While many of the old British names may look odd to modern readers, they are not as difficult to pronounce as they seem at first glance. A little effort, and the following guide will help you enjoy the sound of these ancient words.
Consonants—as in English, but with a few exceptions:
c: hard, as in cat (never soft as in cent)
ch: hard, as in Scottish Loch, or Bach (never soft, as in church)
dd: th as in then (never as in thistle)
f: v, as in of
ff: f, as if off
g: hard, as in girl (never gem)
ll: a Welsh distinctive, sounded as “tl” or “hl” on the sides of the tongue
r: trilled, lightly
rh: as if hr, heavy on the “h” sound
s: always as in sir (never his)
th: as in thistle (never then)
Vowels—as in English, but with the general lightness of short vowel sounds
a: as in father
e: as in met (when long, as in late)
i: as in pin (long, as in eat)
o: as in not
u: as in pin (long, as in eat)
w: a “double-u,” as in vacuum, or tool; but becomes a consonant before vowels, as in the name Gwen
y: as in pin; or sometimes as “u” in but (long as in eat)
(As you can see, there is not much difference in i, u, and y—they are virtually identical to the beginner.)
Accent—normally is on the next to last syllable, as in Di-gan-hwy
Dipthongs—each vowel is pronounced individually, so Taliesin=Tally-essin
Atlantean—Ch=kh, so Charis is Khar-iss