/ Religious Studies Major Content for UC Davis en /curiosity/blog/conversation-what-meaning-kamala <div><p>Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris became a presence on the national scene, her name 鈥� a common one for women in India 鈥� has attracted a lot of attention, most specifically for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/opinion/trump-kamala-harris-pronounce.html">its pronunciation</a>.</p><p>The three-syllable word should be pronounced 鈥淐ome-a-laa鈥� (Kamal膩), with the final long 鈥渁鈥� signaling a feminine noun in Sanskrit. In the United States, it is often enunciated with stresses placed on the first or second syllable.</p></div> August 14, 2024 - 9:32am Karen Michele Nikos /curiosity/blog/conversation-what-meaning-kamala