Pronouncing baby's name wrong

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Friend has had a baby girl - Anaïs.

Lovely name, but they pronounce it Annay, and not An-eye-ees.

I saw it written down before I heard them say it, and said “I love the name Anaïs” to the grandmother (also my friend). She told me that that’s not how it should be pronounced.

Should I explain what a diaeresis is for?

[SuperBeagle]

Eeeeek.

I see loads of Youtubers pronouncing it Annay as well (when referring to the brand Aden + Anais). I'm assuming this is where people get that pronunciation from.

I'd probably say something but I've no tact

[SumAndSubstance]

Oo, if someone told me that’s not how you’re supposed to say it, I think I would have to correct them. I might just about manage to bite my tongue if they said, “that’s not how we’re pronouncing it” (but probably not because I am a terrible pedant)

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

My friends baby is called Anais, pronounced Annay !
I think like the perfume.

[NapQueen]

I thought it was pronouned Annay?

[blueskyinmarch]

I would pronounce it Annay too. I loved the perfume and always called it Annay Annay as did everyone else i knew. I guess it is their child and they can pronounce her name as they wish.

[AuntieStella]

I would read it as An-eye- ees

Which is the correct French pronunciation, and how the perfume should be pronounced too,

Yes, she will have a lifetime ahead of her explaining the pronunciation (especially if she ever moves to an area with a reasonable sized francophone population - which could of course mean London!)

You OTOH, will have to grit your tech and pronounce it as requested (if it's possible to say anything through a clenched jaw) or never refer to her by name (often easier that you'd imagine, sweetie)

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

The perfume is Ann eye ees too

I wouldn't say anything,I doubt they'd take it well.

[YokoReturns]

It’s An-eye-eess - as is the perfume. The umlaut (not sure of its French name) over the ‘i’ means you pronounce the ‘a’, ‘i’ and ‘s’ separately.

Obviously they can pronounce it however they wish, but the poor girl’s in for a lifetime of ‘correcting’ people...

[stevensupersquirrel]

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPT3ybznWhjw&ved=0ahUKEwi7k9numPLWAhWCxxoKHTDEBmEQwqsBCB4wAA&usg=AOvVaw3AZMgIQlAx_7EiiL-7Bi3a" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPT3ybznWhjw&ved=0ahUKEwi7k9numPLWAhWCxxoKHTDEBmEQwqsBCB4wAA&usg=AOvVaw3AZMgIQlAx_7EiiL-7Bi3a

[stevensupersquirrel]

^Anais anais tv ad....

[daisypond]

It's definitely An-eye-ees - and for the perfume too, as people have said. That's what those dots mean. And even if the name doesn't have them on the letter I, you'd still pronounce it that way - just like Chloe or Zoe used to carry them (Chloë and Zoë). We don't say Klo or Zo. A standard "ais" ending in French is pronounced a bit like "eh", but that doesn't apply here.

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

Perfume is Anaïs Anaïs too, not annay annay.

I’m verging on keeping my mouth shut, which will be fine as long as I never actually have to address the child by name, or refer to her by name. Might get away with that. (the GM is my friend really, not the child’s DM).
Hope the girl learns Spanish instead of French in school!

Oh god - I’m bound to put my foot in it at some point. I’m not known for my tact either

[cushioncovers]

An nay is how I would say it.

[KarateKitten]

I'd say Annay.

So the takeaway is that the parents are sufficiently (as in enough people should say the same) right for you to just go with it OP.

[KarateKitten]

OP just learn that it's Annay, it will take you 3 minutes effort. Then you won't 'put your (slightly righteous) foot in it'.

[LavenderDoll]

Why would you need tact? Just pronounce the name they way they family have said it is to be pronounced.
Put your foot In it? Why would you - they pronounce it Annay it's not difficult to remember

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Call her darling

[NapQueen]

Isnt it just like Esme. Some say Es May. Some say Es Me.

Annay. Ann Eye Ees.

Door Een. D'Reen.

GEORGE Eena
G'jeena

[NinonDeLenclos]

Why are the British so clueless over foreign names? This is up there with Beau for a girl.

That half the thread also gets it wrong doesn't make it right.

How do you pronounce naïve? Nave?

[DiegoMadonna]

I wouldn't say anything since it doesn't serve any purpose other than making yourself feel better.

I would inwardly despair at how ignorant the British are of foreign languages though (as I am doing right now having read this thread)

[ladybirdsaredotty]

I'm not sure I could have resisted a disingenuous 'oh silly me! I always thought it was Ann-eye-ees because the 2 dots over the i separate out the letter sounds!' but this is just the sort of thing that annoys me, probably unreasonably

[daisypond]

Whereas some names may have varying pronunciations validly - such as Eva (Ee-va or the more continental Ay-va), or Marlene (Marl-een or the more Germanic Marl-eh-na), Anais, with or without the dots, can really only be pronounced one way - An-eye-ees. It's a bit like the no doubt apocryphal story, but told to me by my gran years ago, about someone reading the name Guy in a book, calling their baby after it but pronouncing it Goo-ee.

[Ttbb]

With a name like that I highly doubt that she will ever find herself a large francophone community/people who actually speak properly. If that's how they want to pronounce it then humour them.

[FindTheLightSwitchDarren]

It's definitely Ann-eye-yees or maybe Ann-a-yees. So is the perfume.

That said, I'd probably just humour them. It's such a lovely name when pronounced the traditional French way though. Probably not worth saying that now the baby is here though.

[Uptheduffy]

I am sure I have heard an advert for the perfume saying annay annay. Would google it but WiFi weak.