Ralph pronounce Rafe

Ralph is a lovely name.

I'd have no problem pronouncing it Rafe if that was preferred. Many names have different pronunciations. Just ask.

And I've met dozens of Ladashas because the dash don't be silent

I read once about a woman who named her son Gooey as she'd read a book with a character of that name.

It was Guy.

I met a woman once named Amy but she pronounced it "ah-me".

I didn't like her.

I think I was so blown away by how beautiful he was that I wasn't paying any attention to how his name was pronounced, I think I probably thought 'what a shame such a sexy man has such a crap name'.

Up until Ralph Fiennes came on the scene I had only ever heard and pronounced Ralph as Ralf

Me too! I don't think I twigged that Ralph Fiennes wasn't spelt Rafe or RaphTBH.

beautiful don’t worry I think bc safe renhis name. We were discussing Ralph in lord of the flies. Bc reads this audio as ‘ralf’ so too do others. Think ‘Benedict’ is safe (or salf?)

Gosh, Benedict will be forwned upon by various PPs!!

OMG.. don’t tell me. It’s not properly pronounced Ben-Ed-Dikt.

It’s actually pronounced...

Talking of pronunciation, Martin Thing on Homes Under the Hammer has just pronounced Happisburgh Happisburg. Ermmmm... no. Wrong on soooooo many levels!

like Raf : it's - well - raffish. But you'd need a certain charisma.

me = Londoner, middle class, 40s, privately educated, RG uni.

Up until Ralph Fiennes came on the scene I had only ever heard and pronounced Ralph as Ralf - we certainly pronounced it Ralf when we did Lord of the Flies.

So I would say it can be pronounced either way and your DS will spend a lot of time correcting people. And either way, it's a really ugly looking name.

Though I'm not convinced by people suggesting Raphael/Rafael nn Rafe, given than they're pronounced in different ways! Rafi or Raf is surely what you'd end up with.

Oh, phew. My world would have tilted on its axis if I had had to re - pronounce it!

Gosh, Benedict will be forwned upon by various PPs!!

Listened to a few Golding interviews where he annoyingly does not say Ralph’s name. However readings (and from 50s 60s) say ralf. Including benedict cumberbatch saying ralf. If ever there were a ‘posh test’ re this itnckuld be bc !
All evidence points ralfwards currently . .

As you can see by my username , I have some investment with the LotF issue : but Ralph's father is in the military: he's an officer. Piggy is the not posh one. So, now I think it must be Rafe. Oh no.

I am not posh at all and know two little Rafes also unposh and definitely not headed to private schools so I don’t think Rafe is a posh name any more.

Maybe if you spell it Ralph and insist on the Rafe pronunciation that’s still ‘posh’ but some people would look at that because why would you not these days just use ‘Rafe’ as it says on the tin..

I know zero Ralphs or Ralfs because the parents also probably sniggered through Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’ book too. It’s sounding not far from Alf or Alfie though which is massively popular so maybe it’s on the way back

I had no idea about FeatherstoneHaugh/Fanshawe whatever. That is crazily far apart from each other. English is a bizarre language sometimes.

Surely part of the political point of Ralph in lord of the flies would be undone if it was supposed to be ‘rafe’. Can’t imagine him a ‘rafe’.

Southern and posh here. Default for me is definitely Ralf which I don’t see as ‘american’. Know some Rafes irl. Still think rafe is v posh. I love both pronunciations.

although soup your post could be read either way, and note how I just assumed you meant ralf!

Not refined enough, perhaps Soup

The 'southern' pronunciation is often considered aristocratic...

I have googled and googled re Ralph in Lord of the Flies and can't find an answer. I shall continue to call him Ralf. What's good enough for Sir Ralph Richardson...

'the way we pronounce it in the South must be correct'

Well, I'm from "the South" and my default is Ralph.

Oh, and lastly 'Ralf' is NOT an 'American pronunciation' (always love the way that is stated with such a sneer). I think the snobbery surrounding this comes from the ancient 'the way we pronounce it in the South must be correct' rhetoric. In Scotland and the North of England, RALF has been the long held pronuncitaion ,along with RAFF in some areas.

And what about the surname? That is DEFINITELY pronounced with the l !

Everyone I have ever heard talk about the central character of Lord of the Flies (which is a loooooot!) pronounces it Ralph with the l . Now I am doubting myself as Golding was fairly posh.

I know a Raife too

I'd query it as know both pronunciations - I was in HMS Pinafore when younger but not known anyone personally actually called either name. I like it.

On another note. I know someone that married into the Twisleton-Wykeham-fiennes family and she did change her name to the full triple barrel version though goes by fiennes too on a day to day basis.

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