Why Does Stephen’s PH Sound Like V?

[@NameExplain]

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[@SiddharthS96]

"Nephew" also used to be traditionally pronounced with a 'v' sound but usually it's said with an 'f' sound now. I guess it's coz this word is related to the French word "neveu"

[@nbaallday5643]

Mad props to lorax out here explaining all this

[@randyyy2609]

Spelling Steven with a V is probably the only logical thing English spelling has ever done.

[@likebot.]

... after changing the pronunciation to steven

[@untitle161]

I like that spelling.

[@kyleward3914]

I knew a Stephen who pronounced it "Steffan." Also, why isn't Stephanie "Stevenie?"

[@stipe3124]

My name Stipe is short version of Stjepan which is south slavic version of Steven.

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

Not ph, but for an f sounding like a v there is the word 'of.'

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Saint Stephen's day is Dec. 26 (boxing day). Hence the "Feast of Stephen" in the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas".

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

I try this trivia question all the time. "Which Christmas Carol is set on the day *after* Christmas?" No one gets it. Epiphany gives its name to Tiffany. Patrick did a video on "the Tiffany problem".

[@likebot.]

@@kenaikuskokwim9694 CGP Grey did a deep dive into Tiffany too.

[@harounbraik868]

As a non native English speaker, I always thought it was pronounced "Stefen" so I learned something!

[@globetrekker86]

@Haroun Braik: It confused the heck out of me, when I was learning English 25 years ago

[@Glasshouse828]

My late dad’s name was Stephen with a ph, it’s funny because my name is Sean with an e both are the traditional spellings of those names that despite us being American are the more popular variants of those names in the UK which you even brought up in the video.

[@Nahasapasa]

3:27 I mean, it all depends on how you wanna transliterate the φ in Στέφανος

[@SWLinPHX]

Stephen with a pH is the original name and the original spelling. Modern variations that stem from the original biblical or other traditional spelling are newer so they come from that so they are not the original or the most valid form. Although their spellings may make more sense to pronounce in English. Just like Sean being changed to Shaun or Shawn or Sarah and Anne to Sara and Ann. Catsup to ketchup; light and night to lite ad nite. Modern variations come from the original so the original always takes precedence as it is where all variations stem from. (…plus, it’s my own name)

[@connormckinnon6366]

When my parents got married their wedding invitations had their middle names in them, my dads middle name, which is also my middle name is Stephen with a ph. When he saw the invitations he told my mom that they spelt his name wrong and she had to tel him that his middle name is spelt like that and it wasn’t wrong.

[@pennywaldrip3774]

I worked with a guy named Stevin... that seemed weird to me the whole time I worked with him. And he was 10 years older than me, so it wasn't a "generational" thing.

[@pennywaldrip3774]

to be clear - it was the "I" throwing me off, not the "V"

[@aaronodonoghue1791]

Starbucks: "My name is Stephen with a PH" *writes 'Phteven'* "My name is Steven with a V" *writes 'Vtephen'* Also I've heard "nephew" and "Joseph" pronounced with a V sound (the latter being more unusual as the PH is final, which often _devoices_ a consonant in some languages, and isn't intervocalic) I have both a Stephen and a Steven in my family, so I am used to both spellings, and don't see either as more correct than the other. Polish also has "Szczepan" as a translation for Stephen/Steven, and some languages have "Stepan" with a P (and no H) Also you wrote "622st", six hundred and twenty twost

[@Steveofthejungle8]

Spanish turned it into a B in Esteban

[@ezequielstepanenko3229]

For some reason in Spanish people pronounce Stephen with a hard F sound, I always try to correct them and people look at me like "you don't know anything about English" And by the way my last name also comes from that name

[@gregcampwriter]

In Greek, the ph is represented by a single letter, phi, and in the ancient language, it would have been pronounced as a p with a heavy puff of breath. By the Koine period, it moved into a sound more like the English f.

[@highpath4776]

pfff

[@Steveofthejungle8]

Yes you finally did my name! Stephen with a PH gang rise up! And I’m an American Stephen! But yeah, I get a decent amount of Americans who think my names is pronounced Stefan. Or why I don’t spell Steve as Stephe to be consistent. It’s also interesting how Stephanie used the F sound. Also the best Steve is obviously Steve Irwin

[@Jan_Koopman]

In Dutch (especially in the dialect (group) of the Randstad (the agglomeration of Amsterdam and its surroundings)), the /v/ is often pronounced as [f]. We (Randstad dialect speakers) would pronounce the ph in Stephen and the v in Steven both as an f. We also use the Stefan variant. When I was 6-8yo, I had a friend named Stephen, but we haven't been in contact for over 10y.

[@JeeWeeD]

And the Stephan variant.

[@Nobody_Cares913]

So in German it's as follows: Stefan (or less common i think: "Steffan'') and Stephan both exist, both are pronounced as "Shtefan". But then there is also Steffen (pronounced "Shteffen"). Also the English version is quite popular, too.

[@mathieuleader8601]

in Herefordshire we have a town called Stevenage

[@dwj8620]

Port Stephens, NSW, Australia

[@SWLinPHX]

I’ve seen the last name also spelled either way, Stephens or Stevens.

[@Illumisepoolist]

There's also Steven Universe. In pokemon, both versions of the spelling Steven are used....kinda The V spelling is used for the Champion of Hoenn, and the PH spelling is used for an anime exclusive rival from the black and white series.

[@mechamaya]

My dad is an American Stephen and his teachers when he was young scolded him for pronouncing his own name wrong.

[@laser8389]

Greeks, ancient or modern, don’t spell anything with a PH (well, as long as they’re spelling in Greek, at least), they use their single letter phi. I don’t know the exact linguistic/historical reasoning behind this (I suspect the Romans are involved somehow), but even though they make the exact same sound, English words with Latin roots are spelled with an F while words with Greek roots use PH.

[@dgray7537]

I think we (eveyone alive) should start pronouncing everyone's name the way it's spelled until they fix their parents typos.

[@whatsup3519]

Could you please make a video about phonetics ??? Please ,in detail and rules of it

[@dylandarcy1150]

Thought this said "why doesnt Stephen's PH sound like a V" and I was trying so hard to figure out how else youd pronounce it

[@Aboz]

I had a school mate named Stephen, pronounced Stefen. His parents were both from Norway, and everyone called him Stessey.

[@robertgotschall1246]

Odd how the Spanish forms, Esteban and Estephan, retain both spellings but pronounce the “V” form and the “PH” form differently.

[@jesusdavis2941]

You're Right 👍🏽 Esteban and Estéfano

[@james1393]

My friend Johnno and I often have a word of the day. Today I proposed lycanthrope (and he approved it) an hour before seeing this video. I’ve now just used intervocalic in the sentence of “damn, I’ve just seen a video and the guy said “intervocalic, that’s your word of the day.” What an excellent word… I think we were a bit premature.”

[@HalfEye79]

About people, who insist of spelling their name Stephan with PH could be said, that they have a high pH value.

[@highpath4776]

Televone

[@PinkAgaricus]

There's also the basketball player Stephen Curry, who also uses the F pronunciation of Stephen. (As an example of an American using the "F" pronunciation of the name)

[@wendychavez5348]

My partner is Steve. Not short for Steven or Stephen, not translated from Estefan. His family is Ecuadorian, so it's a fair assumption that it could be translated and/ or shortened from Estefan, but no. He is firmly Steve.

[@StephEWaterstram]

I've heard of this variety. I wonder if there is a struggle with that to be asked if He is asked if He is a Steven or a Stephen? As for Me I can honestly say I use it merely as a nickname because I've relinquished the conservative pronunciation on My formal and relate ambiguously because I will get asked or addressed. It's because the days of Beowulf are like Fifteen hundred years ago and the renaissance period had introduced the ambiguity. It's something I've learned since I was a child wielding this model. I

[@smembi]

A well known famous American Stephen with the "PH" spelling is Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame.

[@agentrikamcgee]

Also Stephen Hillenburg, creator of a certain fellow who lives in a pineapple under the sea...

[@smembi]

@@agentrikamcgee oh yeah! How could I forget him?

[@tammygant4216]

Name suggestion: Tammy especially when it's not a nickname.

[@blairimani]

I’d definitely recommend picking up extra work as a voice over artist! You have a voice at the perfect register 🥰 I’m pissed off that KZbin hid your channel from me for literal MONTHS!

[@StAugustine6]

Then there is the question of Stephen and Stephanie. Theoretically, these are male and females forms of the same name. However, Stephen has the two spellings and the ph = v pronunciation, while Stephanie is almost always spelled the same way with ph = f. Not sure if this is because Stephanie gained popularity as a feminization of the German Stefan, but was spelled in English to match Stephen.

[@highpath4776]

Stzephanie ?

[@oliverraven]

@@highpath4776 That looks like it ought to be the Polish version. ;)

[@waynegreen87]

Stephen Curry’s name is always interesting to me. He pronounces it with a soft F like how one would say Stefan, or Stefen.

[@Nobody_Cares913]

In Germany there is also "Steffen", pronounced as "Shteffen"

[@HalfEye79]

In Germany the frequency of the names of this family (as I know) is Stefan > Stephan > Steffen. But why the double-f, I don't know.

[@rdbury507]

Early in the series "Stargate Atlantis" they capture one of the vampire-like Wraiths, but they needed a nickname for him since wouldn't give his actual name. They went with "Steve" just to irk him, so I think it's official -- "Steve" is the least vampire-like name.

[@helenbarry3760]

I would have to disagree. Colin, Brian and Graham sound less vampiry than Steve. PS Also Merv.

[@globetrekker86]

You yada-yada’d the best part, Patrick!

[@povilzem]

So basically, Stephen and Steven are both correct, it's the English pronunciation that's wrong. The usual, then.

[@jbejaran]

And of course, we have other exceptions, like my favorite basketball player: Stephen Curry. He spells it with the "PH", but pronounces it with a hard F sound (and a short E sound before that PH. (STEF'-en)).

[@modmaker7617]

Steven/Stephen in Polish is Stefan.

[@ellermg]

As an Italian, the Ph in this name is pronounced as an F So Stephen = Stefen (we have Stefano in Italian as the correspondent name)

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

"Steve" would rank much higher were diminutive listed rather than formal names. Same with ranking pronunciation-- "STEE- v'n". The two spellings siphon each other, thus both rank lower. There were 2,669 Steves born in the US in 2020, counting the two spellings together. That finishes between Luis (#137) and Jasper (#138).

[@SWLinPHX]

I hate it when some younger generations think Stephen is pronounced “Steffen”.

[@GreatOldOne9866]

Word. I was recently in the chat of someone’s livestream, and a similar topic came up. So I openly stated that both Stephen and Steven are pronounced the same way, and I was immediately contradicted by the KZbinr, who’s name is Steven with a V. I didn’t appreciate the attitude he had, but I didn’t say anything. I thought to myself, dude, study old English and literature, you are incorrect.

[@SWLinPHX]

@@GreatOldOne9866 Never hesitate to educate someone, especially if they have a 'tude.

[@SierraLeoneballMapping]

I guess the name for next week is: Tanner.

[@dogvom]

There's also StePHen Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics of West Side Story. He died just before SteVen Spielberg's movie version came out. And then there's my favourite author, Stephen Leacock, a Canadian who was born and named in Hampshire and came to Canada when he was six.

[@jbrecken]

The feminine form, Stephanie, kept the PH spelling and the F sound.

[@cennethadameveson3715]

What about the French version for Stephen "Etienne"?

[@marpheus1]

Not sure if there is any correlation, but English being a germanic language, there's a possibility that the name Estephanos got to Germany, there got written maybe as Stefanos and Stevanos (V in german sounds like F, like Volkswagen (and W sounds like V)) and then Steven, keeping the "PH/F" pronunciation and then getting mispronunced in English as Steven since it was written that way. This is just a conjecture. Since i'm learning german this came to my mind

[@RobertGrif]

My father is named Steven (with a "v") and his middle name is Leroy. This makes his name mean "Crown of the King."

[@axolotl-guy9801]

Haha or king of the king (s) you know, the crown used to be a methaphor to the king himself. Therefore the name could be translated as king or the victorious. So therefore "the kings victory " would also be correct.

[@katjagolden893]

I had a exchange student from Sweden when in was in 7th grade in 1985. Stefan pronounced ste-fan

[@Twitchi]

LOST NAMES seires when?!?!?

[@DJPJ.]

In Norway the normal vertion of the name is Steffen (pronounced as it's said).

[@janellenorthcut3217]

Let us not forget Stephen King. So many Stephens

[@I.____.....__...__]

/f/ and /v/ are both labio-dental fricatives, the former voiceless, the latter voiced. They're the same phoneme with only the voicing being different. The question is why the "ph" ligature was mapped to /f/, that obviously doesn't come from Greek which uses a different alphabet.

[@globetrekker86]

King spells his with a PH, which is rather apropos to him being from New England

[@stephiscool4650]

As a proud bearer of the name Stephanie, I prefer the Stephen spelling

[@oneoveralpha]

When I was in elementary school, I wrote my name as Steve. But one time in, maybe fifth grade, I started using Stephen for reasons I can't remember. This lead to a problem. My teacher would hand tests and papers to some student and have them hand them back while she got ready for class. In my class there was also a Stephanie, and for a week or so all our papers got mixed up because the other kids didn't know the difference. So I went back to Steve. It wasn't until college that I went back to Stephen, with just Steve for causal stuff.

[@thatSteveSmith]

I'm a British Steven. The V spelling makes more sense with the sound. The PH spelling should be pronounced with a F sound like Stephanie.

[@dwj8620]

The prounciation is explained in the video. Steven is a valid variant of Stephen, the traditional English form of Stephanos.

[@StephEWaterstram]

There are many sources promoting the PH model's real contextual usage. I was trying to be an anachronistic conservative for a time but I've reprised the reality and roll accordingly. It's not something I discuss though.

[@sdspivey]

PH started out as an aspirated P-sound or as separate P-H sounds (like uphill), but with Grimm's law, PH's turn to F/V sounds. Basically lazy tongues. My favorite variation is Hungarian István, pronounced (i think) like "isht-vahn."

[@ste2442]

Stephen with a ph here 🇬🇧👍

[@Steveofthejungle8]

Also a Stephen with a Ph but 🇺🇸

[@GreatOldOne9866]

As a rule, Stephen and Steven, both both variants of the same name have the same pronunciation. The ph has always had the ‘v’ sound. Proof, Steven Spielberg, Stephen Hawking, and Stephen King, who is not only a professional writer but also a former teacher can confirm this fact.

[@UncleCatfish]

Ooo my name next? :) [ DAKOTA ]

[@mevb]

We have Stefan in swedish too, though it is pronounced here as Steh-f-aah-n. Pretty sure it's the same as in danish but if I'm wrong, anyone from Denmark may correct me (or comfirm my theory if you wish to).

[@yaroslavpanych2067]

From Steven to Stefan, dude, dig a bit deeper and you get Stepan. And that is really big stretch, so that so original connection between Stephen and Stefan loses legitimacy.

[@seanchadwick9036]

Patrick, you never said whether or not, a Stefen, spelling of this name is also a common spelling variant as well.

[@DragonLandlord]

Then why is it pronounced as "f" in Stephanie instead of "v"?

[@auldfouter8661]

As for the surname - the normal Scottish ( and Irish ) spelling is Stevenson ( as in the lighthouse engineers/ author) and Stephenson is more common in England. Although I think the railway Stephensons might have originally been Scottish with a v in their ancestry . Our family got used to seeing both versions used on mail for us etc.

[@Clancydaenlightened]

Consonant shifts

[@Clancydaenlightened]

Stephen is male for Stephanie

[@Plasmathedeathjester]

Maybe the v spelling being more popular is cause of the show Steven universe, and the over all unpopularity is cause Stephan is kinda a stereotypical nerd and generic white guy name at least in America

[@wannabehistorian371]

I thought Stephan was pronounced “Stefen” all this time.

[@Dave-fs5uu]

My brother's name is Stephen and we're from the United States. He got the name from Saint Stephen (we're Catholic) and St. Stephen's feast is on Dec. 26, and he was born on Dec. 24.

[@RonnieOP]

This got me thinking... Would you consider Stephen Curry as a bearer of this name even though he is pronounced differently?

[@PinkAgaricus]

Yes, as an example of a Stephen from the US using the "Stefan/Stefen" pronunciation of the name.

[@Reichieru1]

You win for using the picture of Fry from Qi when he wore a crown.

[@meetaverma8372]

"Go and watch something with Stephen Fry" Me: goes and watches an old episode of QI

[@highpath4776]

I so wish he ran as chip shop

[@EmelyPhan]

I thought Stephan was the English spelling of Stefan (like Stefan Salvator from the Vampire Diaries).

[@Steveofthejungle8]

I’ve seen both Stephan and Stefan in America

[@SeanSinclair821]

In England, the word vial (as in a test tube) is sometimes spelled phial.

[@Liethen]

Odd coincidence, a couple days ago I looked up both the etymology of the name Steven as well as the term “even steven” The steven in the phrase is unrelated to the name. It means “voice” so “even stevens” means “having an equal say”

[@highpath4776]

Even Stephens = An equal (or equally shared) outcome , (sometimes part was, as in at 2 - 2 it was even stephens going into the deciding leg)

[@DJPJ.]

You should have mentiond that Steven Spielberg are co-founder of "DreamWorks Pictures". Another Steven you should have mentioned was Seven Universe from the Cartoon Network show.

[@StuartSimon]

In my primary school, we had both a Steven and Stephen. Stephen pronounced his name Steffen.

[@highpath4776]

Was he Danish or Dutch ?

[@StuartSimon]

@@highpath4776 He was African-American. He wasn’t Stephen Curry, though, in case any of my American friends think of asking that question. I’m sure his parents had no knowledge of Stephen Curry I or of the names Stephan or Stefan. (Stephen Curry II, the famous one, was born two years later.) His parents were likely simply using a spelling pronunciation.

[@Plasmathedeathjester]

Maybe do a fun with firstnames on Brady

[@stephenwright8824]

Well, you can tell by my username which spelling is mine. Somewhere, my brother discovered that, most likely in Victorian times, the V spelling was more common on both sides of the Atlantic. So now after I clarify the spelling I have, I'll often say _Like the saint not the Scotsman._ 😀

[@nikkifennel]

My favourite Stephen is Toby Stephens haha

[@axolotl-guy9801]

The Dutch name is Stefan pronounced Sté-ph-ahn. I have many friends named this. It's different from the German short E name Stè-ph-an. I wonder wich one is more closely to the original greek one.

[@StephEWaterstram]

*British English pronounces name JOSEPH as "JO-ZeV"* It's gendered phonetics. My experience having the "ph" model is the real ambiguity usage of 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕-ə𝐧 or 𝐒𝐓𝐞𝐅-ə𝐧, the latter because "ph" is primarily defined as Unvoiced "F". English with Lucy also states the ambiguity.

[@Omegavision79]

Kind of related: Trevor has a variant "Trefor", and David has the very-Welsh "Dafydd". Vees and Effs.

[@Furienna]

My brother is a Stefan. That and "Staffan" are the Swedish forms of the name.

[@crazymusicchick]

In Australia qi aired on tv so yes Stephen fry is known also he did the audio Harry potter books

[@highpath4776]

The artifical (or plant based?) sweetner - Stevia ? (which i think might be pronounced Stev (short e sound) ee ah

[@TheLowstef]

I'm a Stefan (and probably guilty of getting this name in today). Wonderful name, obviously ;) Interestingly, the NBA player Stephen Curry pronounces his name with the "f" sound. And is often contracted to Steph. Which is pronounced like Stef. Which is the short name that I use. Including in my username.

[@Tone720]

I'm guessing it's a similar situation with Anthony and Antony?

[@JayTemple]

I paused the video to come up with three famous Steven/Stephens, and the third one I came up with was an American with "ph": Stephen King. (I had to go to Wikipedia to be sure.)

[@flowsequence]

Like I’m turning 2 big taps?

[@neonsvampen1]

Yeah sweden also have Stefan and telefon (phone), but i prefer Steven

[@taikonautaparawara]

Did he already do a video on gender neutral names? Here in Brazil, Ariel can be either a boy's or girl's name.