PRONUNCIATION
KEY
My
name uses alternating "ah"s and "ee"s
to make "AH-dree-YAHN Ee-VAH-kheev",
where the "ah"s are halfway between a long "aaaww"
and a short "a",
the "dree" includes a rolled "R" -- which any English
speaker can say: just say "ditty" really quickly,
minimizing the first syllable to almost nothing,
and the
"kh" is a softer version of the sound you make
before spitting (as in the Scottish "loch").
The result sounds like this:
"AH-ditty-AHN-ee-VAH-(kh)eev"
When saying my first name in Ukrainian, some accent the
first syllable ("AD-ree-yan"), while others accent the
third ("ad-ree-YAN"). Either is fine; it just means I have
two first names. (I won't even mention my second and third
names and their several alternate transliterations.)
But if it's easier for you, "Ay-dree-yen" (or "Eh-dree-yen" for
Canadians), as in the movie "Rocky," is fine, too.