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Help[Opinions] We talk about the slaughter of spellings, what about pronunciations?
On a regular basis I run into someone that pronounces my name wrong. It happened just now when I ordered food and wrote my name on the order sheet. I clearly wrote JOANIE and I was called jo-ANN-ee (it happens nearly every time I go there, despite me telling them half the time it's jo-NEE). Sometimes I give the person a "Are you f***ing kidding me?" look and they say "Oh, sorry, I probably said it wrong. Is it jo-NEE?". I try to cut people a little slack, okay I do have an -AN in there but I get enough "Joanie Loves Chachi" jokes to assume that the pronunciation is common knowledge.
This is also the place that pronounced Keith, kee-ITH. When that happened, the guy named Keith and I just looked at each other as if to say "How in the world do you f*** that one up?"
Anyone else experience this? Where someone just slaughters the pronunciation of a rather common name or one that the pronunciation seems obvious?
This is also the place that pronounced Keith, kee-ITH. When that happened, the guy named Keith and I just looked at each other as if to say "How in the world do you f*** that one up?"
Anyone else experience this? Where someone just slaughters the pronunciation of a rather common name or one that the pronunciation seems obvious?
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I knew someone who pronounced Ava AV-a, or perhaps it was AH-va. Anyways, it was a pronunciation other than the more typical AY-va. With Ava Gardner as a famous bearer, you'd think that it wouldn't be an issue, right? The person was American too, by the way, so it wasn't related to language differences.
Other pronunciation issues I've encountered:
Mia - mispronounced MIE-a (like Maya)
Cadence - mispronounced kə-DENS
Janie - JAN-ee (rhyming with Annie); I've met people named Jana (rhyming with Anna) before though, so I suppose it's not that big of a deal.
I've also heard Phoebe mispronounced FO-bee.
Other pronunciation issues I've encountered:
Mia - mispronounced MIE-a (like Maya)
Cadence - mispronounced kə-DENS
Janie - JAN-ee (rhyming with Annie); I've met people named Jana (rhyming with Anna) before though, so I suppose it's not that big of a deal.
I've also heard Phoebe mispronounced FO-bee.
This message was edited 3/26/2011, 9:23 AM
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I pretty much expect non-Welsh people to struggle with Welsh names that don't correspond to English phonetics, but I'm really, really boggled by how hard people seem to find it to pronounce Megan.
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I almost never meet people who pronounce my name right the first time, as they usually say bree-AWN-uh instead of bree-ann-uh. It used to really bother me when I was younger, but now I don't mind. In fact, I think that pronunciation sounds prettier, and anyway if it wasn't my own name I'm sure that's how I'd pronounce it too.
I do also constantly have adults look at my name in writing and then call me Brittany. I mean, does it really take that much time to read more than just the first three letters? I don't even like the name Brittany.
Other than that, though, I don't really have any problems with pronunciations.
I do also constantly have adults look at my name in writing and then call me Brittany. I mean, does it really take that much time to read more than just the first three letters? I don't even like the name Brittany.
Other than that, though, I don't really have any problems with pronunciations.
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As an older Caitlin, I grew up constantly called KITE-lin or CAT-lin instead of KATE-lin. I particularly hate to be called CAT-land. I am not a country of felines!
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I've never had it happen to my first name but my surname is CONSTANTLY mispronounced. It is very unusual though.
The weirdest mispronunciation I know of is an actress called Gillian Blakeney who was in an Australian soap and her name was pronounced with a hard "G" as in gate because her mother had only seen it written down and didn't know how it was pronounced! I always thought that was pretty stupid. I think I'd make sure I knew how my own child's name should be said before they were born!
The weirdest mispronunciation I know of is an actress called Gillian Blakeney who was in an Australian soap and her name was pronounced with a hard "G" as in gate because her mother had only seen it written down and didn't know how it was pronounced! I always thought that was pretty stupid. I think I'd make sure I knew how my own child's name should be said before they were born!
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My (married) last name is unusual for the area, we're the only one in town.However, it's usually pronounced right, being as it's spelled as it's said, as it's rendered phonetically from Arabic.
No problem with my given name, Jean, except, as I've groused about before, it's taken to be a male name, which of course it is in French.
No problem with my given name, Jean, except, as I've groused about before, it's taken to be a male name, which of course it is in French.
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You'd probably be able to pronounce my surname as it's French, maybe it's even used in Canada? I don't blame people for mispronouncing foreign names but it is annoying!
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My mom's name is Janet, and someone called and asked if Gin-it was there. Ginit? Really? She's a baby boomer. I don't think there are that many boomers with odd spellings out there.
Also, in elementary school twenty some years ago, my new art teacher messed up the last name Daniels. I wish I could remember how she did that. It's Daniel with an s at the end. How is that harder than her Polish last name?
Also, in elementary school twenty some years ago, my new art teacher messed up the last name Daniels. I wish I could remember how she did that. It's Daniel with an s at the end. How is that harder than her Polish last name?
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A friend of mine taught a girl whose name was pronounced Iv-on-ee spelled Yvonne.
A substitute teacher we had when I was in school mangled my first name and last name the first time he called the register. He said Shee-veen for Siobhan! I was mortified. I have has some pretty amusing pronunciations of Siobhan in other countries but that doesn't count. My surname is kind of unusual and I have been correcting spelling and pronunciation all my life.
My brother is called Dáire - Darragh is common now here but when he was growing up his name was rare. He got called Darren a lot and on one occasion Dake. My other brother got Fergus a lot instead of Fergal. I got called Yvonne by one teacher a lot.
It drives my husband mad when people call their daughters Aoibhin and pronounce it Aveen instead of Eve-in.
My niece is called Róise and gets called Róisín a lot. My other neice is called Rhiannon and get Rhiana or Rhiann sometimes. My mother is called Ita and get called Ida, Nita, I-ta instead of Eat-a. They are not common names though.
A bit OT but this reminds me of when we were staying in an hotel in Brighton. I booked the room and they had me down as a man and spelled my name Siobham. Then when Ciaran booked a taxi they struggled with his name and finally booked the taxi for room 101 and said that's they did all the time with problematic names!
ETA - One I remembered that really annoys me. My SIL is called Sorcha - Sur-i-kah. A mutual acquaintance always calls her Sorsha even when I say "Sur-i-ka" to her. Like "We are going to meet Sorcha." "Oh how is Sorsha?" I don't get that
And also I used to be in college with a girl called Gemma. He French teacher said it with a hard G as in Gamma. Poor Gemma used to be nearly in tears at it.
A substitute teacher we had when I was in school mangled my first name and last name the first time he called the register. He said Shee-veen for Siobhan! I was mortified. I have has some pretty amusing pronunciations of Siobhan in other countries but that doesn't count. My surname is kind of unusual and I have been correcting spelling and pronunciation all my life.
My brother is called Dáire - Darragh is common now here but when he was growing up his name was rare. He got called Darren a lot and on one occasion Dake. My other brother got Fergus a lot instead of Fergal. I got called Yvonne by one teacher a lot.
It drives my husband mad when people call their daughters Aoibhin and pronounce it Aveen instead of Eve-in.
My niece is called Róise and gets called Róisín a lot. My other neice is called Rhiannon and get Rhiana or Rhiann sometimes. My mother is called Ita and get called Ida, Nita, I-ta instead of Eat-a. They are not common names though.
A bit OT but this reminds me of when we were staying in an hotel in Brighton. I booked the room and they had me down as a man and spelled my name Siobham. Then when Ciaran booked a taxi they struggled with his name and finally booked the taxi for room 101 and said that's they did all the time with problematic names!
ETA - One I remembered that really annoys me. My SIL is called Sorcha - Sur-i-kah. A mutual acquaintance always calls her Sorsha even when I say "Sur-i-ka" to her. Like "We are going to meet Sorcha." "Oh how is Sorsha?" I don't get that
And also I used to be in college with a girl called Gemma. He French teacher said it with a hard G as in Gamma. Poor Gemma used to be nearly in tears at it.
This message was edited 3/25/2011, 1:51 PM
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Not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but I went to high school with a kid whose first name was the same as your last name. I always thought it was a neat name, plus he had a fun alliterative hyphenated last name. Not sure if he ever had pronunciation issues with it. It doesn't seem likely to be a name that would have issues, but you never know with people!
Your last story reminds me of how once in the days of answering machines a message got left for "Darth." My dad's name is Garth.
Your last story reminds me of how once in the days of answering machines a message got left for "Darth." My dad's name is Garth.
This message was edited 3/25/2011, 9:28 AM
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No I didn't know that! Cool. When I went on line first years ago and googled my name(as you do) I was surprised by all the people called that - it seems to be popular with Turkish people and Asian Americans.
I don't have as many problems as I used to do since I moved to the West Coast since it is more common here. It is still a rare name - I have only ever met two people with my surname who are not related to me. There is a notorious woman who shares her last name with me who was jailed for paying someone to murder her husband so now I get "Oh any relation to X. Ha, ha!"
I don't know how people can't spell it since it rhymes with a popular Irish first name. Grr! They stick an o or e or a instead of the i!
I love the Darth story.
I don't have as many problems as I used to do since I moved to the West Coast since it is more common here. It is still a rare name - I have only ever met two people with my surname who are not related to me. There is a notorious woman who shares her last name with me who was jailed for paying someone to murder her husband so now I get "Oh any relation to X. Ha, ha!"
I don't know how people can't spell it since it rhymes with a popular Irish first name. Grr! They stick an o or e or a instead of the i!
I love the Darth story.
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That's crazy that people can't pronounce Joanie and Keith. One would think that those pronunciations would be common knowledge. Wow.
People always get my first name wrong. I'll tell them my name, Helen, and so many people ask me if it's Ellen. When I met my cousin's teacher a couple years ago, she kept calling me Ellen over and over again in the short conversation I had with her. I just didn't have the heart to correct her.
We have the same problem with my sister's name. Her name is Evelyn, but we call her Evie for short. It's pronounced EH-vee. Almost everyone says it EE-vee. She was called out at an awards ceremony once, and they pronounced her name as EE-vee. Then they corrected it. To ee-VY (long i). She's getting really tired of it, especially since her Algebra teacher, who she's had this whole semester, keeps calling her EE-vee, no matter how many times she is corrected.
People always get my first name wrong. I'll tell them my name, Helen, and so many people ask me if it's Ellen. When I met my cousin's teacher a couple years ago, she kept calling me Ellen over and over again in the short conversation I had with her. I just didn't have the heart to correct her.
We have the same problem with my sister's name. Her name is Evelyn, but we call her Evie for short. It's pronounced EH-vee. Almost everyone says it EE-vee. She was called out at an awards ceremony once, and they pronounced her name as EE-vee. Then they corrected it. To ee-VY (long i). She's getting really tired of it, especially since her Algebra teacher, who she's had this whole semester, keeps calling her EE-vee, no matter how many times she is corrected.
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Just the other week a co-worker of mine was talking about the Gallagher brothers in the band Oasis and he pronounced Liam like Ly-am. Ly-am? Come on! It's such a common name I can't believe anyone would think it' pronouced like Ly-am.
I've also heard Daniel pronounced like Day-niel a few times.
I've also heard Daniel pronounced like Day-niel a few times.
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I once met a couple who'd very proudly named their first child Fiona. Very nice, except they pronounced it with the Fi rhyming with My instead of Me.
I once taught a girl whose name, on my class list, was Leizel. I decided to play dumb and called it out: LIE tsel. She giggled in a "silly, thick adult" kind of way and put me right: LEE zel. Getting really naughty, I said "Oh dear, there must be a spelling mistake in my list" ... accepted her word that no, there wasn't, gave the class a lightning lesson in German phonetics and sailed on. Mean and petty, I know, but I needed it.
And my mother never quite recovered from meeting a bright young lady in the course of her work who introduced herself as HELLoyz.For anyone who knew French, this was pain personified!
I once taught a girl whose name, on my class list, was Leizel. I decided to play dumb and called it out: LIE tsel. She giggled in a "silly, thick adult" kind of way and put me right: LEE zel. Getting really naughty, I said "Oh dear, there must be a spelling mistake in my list" ... accepted her word that no, there wasn't, gave the class a lightning lesson in German phonetics and sailed on. Mean and petty, I know, but I needed it.
And my mother never quite recovered from meeting a bright young lady in the course of her work who introduced herself as HELLoyz.For anyone who knew French, this was pain personified!
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Yes, it happens with my middle name when I get too close to Canada.
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That is insane that people can't pronounce Joanie. Seriously. The way they're saying Keith though just sounds like someone saying it with a major Southern accent. :P
I've never had any pronunciation problems with my own first name, but I have had people misread or mishear it as Sharon, Shawna, or Janet.
ETA: I just thought about my cousin. Her name is Danielle, and she's told me more than once about people not being able to pronounce her name right. They'll say it like Dani-elle or Daniel. It's a popular name, I just don't get it!
I've never had any pronunciation problems with my own first name, but I have had people misread or mishear it as Sharon, Shawna, or Janet.
ETA: I just thought about my cousin. Her name is Danielle, and she's told me more than once about people not being able to pronounce her name right. They'll say it like Dani-elle or Daniel. It's a popular name, I just don't get it!
This message was edited 3/25/2011, 4:57 AM
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Danielle is a popular name, but pronunciation differs around the globe. Where I live it is Dani-elle. Any other way sounds lazy and wrong to me. ;)
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My name is Danielle. I get called Daniel all the time. It's really frustrating! Though I've never gotten Dani-elle.
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Maybe this is why there are all those crazy spellings prevalent now. Maybe reading standards are dropping and people can't read names they don't know, and so they use phoenetics to write the name down when naming their own kid. Most of us have these new names wrong, you just have to read them out aloud and you get it :)
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It bothers me so much...
How so many people don't grasp the concept of proper phonetics. I've seen someone spell their daughter's name "Halley" and insist it was pronounced like Haley. *facepalm*
I was just talking to my husband this morning about this thread and how I don't understand how some people have such a hard time with pronounciations. I understand the occasional person having some sort of learning disability or just having linguistic stuff not really click for them, but the general population should be better at it than I think they are.
How so many people don't grasp the concept of proper phonetics. I've seen someone spell their daughter's name "Halley" and insist it was pronounced like Haley. *facepalm*
I was just talking to my husband this morning about this thread and how I don't understand how some people have such a hard time with pronounciations. I understand the occasional person having some sort of learning disability or just having linguistic stuff not really click for them, but the general population should be better at it than I think they are.
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I'm Australian, so our accents are only slightly different! Dante is pronounced DAHN-tay. It really should be pron. DAHN-te, but it's rarely spoken that way in Australia. We pronounce Sofia sof-EE-ah. It's more reminiscent of the Italian pronunciation, since we have an Italian background- which probably makes it easier for us to say it that way, and more noticeable when others don't.
This message was edited 3/25/2011, 2:26 AM
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In my accent DON-tay and DAHN-tay are the same thing! So I suppose I'd say it the way you pronounce it? And I'd say Sofia like sophie-a, too, but I can hear the difference if I try to say sof-EE-a.
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I assumed that DON-tay meant they were saying it like the "don" in "donuts". Or maybe she meant that they say it like more the "o" in "song"?
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This happened to me all the time when I was younger and I still have people ask me about pronunciation. Granted, my name is a misspelling, Madyson, but for chrissake it's only one letter difference. In elementary school I'd always hear mad-EE-son or ma-DIE-son and it still comes up as I have to wear a nametag at the place I work. I always responding, "No no, it's just MAD-i-son, (like you've heard a million times before)"
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I'd assume your name was MAD-i-son, but I wouldn't be sure. I'd wonder if your parents were trying to go for a different pronunciation because of the different spelling. Like they were trying to emphasize the middle syllable by making it a y instead of an i.
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For a while, growing up in France when I was younger, people had no clue how to pronounce Chelsea. Hard Ch, or soft Ch. What do you do with the end, -sea like the body of water, or see-ah? It was a mess. It was almost a named invented to tongue tie French people it seemed.
In the states most people say it right because I guess it was more common, but some people still say see-ah at the end.
In the states most people say it right because I guess it was more common, but some people still say see-ah at the end.
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Woah, OT
Were you the guest blogger on Nameberry today (yesterday?) Because you have the same anecdote.
That's really cool if you are; you should make a post about it (probably in the lounge, like Mike did when he made did a guest blog there).
Were you the guest blogger on Nameberry today (yesterday?) Because you have the same anecdote.
That's really cool if you are; you should make a post about it (probably in the lounge, like Mike did when he made did a guest blog there).
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Yes, it is me.
I feel a bit hesitant about cross linking to another name site though - I mean it's different for Mike, right?
I feel a bit hesitant about cross linking to another name site though - I mean it's different for Mike, right?
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Well, it's like "Look at this awesome name-related thing I did", not "Hey, everyone, you should leave BTN for Nameberry". I think it'd be perfectly acceptable.
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I don't think it would be a problem, people link to other sites all the time (especially on the facts board) and there's never been a complaint about it (as far as I know).
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