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HelpRe: This question frustrates me.
in reply to a message by Octavia
I agree with you, but I think the OP recognizes that, too. It seemed to me that she is just trying to gauge the relative popularities of the pronunciations so that she can make a better decision. Dislike of a particular pronunciation is a very good reason to reconsider use of a name, for the reasons that you state--if it's rude to correct people and you hate a common pronunciation, then you're better off not using it.
Sadly, I have a few names that I love only with a pronunciation that wouldn't be used here. The main one is Judith. I love the German pronunciation, but I live in the USA and don't really like the American pronunciation, so there's no point in using it.
Sadly, I have a few names that I love only with a pronunciation that wouldn't be used here. The main one is Judith. I love the German pronunciation, but I live in the USA and don't really like the American pronunciation, so there's no point in using it.
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Thanks.
That's exactly what I'm trying to do.
And coming from a very cosmopolitan and international area I can say one thing: It's a matter of respect. If someone corrects me on the pronunciation of their name I will adhere to it. I pronounce kaht-a-REE-na as such because I've been highly influenced by people from Slavic and European countries. That is the way they pronounce their names. When I see Johanna I pronounce it yo-HAHN-a despite the fact that in my accent it would be jo-HAHN-a because it's respectful.
Names such as David/Catherine/Mary - those I'm more fluid with. I wouldn't name my daughter Naomi in this country because she would be nye-oh-me most of the time, same goes for Katarina. But I think that getting on your high horse and saying it's pompous is just wrong. It shows an utter disrespect for their culture and the way things are done. Names are personal and unless the pronunciation is completely foreign to someone's native language it should be respected. Period. As a former ESL teacher you can make damn sure that I pronounce the names of foreign countries the way that they do - because it isn't my country!
That's exactly what I'm trying to do.
And coming from a very cosmopolitan and international area I can say one thing: It's a matter of respect. If someone corrects me on the pronunciation of their name I will adhere to it. I pronounce kaht-a-REE-na as such because I've been highly influenced by people from Slavic and European countries. That is the way they pronounce their names. When I see Johanna I pronounce it yo-HAHN-a despite the fact that in my accent it would be jo-HAHN-a because it's respectful.
Names such as David/Catherine/Mary - those I'm more fluid with. I wouldn't name my daughter Naomi in this country because she would be nye-oh-me most of the time, same goes for Katarina. But I think that getting on your high horse and saying it's pompous is just wrong. It shows an utter disrespect for their culture and the way things are done. Names are personal and unless the pronunciation is completely foreign to someone's native language it should be respected. Period. As a former ESL teacher you can make damn sure that I pronounce the names of foreign countries the way that they do - because it isn't my country!
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Well, I, for one, really don't dislike living in ah-MAY-ree-ca, or ah-lah-bah-mah, and there's no way I'd correct someone for saying that. And I am not going to go around saying Österreich instead of Austria. Or OWS-trya instead of Oss-tree-ah, for that matter. And I don't expect Spanish speakers to say "the United States" instead of los estados unidos.
I guess I'm mainly just talking about vowels. Johannah pronounced yo-HAHN-ah seems a lot more correct than pronouncing the J hard, but I don't consider it any less respectful to say yo-Hannah.
But in general I think people would be a lot happier if they were more laid-back, especially about things like the inflection of an a across accent lines.
Anyway sorry if I misinterpreted your post, I think I may have.
I guess I'm mainly just talking about vowels. Johannah pronounced yo-HAHN-ah seems a lot more correct than pronouncing the J hard, but I don't consider it any less respectful to say yo-Hannah.
But in general I think people would be a lot happier if they were more laid-back, especially about things like the inflection of an a across accent lines.
Anyway sorry if I misinterpreted your post, I think I may have.
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*nay-oh-me
I pronounce i nye-oh-me.
I pronounce i nye-oh-me.
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