How would you pronounce khalil Gibran?

[DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum]

I'm doing a wedding reading and need to say his name. I'm actually semi conversational level in Arabic so I'm quite confident to pronounce it 'correctly' in normal life but I'm sure when I say it in the wedding I'll trip and say it wrong! The bride is Lebanese too so I can't fuck up. I googled it to check as he grew up in the states and apparently he anglicised it to kahlil (hard K) which is obviously easier to pronounce. However if I choose that will I sound ignorant to the Lebanese guests? But he chose that way himself? What would you do? Yes I know I am probably over thinking but help me out!

Kaleel Jibbran

But I know nothing

خَليل حِبرَن

If you're a little confident in Arabic, and there are Arabic guests at the wedding then it would look good to say the "kh" sound. They'd be impressed. But if you're not sure you can pull it off then probably best to stick with a "k" sound.

Could you just ask him how he'd like you to pronounce his name?
Or ask the bride/groom/someone close to him?

He's dead 😆 he's a poet I'm doing a reading from. But thanks

Thank you, that's what I'm thinking. I can pronounce it perfectly, but I'm nervous of tripping over it in front of people.

helpful 😆😆

Here you go, OP

He's not gonna be bothered then is he 😅😅

Thanks. I do know how to pronounce it in Arabic, that's not really the issue. The question was should I go the easy safe route and use the anglicised pronunciation that he used himself or would that make me look ignorant in front of Lebanese guests. I'm going to be brave and pronounce it properly!

I've always heard it pronounced as Khaleel Jibraan.

Lol no! But the bride is Lebanese and so are her family, so I don't want to sound like a twat pronouncing a Lebanese poet wrong

I would definitely say it the Arabic way if the reading was in Arabic.

and would also most likely say it the Arabic way if the reading was in English too.

it was my understanding that the school when he registered there, wrote it as kahlil, and then he adopted it from there.

this is all bearing in mind that I don’t really speak Arabic, apart from a few key phrases I picked up from my step mum 😂