I was just musing on the fact that I can't say 'Hsing', so I always call her 'H-sing' when I talk about her. (That is to say, 'Aitch-sing'.) Then I thought about how none of us could read Tamyra's name when she was new, because it said 'tamyramcg', which I read as 'tammy-ram-c-g'. When we saw Mazekin at a Doormencon, I asked her how to say her name - I think she said it was 'Mazza-kin', when I'd been saying it 'Mayz-kin' and Garner had been saying 'Ma-zee-kin'. At Grace/Omcon, when discussing who was coming, several people were very surprised to learn Marcia's name is pronounced 'Marsha'. I always pronounced it 'Mar-see-a' too, until she made a comment about people always singing 'Marsha, Marsha, Marsha' at her. So I wondered if there were any other names people had difficulty with that we could possibly clarify.
Ben, that always causes problems... I go all cockney with Hsing and drop my aitches, much easier that way. Mazekin and Marcia are pronounced exactly as I thought. I've always had Plaid wrong, but that's because americans can't speak... do they also pronounce paid the same as pad? Om threw me by saying her name how I would pronounce Ohm, rather than rhyming it with 'bomb'. Roisindubh, that's a tricky one I'm not going to attempt outside the confines of my own brain...
Rosheen-dove. It's Oirish, doncherknow. I never know who Garner's trying to talk about when he mentions her! And yeah, I always say Om to rhyme with bomb too.
I thought it was Scottish... Then again, the Scottish can't speak either. Just ask Doors. (Then laugh when he replies.)
after so many years of hearing tell about how you brits pronounce plaid, even i've started thinking 'played' in my head sometimes... i also call my braids plaits now. that might have something to do with it. the one name i always got wrong is mynona. and suddenly i can't remember which way is right or not either...
My name is Jennifer, which is grand. But my middle names are Niamh Síle. Which are Irish, pronounced Nee-amh and Sheila. But spelt funkywise.
My nephew has 8 grandmas, Thats a lot of grandmas and is hard for the little guy to say all the time, so he calls his Grandma Jeannette, Ga'nette. My mom is Grandma Beety right now, I hope that changes but I'm kind of hoping Ga'nette sticks.
How do you pronounce "amh"? I pronounce a lot of names wrong, apparently. Mar-see-ah, Maze-kin, Played. "Tamyra" is supposed to rhyme with "camera" I think (I seem to remember Tamyra posting that once, could be wrong) but I pronounce it Tam-i-ra. I pronounce Hsing as Huh-sing. I pronounced Orrdos as Orr-ados for ages. Eu was always just E-U. I think it was Grace who said it was supposed to be pronounced Oo. (Sorry if that wasn't you Grace.) Also, I pronounce scone as skone, rhyming with stone. Apparently i'm in a minority, as people insist on telling me how wrong it is. But it's ok either way! edited to add a bit.
It's more like "ssssing", with a breathy kind of sssssssss at the beginning (like saying a sharp "s" when exhaling). It's Chinese, and derived from my Japanese middle name. Long story.
Thats how I've always thought of it... I find if the name is long and complicated I shorten it so its Royse, Tam and Maze in my head. Aussie's have a tendency to do that its a cultural thing and not meant to offend anyone... Just in case you are offended.
As long as you don't call me late for dinner... I answer to puzzled looks all the time, but its usually a good ice breaker so i'm trying not to let in trouble me.
I never once thought about how my name was to be pronounced in English. Until Garner asked and demonstrated how he thought it was supposed to be said. The pronounciation in my head changed that day. From mi-NO-na to MY-no-na. Hsing's name never posed any difficulties, but I couldn't even read Tamyra's from the start. I, apparently, pronounce Plaid the English way and Marcia in Spanish.
I did pronounce Hsing's name correctly, but that may just be because I knew quite a lot of Chinese folk and learned how to pronounce the names correcty the hard way. Sampanna is dead easy, I'm sure none of you will have any issues with it
I never had a problem with Hsing's name, but a few of those mentioned previously I would have pronounced differently, so it was a good idea to clear that up... It reminds me of my dad telling me about the bickering that went on at the Tolkien Society meetings about how to pronounce some of the names, despite the apendixes and documents left by J.R.R. to help us mere mortals... Now mine is Katcal, pronounced Kat-kal, easy enough I guess... But I was wondering how you "foreign people" would pronounce my marital name : Calméjane. I always wonder how to pronounce it for English speaking people so they can understand how to spell it more or less... The correct French way is "Kal-may-janne" with a soft j (somewhere between a "j" and a "sh")
I've never thought about it before now, but I've read your name as Hising. I've never spotted the "missing" i. Hisingen is the fourth largest island in Sweden, which is probably why I've subconciously added an extra vowel. Mynona's always been my-NO-na to me. Tamyra is ta-MYH-ra-mac-GEE. My handle is, as I'm sure you know, Swedish for Captain Cavities. I pronounce it kap-ten (long e as in 'leer', not like in 'eight nine ten') KAA-ri-ess ('ri' like in 'reload'). Rolling r if you can produce it, I'm sure Doors can. Edit: Kat, that's like the j in Dijon, no?
I've never had a problem with Plaid, because I know the correct pronunciation of the word (if it was just a crazy American thing, wouldn't they pronounce 'braids' as 'brads' while we'd pronounce 'plaits' as 'plates'?) - but since it's rarely used in England, most English people are unfamiliar with the correct pronunciation. And you know how it is if you encounter something in text rather than speech - it's really hard to shake your incorrect assumptions. Angua_rox, how do you pronounce 'amh'? I've always known that name as 'Neeve', like Ben's colleague. I struggle to pronounce Tamyra's name correctly. I know it's meant to rhyme with Camera, as Ella said, but that feels unnatural to me. Speaking of Ella, I can never even remember her screen name - sorry, Ella, you're just Ella to me! I always assumed Eu Sou Eu was pronounced roughly 'Oo soo oo', but wiht more of that French vowel sound that English people struggle with. I don't know any Portugese, so I haven't a clue how close to right that is. I believe the H in Hsing is the Japanese allophone, which is so breathy it's almost inaudible to an English ear. I can't say it, and my English version sounds impossibly clunky, so I stick to H-sing or her real name. I've always said Mynona's name the way she first intended it: Min-OWN-a, with a short i like in 'tin'. Garner used to say 'My-NOWN-a', but I think he mostly says it my way now. I just as often use Mynona's real name. Sampanna... Like you say, Sam, that seems pretty straightforward to me. Sam-PAN-a, right? Katcal, I would pronounce your surname correctly because I learned French for five years in school and know how it should be pronounced! So I'm not a good test subject for that, I'm afraid. KK, your pronunciation seems bizarre to me. You've always been Captain Caries, the English pronunciation of the two words (we use 'caries' for 'cavities' too, by the way), which is CAP-tin CAIR-eez.
"Eu sou Eu" should be something like "ao so ao", with a "silent" o. I know it doesn't make sense, but basically you say a(o) but with your mouth like you would say an o. CY, help me out here: It's like the eu in "Meeuw" or "Leeuw". How would you describe it?
That would be pronounced like "ew," basically. Surprisingly, Cynical_Youth doesn't seem to give anyone any problems. My real name does, though. Coppe is an incredibly rare name and I've had people render it everything from "copy" to, bafflingly, "Bob." It is pronounced roughly similar to "copper," although in the British way (so without an audible "r") and with a slightly different vowel. "Copper" will do, really. Katcal, I would have pronounced your name correctly, but I do know some French. I definitely had KaptenKaries and TamyraMcG wrong. I pronounced KK as Grace would and TamyraMcG as KK would.
That reminds me. Even more prevalent than butchering my name seems to be punning on it. Both in English and in Dutch. Yay...
There was one guy on an HL2 themed board called G ordon Free MAN. I mean, what a bloody crap and tedious name.
It is. The Japanese variant -or the same sign read in Japanese but in Chinese- is Hoshi, both means star. Erm... That's the first part of my middle name, which is Hoshiwa.
Coppe, Garner still says your name wrong, despite frequent drilling from Sergeant Floyd. Yuo can teach me how to say the 'o' properly when we're over there.
Having Irish friends, I am used to the idea that "Roisin" becomes "Rosheen", although I am not sure how they justify "Niamh" as "Neeve", but they pale when compared to some of the English classics - for example "Cholmondely" pronounced "Chumley" and "Featherstone-Haugh" pronounced "Fanshaw". I think everybody does it so that they can laugh at foreigners - think of Americans in a restaurant asking for the "Wor-cest-er-shire Sauce"!
Simply justified- in Irish, Niamh would be pronounced Neeav. What can I say, it's a wierd language! Nieve is the english spelling. It is pronounced Neev, pretty much, but kind of not quite separated into two syllables. . . a bit like in the word much, there are two distinct sounds- muh and ch, and in Niamh there are two sounds as well, nee and amh, which is softer than av. Other Irish names that give difficulty- Siobhán - shuh-vaughn. Maebh - maeve, like the English version of it. (NOt mauve!) Aisling - Ashling in English. Aifric - affric. Aoife - (my sisters name) Eeee-fa. Cliodhna - Kleeownna. There are generally variant spellings of these around. Edit to add- Irish pronounciation makes sense, once you know the language. English pronounciation is just wierd!! Like in the above examples, they leave out half the words!
I've never seen it spelled that way, only Niamh, but always pronounced 'Neeve' as one syllable. Interesting.
My name is not pronounced Ta-My-ra, but more like Tam-(uh)-ra, with just a little bit of the short uh sound. the myr is more like Myrtle then Myhre. On of my coworkers managed to get a P sound into my name, she was Vietnamese, but I still don't know how she did that. My last name is only two syllables now but when I used my four syllable maiden name, the comment I usuallly got after spelling it or pronouncing it for someone was "Oh, its spelled just like it sounds" ,or vice versa. Now I have to contend with a Gaelic derived surname. It didn't help one bit that one of the bars in town was named MaGoo's.
In my head it was always Tamyra like camera, My-noh-na, Mar-see-a, Captain Caries, Rosendub (like roses), and Hising. I think I got the rest right though. My screen name has different spellings but I believe they are all said the same. My last name is Jeska but people like to insert and "i" and make it Jessica so I've learned to spell it for people without being asked to. I don't think Maljonic's name has been mentioned but I pronounce it like its spelled but I have no idea if that is right.
I think that Mal's name is a mixture of his first and last names. My last name is pretty simple, Dodd. It's only comprised of two letters, but people never get it right. Just think Bob and switch the Bs to Ds. Most people try to put an S on the end, so my dad always says, "Nope, there's just one of us." Here is a conversation had between me and a fellow that was interested in us doing some work for him. Me: Yes sir, that's my dad, David Dodd. Him: David Dobbs? Me: Yes sir. David Dodd. Him: Dobbs... Seems like I've heard that name before. Me: Yes sir, we have done quite a bit of work in the area. *point at business card the the guy is holding.* Me: David Dodd and 3-D Tree Service. Him: Dobb's Tree Service. I might have to give you guys a call. We never heard from him. He probably couldn't find "Dobb's Tree Service" in the phone book.
My screenname is fairly straightforward and doesn't really mean anything, so I don't really care how people pronounce it. My first name is quite hard for English-speaking people, it's Gerard. In itself it's not that weird, but the G is pronounced way back in the mouth, almost like clearing one's throat.
Yup. Edit: This message was too short to edit and repost without adding in some extra characters (new minimum is 5). - Buzzfloyd
Not a persons name, but a place name... Theres a town in Scotland called Kilncadzow. It's pronounced Kil-kay-gee. Baffles me every time!
What the frog...? I'm always amazed by people's inability to repeat fairly simple names that have just been said. Faerie, I have also always automatically spelled my surname after saying it. First Wilcock, because you could guarantee that people would spell it Wilcox (often even after you had spelled it for them - it's like their brains wouldn't allow them to hear it) - and now Garner, because people always stop after the first r, wondering if there's a d. Nate, I've repeated the name 'Wilcock' over and over to people, telling them explicitly that they're getting it wrong, and they've still said and written it as Wilcox. I think most people just don't know how to listen. Toothpasteheads.
I'm curious, what does he turn it into? Thinking about it, I've gotten so used to people mispronouncing my name that I don't really mind it any more. It's turned into a strange interest in what they make of it, for some reason.
I was so supprised to find that the majority of you pronounced my name om like bomb. I've always pronounced it oh-mmm. I had fun learning how to pronounce Avgi's name. I kept forgetting it's a longer yeeee sound at the end.
No, no! It's Kill-Kay-GAY Get it right It's notable for consisting of 3 houses and a shop that sells giant oversized cakes
Maybe not so straightforward after all. I can't figure out how to write down the pronunciation .. and the last sound in my name cannot, as far as I know, be said correctly in English at all. "na" is just an approximation. Its like, end the word with n but with a very short a after that. Crap, I suck at this.
Pfft. Seeing as i only had the word in your accent to go on, it's a miracle I didn't get it completely wrong anyway.
Thats because you are a smart cookie! Edit to add, you could acctually pronounce Omega both ways too. Hrummp.
I always knew I should have gone with Maz. Simpler that way. Although, as I always say, I'll answer to anything once it's shouted loud enough. I've even been called Mortitia once or twice...and Paul...I wish my mother would stop and think of which of her children she's talking to. A lot of the time, I don't even try to pronounce the names. It's easier, especially if you don't meet them in your day to day workings. Word recognition is always best, especially in my job. All I deal with is foreign names with way too many z's and x's and y's in strange order. Thank God most of my work is dealing with emails now. I work with a Fianait. Try working that one out...and guessing which sex Fianait's daughter is Caoimhe. Just one of a host of strange childrens names we have going on in here. I think they try to out-do each other...Caoleoigh and Sharellie...need I say any more (that would be Kay-Lee and Sha-rel) I worked for an editor called Zs.-Nagy in Hungary...we still haven't worked out how to prounounce it after five years! Thank god I have never had to phone him yet. If anyone knows how to pronounce that one, please! let me know Chimaera is the one I've always had trouble with, though. Is it Chim-era? or does it get more complicated? I'm the same as Buzzfloyd with Hsing's name - 'Aitch-sing'
I was thinking of Ohm (electrical resistance/impedance), not Omega (the greek symbol). A bit silly of me to miss mentioning it. I had a teacher with a last name Nagy. He pronounced it "nodge". Think it's a fairly common Hungarian name.
Not a person but a place: Mackinac Island in Michigan has the correct spelling, but is pronunced like Mackinaw City. There are also Fort Mackiac and Fort Michilimackinac that also have the AW sound even though I've always pronounced the last two with AK sounds. I've always been told they are French words, but I've found some websites that say the names come from the Chippewa indians and it means "large turtle."
Arkansas has always confused me. It looks like 'as', not 'aw' at the end there, to me! And what about the silent second c in Connecticut?
The Chippewa are also called Ojibway and Anishinabeg. The g is silent. They are filming a movie about the major effort that was made to eliminate Indian languages in this country. Most Native children were forced to go to boarding schools where they were taught English only. The practice was called "Kill the Indian save the man ", It didn't work and it has killed a lot of men and women over the years.
I think 'HalfJack' is pretty easy, I doubt anyone would have trouble with it. Ditto with the name Stephanie. Eh. I have a friend called Kilye though. It's said like Kylie, but people always pronounce it 'kill-yee' because her brother spelled it wrong on the birth certificate. xD
I think he filled it out because her parents don't speak English, and they just signed it. She got named after a girl he liked at the time, hehe.
