Ralph or Raith?

[JanineG]

Why is the name Ralph ("Ralf") so often pronounced Raith? (as in Ralph Feinnes).

Thanks,

[Postdog]

I know what you are getting at, but as a point of fact, it is not ralph feinnes - his name is actually Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes.

Can't answer the question tho.

[Postdog]

Whoops! do apologise - I didn't know there was a ralph too. I thought you meant the mountain climber. Sorry.

[Grunty]

I've no idea how long this pronunciation has been used, but Gilbert and Sullivan used it in HMS Pinafore:

In time each little waif
Forsook his foster-mother,
The well born babe was Ralph--
Your captain was the other!!!"]

[shaneystar2]

Have a look here

Scroll down a bit .

[heathfield]

It's all quite strange. Where the 'L' isn't pronounced in English, it acts as a modifier to the pronounciation of the preceding 'a', making it an 'aw' sound. (Walk, talk, etc.) So how come Ralph is or was pronounced to rhyme with 'safe'? Logically, (if there's such a property in the English language), shouldn't it be pronounced 'rawf'? There's a hint of this in Rolf Harris' name.

[Bert]

It is interesting that JanineG has evidently heard Ralph pronounced as "Rafe" and has assumed that, as hardly anyone can make the effort to pronounce "th" properly any more (just listen to Eastenders for a couple of minutes), the word she has heard should be pronounced as "Raith"