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HelpRe: Americanized Pronunciation, how do you feel about it?
in reply to a message by kmexico
My grandpa's name was changed and he wasn't even an immigrant. He was born in America and when he was first in school, they decided to change Marcello to Marshal. He never made a big deal about it though and he kept Marshal for the rest of his life. That's kind of been the way I think about it, I don't really care, if someone wants to call me something else to help their pronunciation, then go right ahead. I had a French teacher who decided to keep calling me Veronique and I just went with the flow.
However, after having taken Japanese for a long time, I can't stand the Japanese pronunciation of Veronica. The teachers would call me Bay-lo-ni-ka. Granted, this was a good seven years back and the Japanese now have a way of spelling Vs so that they call me Vay instead of Bay, but I preferred that they called me by my nickname. Nikki is far easier to pronounce. But I also have a Japanese nickname, which is generally based on physical appearance or personality.
Wow, did I answer your questions? I'm off in anecdote land today. Um, I try my best to pronounce people's names in the way that they want me to. I recall being in band and having to pass out schedules and there was this Vietnamese kid with the name of Vingh that I always got. I wouldn't give him his schedule until I pronounced his name right, which usually took a good three or four tries. I think if people want to change their names for easier pronunciation, then that's their decision and I'm okay with it. If someone immediately tries to change their name though, that's kinda rude.
However, after having taken Japanese for a long time, I can't stand the Japanese pronunciation of Veronica. The teachers would call me Bay-lo-ni-ka. Granted, this was a good seven years back and the Japanese now have a way of spelling Vs so that they call me Vay instead of Bay, but I preferred that they called me by my nickname. Nikki is far easier to pronounce. But I also have a Japanese nickname, which is generally based on physical appearance or personality.
Wow, did I answer your questions? I'm off in anecdote land today. Um, I try my best to pronounce people's names in the way that they want me to. I recall being in band and having to pass out schedules and there was this Vietnamese kid with the name of Vingh that I always got. I wouldn't give him his schedule until I pronounced his name right, which usually took a good three or four tries. I think if people want to change their names for easier pronunciation, then that's their decision and I'm okay with it. If someone immediately tries to change their name though, that's kinda rude.
This message was edited 10/6/2009, 9:10 AM
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