the English standard, not the Scottish (v) usage (like Robert Louis Stevenson). So the pattern of Stephen is historically, biblically, and descriptively pronounced as Steven and not as Stefan, although I grew up with a Polish lad, Stephan, who prounced his name as Stefan. So it all depends on your preferred national standard. I'm sticking with King Stephen and Saint Stephen, thank you very much.
