Name Pronunciations

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Noel Mc
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Name Pronunciations

Post by Noel Mc »

Inspired by a tangent in a different thread.

It can be argued that some words have a 'correct' pronunciation and different dialects' pronunciations can be labelled as 'incorrect'.

Whether you agree with that or not though:

Do names have 'correct' pronunciations? If so, who determines what the correct pronunciation is? The owner of the name? The giver of the name?

I know a Mary who pronounces her name as if it rhymes with 'Beery'. Are they pronouncing their name incorrectly?

Side note, as it involves Irish names:

I've taught a Caoimhe pronounced 'keeva' and I've taught a Caoimhe pronounced 'kweeva'.
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Ian Volante
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Ian Volante »

There's no consistency around here in the pronunciation of Mhairi (Varri/Marry).
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Marc Meakin
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Marc Meakin »

Names that are hard to pronounce.
St John
Ghislaine
Siobhan
Padraig
A host of other Gaelic names I will have trouble even spelling
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Adam Gillard
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Adam Gillard »

A doctor friend of ours once had a patient called L-a, pronounced Ladasha.
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C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108โ€“16 (max 113)

Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
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James Robinson
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by James Robinson »

This whole thing reminds me of these videos of darts players having a go at them...๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€

https://youtu.be/On5G_UmTpDk
https://youtu.be/wM_k_IjLlXM

There might be someone familiar to us all in there too...๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰
Gavin Chipper
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I think names are like words in that there will be regional differences in how they are normally pronounced. But then I also think that people "own" the pronunciation of their own name so they can tell people how to pronounce it in their own case. However, there's not a clear line between pronunciation and accent so someone pronouncing your name "wrong" could claim it's just an accent thing.
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Apparently "Maurice" is supposed to be pronounced like "Morris", not "More-EECE".

On a bit of a tangent I think when parents name their children, it should be a name with an obvious spelling and pronunciation (at least in any accent approximating theirs) or they're committing their child to a lifetime of frustration.
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Ian Volante
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Ian Volante »

Adam Gillard wrote: โ†‘Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:24 am A doctor friend of ours once had a patient called L-a, pronounced Ladasha.
Citation needed!

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/le-a/
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Gavin Chipper
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Ma~ is better.
Marc Meakin
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Marc Meakin »

I used to have issues with Ronald Reagan's pronunciation ( Raygon rather than reegon as was its pronunciation during his acting days)
Also Colin Powell's first name as Coe-lin
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Adam Gillard
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Adam Gillard »

Ian Volante wrote: โ†‘Thu Oct 01, 2020 11:56 am
Adam Gillard wrote: โ†‘Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:24 am A doctor friend of ours once had a patient called L-a, pronounced Ladasha.
Citation needed!

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/le-a/
Interesting! I had no reason to suspect he was making it up; perhaps the name came into vogue because of the fake story going around in 2008. This patient would have been born after then.
Mike Brown: "Round 12: T N R S A E I G U

C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108โ€“16 (max 113)

Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
Noel Mc
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Re: Name Pronunciations

Post by Noel Mc »

Not a pronunciation thing, but I always assumed Hilary was a male name, having an uncle by that name. Used to wonder why the President had a wife with a man's name.
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