Changing the pronunciation of DD's surname

[Laambkins]

Right. Do you think it is ok to change the pronunciation of DD's surname?

DP and I aren't married but have been together for 9 years, very happy and very close to his family, blah blah.

His surname is Waugh and the family pronounce it Woff, our daughter has his surname and I prefer it pronounced Warr (if that makes sense)

I think that it can be said either way, do you think I'm being a bit Hyacinth Bucket about it? Or is it ok? DP couldn't care less, he thinks it's fine either way.

I find this funny...i have a rather sitcomical surname which or may not have been referred to a few times in this thread and people tie themselves in knots trying to come up with non comical pronounciations of it in order not to offend me.

You can't just change the pronounciation because you don't like it - you've given her your DP's name, pronounciation and all! That's the name - Woff (though I agree, Warr is nicer).

You are correct, 'Waugh' is generally pronounced to rhyme with 'bore' Evelyn and Oberon pronounced it that way, as do the redoubtable Australian cricketers Mark and Steve. Your husband's family's way of pronouncing their surname is certainly unusual and dare I say it wrong. I knew someone whose surname was Margolyes (as in Miriam) which they pronounced Mar-goyles and it took all my strength to stop shouting, 'its pronounced Mar-goy-les.'

That said it isn't worth falling out with your in laws about. It will also cause some awkward situations in the future, unless you can get your partner to change the way he has pronounced his surname for his entire life. Imagine if your partner phones up school or the Doctors:

DP: Hi it is John Woff here Lucy Warr's dad.

Receptionist: Right, how do you spell your surname?

DP: W-A-U-G-H

Receptionist: And how do you spell your daughter's surname?

DP: W-A-U-G-H.

Receptionist's brain melts.

Laambkins: as soon as I pressed post I knew someone non-home counties would tell me off and say it's pronounced laff

Compos - The conversation with the receptionist almost makes it worth doing.
Although, upsetting the in-laws isnt what I want to do.

Father - It's a good job it's not Baugh

If baby has DPs surname, then I think you MUST pronounce it same way as DP. Like, who are you to change it? Otherwise, give baby your own surname.

DH has a surname that is pronounced 'his' way in only a very small section of the country. We don't live in that part of the country, but we keep the pronunciation. When I make appointments, I even get 'corrected' on the pronunciation... But we stick to the family pronunciation of it.

Sorry but it's pronounced 'waw' to rhyme with 'law' actually....

WilsonFrickett - yes, that is the pronunciation I'm familiar with for Waugh also.
Waw - to rhyme with Law.

Well, I'd pronounce it Warr but that's not the point.

If your DD has taken her father's name then she should be using her father's name (i.e. pronouncing it the same). You can't just change it to suit yourself!

But it's their name How can they be pronouncing it 'wrong'? People in the UK often pronounce my name wrong (ie, not how my entire family pronounces it) because it seems to be quite difficult to say that way for an English speaker. Out of sheer irritation with having to constantly spell it I started pronouncing it like that when in the UK (but not when in my native country) but it's still wrong! Didn't work either, I still have to spell it....

And Warr reads the same as Waw to me anyway......

Hello op, thus is actually my surname too and we all pronounce it as "warr". I have heard some people pronounce it as woof but that really annoys me actually.
So no I don't think yabu

kayano I think we have the same last name. I pronounce it How- it annoys me when people pronounce it Hor- (ils do this even though they know I pronounce it the other way! It's not their name btw)

Waugh to me is Warr not Woff. If DP isn't bothered pronounce it how you like!

Why has your dc got your dp's last name anyway?

DS has his father's name. The ex pronounced it one way, his father another, and his nan, a different way entirely...

Why shouldn't the DC have the father's name Seeker? The OP is not a single parent, and the child has to have one name or the other or both, so does it really matter which?

Compos that Margolyes thing is very odd indeed - I can understand how random people read it quickly and mispronounce it like goyles but surely if it is your name and you write it day in, day out you'd be a fool (or a complete illiterate) not to see how it should be pronounced?

At least with Warr/Woff/trough/bough it is easy to understand how the confusion could come about!

Some people are frustratingly dim aren't they?

I remember reading once that Waugh was the singular of Wales.

As in one waugh, two wales.

I did only read it once though, so it is probably a baughlocks

so it is probably a load of baughlocks

A Scottish acquiantance insisted it was Woch like loch (with throaty sound). I imagine Wauw is southern English and your family use a northern English pronunciation. So, maybe it depends where you live and how much you want to fit in there or with your in-laws.

Do other people routinely use Wauw? You could just not correct them.

Woch as in loch is how my classmate pronounced his.

Haugh is is pronounced hoch as in loch too. I liked in the Haugh when we first got married.

*lived not liked

OP, I did the same with my DCs. Their father made a point of changing the way he pronounced his name at the same time. Much, much easier (although I am not sure MIL was too thrilled).

No way I was going to go through all that business of saying, "It's spelt b-i-n-k-y but actually pronounced b-l-a-n-k-y ..."

*Binky is just an exmple. It's not really their surname.

My cousin has the surname Waugh and it sounds like Law, but that is the Scottish pronunciation.

I think if you're in the NE it is definitely Waff. I knew several Waffs over the years I lived in Newcastle. I would never dream of pronouncing it Warr. I also think that you need to pronounce it the way the family pronounce it, it's their name!