Our names: Pronunciation

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

Register Log in
Pinga

Pinga

Room for All
I have a name that is relatively easy to pronounce if you are English speaking.
There is a silent y, and a silent e -- which make the a long.
It also has a j

Some folks from some countries don't say the "j" -- j's are silent where they live
There is one set of folks from India, presumably from one area, that pronounce the silent e, like the name ends in ie.

Others try to do something with the y.

Again, it appears to be a really simple name. Yet, it isn't for others.
*************************************************************
 
I have worked for years with folks from around the world, with names which are not names that I would have grown up with in school, letter combinations that come up with different sounds.

I try & try and try again, but, I don't get some right. Some I hae learned to shift up the spelling in my head so that I can say them correctly.

I'm curious if folks have figured out tips / tricks for saying other people's names correctly, or helping others say your anme?
 
I usually ask. I've noticed that people with names that might be difficult for english speakers are usually fairly patient if there's a respectful attempt to say it properly

My first name is usually pronounced properly. Th might be an issue. Spelling is the bigger problem. The last name on the otherhand...... rhymes with have not gave. Sometimes an extra letter is added to make it an animal. My birth name was easier and one less syllable
 
Pinga said:
I have a name that is relatively easy to pronounce if you are English speaking.
There is a silent y, and a silent e -- which make the a long.
It also has a j

Some folks from some countries don't say the "j" -- j's are silent where they live
There is one set of folks from India, presumably from one area, that pronounce the silent e, like the name ends in ie.

Others try to do something with the y.

Again, it appears to be a really simple name. Yet, it isn't for others.
*************************************************************
Click to expand...

Are you speaking of first names Pinga? I have a silent e -- which makes the a long. I've yet to hear anyone try to pronounce the e.
 
@Northwind -- I always ask, not shy, but, sometimes between accents and sounds that my mind doesn't comprehend, it can take a few times to get it.

I thinkt hat I have it, say it, and realize, that i didn't say it correctly.

Now, in my world, there have been times where there are 90% of the people on a call that have non-anglo names. One of the persons' names was over 20 letters long. His cowoekers, even from India, called him BP which were the opening initials in two fo the three parts of his name.
 
I've seen that too Pinga. I worked with a woman from the Philippines named Beth. I think that was a shortened, anglicized version of her name.
 
When I give my students here in Korea English names, I give them ones similar to their Korean names.

Examples...

Cheun Ja --> Cherry
Bo Bok --> Bob
Ja Hyun --> Jenny
 
I've had coworkers from all over the world with fabulous names. I always ask people if they would say their name for me. In one case they said don't even try it! They often use a truncated version of their names to accommodate the linguistically challenged.

My name is one of those that if you change the first letter, it becomes someone else's name.
I get called that a lot. :confused:
 
Pinga-your simple name is spelt a complicated way. It does make it harder.

I am just gift "P is for Pterydactayl- the worst alphabet ever" to a family. It is a hoot, but also a reminder of how complicated english is.
 
Now that is a book I'd love to see. I tried to buy it for a Christmas gift but there wasn't a copy available anywhere in the province!
 
I'm horrible at name origins, some people seemed to naturally pick up on that, I never did. Some of the obvious ones sure, others nope. Knowing the origin can help with the pronunciation, so I often just ask.

My GP's last name has at least 7 syllables, maybe more. Luckily she shortens it to 2, even the clinic doesn't have her full name listed.

My first name has multiple spellings and it's rare for someone to just guess the correct one. I do get confused when being emailed at work or on facebook and it's misspelled though, the correct spelling is right there! English speakers know how to say it but I have heard it pronounced in some interesting ways by some. At school there was one guy in the group who never was able to say my name correctly.
 
Tabitha said:
Pinga-your simple name is spelt a complicated way. It does make it harder.

I am just gift "P is for Pterydactayl- the worst alphabet ever" to a family. It is a hoot, but also a reminder of how complicated english is.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know.

If you switch the 2nd consonant in my name to another one, you have a common name with the y in it.
People see my name and sometimes call me that name.
I often see it in things where someone had to retype my name.
I understand and sometimes don't bother correcting it.
Coincidentally, I have a friend with that name.
 
My first name is quite long – four syllables. People have a tendency to shorten it or give me a nickname. I hated the nickname I was given as a child, and as soon as I to a different province I refuse to answer by it. I choose my own short version of my name. But it was important to me to have the same initial E. so when I read the short version I always put an E at the beginning. I think of it as being a silent E that some people pronounce it making my short name two syllables rather than just one.
 
Hah, and my mom was always called by the short nickname that you hated. I was glad that you met her when we visited, and thankful for the tour you gave us of your church. I like your shorted name.
 
My name is very easy. Some people have used the common formal version of it - which is not my actual name - but it's kind of flattering anyway, sometimes - to have the formal name used as a nickname. My friends mom and older brothers did that.

My parents said they were going to call me by the "for short" version anyway, so that's what they officially named me. Very pragmatic of them. It's a gender neutral name but more common for girls and has been for decades. My middle name is "feminine" and longer than my first name. I went by that briefly when I was 6 or so - because my friend was known by her middle name and I thought that was cool - but it didn't stick. I went around telling people my name is now ___, but it didn't last long.
 
Last edited:
Jae said:
When I give my students here in Korea English names, I give them ones similar to their Korean names.

Examples...

Cheun Ja --> Cherry
Bo Bok --> Bob
Ja Hyun --> Jenny
Click to expand...


See I don’t think you should do that. They have names. Why change them. Learn to pronounce them
 
Lastpointe said:
See I don’t think you should do that. They have names. Why change them. Learn to pronounce them
Click to expand...

If they prefer to go by their Korean names, we call them by their Korean names. It's up to each student what he or she is called by us.
 
People also struggle if the letter sound is not part of their alphabet

My in-laws had difficulty with TH. It isn’t part of the Croatian language sounds. They have letter sounds that I have difficulty with
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top