Ever met anyone who (you thought) pronounced their own name wrongly?

[ErmineAndPearls]

Inspired by a few posts on the Secret Confessions thread. I once met a woman called Leigh. She insisted that everyone must call her “Lay”. Also, a whole family whose surname is Onions, but they pronounce it “O’Nyons”. Like, just own it or change the spelling. There are more.

I do get cross in my mind at people called Sara who pronounce it Sair-ah rather than Sar-a, like Sara Pascoe. But I never say anything.

That's my cousin's name? It's spelled Hélène, maybe you just missed the accents? Even if they don't have them, it's not that far a stretch?

Really! I assumed that was a nick name rather than they thought that was how Jacques was pronounced.

And yes, unnecessary fadas really bug me. Lots of NI people love a decorative fada. Makes me arrrggh.

it was just interesting to me that the way her regional accent says her name has become the way other people without that accent say it too. I would feel i was taking the piss if i used someone elses accent to say their name if you see what i mean.

I taught a boy whose was Sean - he insisted it was pronounced Sean rhyming with Dean. I thought he was having me on but no.

My friend is a Madeline pronounced MadLIN. Her mother is French, that’s the correct French pronunciation.

Now being English I would pronounce that Kate Lynn. How should it be?

@stacestation Oh yes, I agree completely - that’s why I think it’s surprising that more people don’t sort it out when they’re adults. I knew a man who changed his name to Alasdair. His birth name was Alistair or something, he just corrected the spelling.

Another Siobhan, insisted it was Seb-on.

@AmberGer that’s the correct pronunciation for Lelia. Layla is pronounced Layla.

I'm wondering about this, if it's their name and their pronounciation then is that not the right form of pronounciation? Sure they'll go thorugh life explaining this, but that's their burden. It makes me think of towns in America that are named after European places and are often pronounced differently to the original, but it's the name if their town, so the way they pronounce it is correct.

That was my GGs name and that's how she (native Gaelic speaker) pronounced it.

Yes, but shouldn’t Madeleine be pronounced Mad-el-in? Not madLin

Yes, I always reassure myself they'll change the spelling or pronunciation as adults. Though I feel bad for them at the thought of people letting them know they have pronounced their own name incorrectly, and some more unkindly than others.

I really like it @Mochudubh

I know a Sonja who says the name with a hard 'J' as opposed to a 'Y' sound.

I was told by a Siobhan that it is pronounced Shevonne. Is that not right ?

what’s so different about the location of England that causes Ralph to be a Rafe? Literally never came across another Ralph who pronounced it that way.

It’s posh people, not location.

back in the day the standard anglicised spelling for caitlin was kathleen (or just pronounced cat-leen).

then people who’d only ever seen Caitlin in baby books pronounced it phonetically in English.

I know a Karen pronounced car en. Never heard it before but I really like it.

I know a woman who is called Honour. Without a silent H at the beginning

In my opinion, no. They tend to think it's the correct standard pronunciation. Which it isn't, and as people will point out to them.

There are people with certain Scottish surnames who do this. Not necessarily wrong, but for ever eg Riddle, Waddle had the expected pronunciation, what you’d say if it wasn’t a name. Now you hear Rid dell, Wad dell. Very mincing, very, as is said in some parts, Morningside.

I know a Gillian who pronounces it with a hard G rather than a J sound