To tell my friend she is pronouncing her (future) DD's name wrong?

[ThatIsJustNotCricket]

More of a what would you do but friend is due next month and she has the name picked out.

It's a nice name but here's the thing, it's not a common name and the way she is pronouncing it is wrong.

Would you tell her?

What's the name and how is she pronouncing it?

Maybe she's pronouncing the name how she would like her daughter to be called?

Is there only "one" way to pronounce this name?

Yes, need to know the name. Could you say I always heard it pronounced, proper way before.

who are you to say shes pronouncing it wrong?! perhaps shes deliberately pronouncing it wrong! Id probably go as far as pronouncing it in front of her in the correct way, but I wouldn't say anything else on the matter, her child, her choice!!

At least it's wrong for the UK, I know that. No idea about elsewhere but this friend is British and has no connections to other countries afaik.

Yes! But rather than saying she's wrong, perhaps best to say 'ooh that's an unusual pronunciation, did you hear it somewhere in particular?'

What is it?? it's not Elle pronounced Ellie is it?

Is it Michael pronounced Be-el-zee-bub?

Is it one of the variations on Alicia or Lucia? I never know which is the best guess there.

Or, going by a thread last week, is it Elle, Siobhan or Sian?

Tell her. Even if it's just a friendly "I hope it's not too hard, though, when she's always correcting people who say 'Shar-let'" if she wants to call it Cha Lot Tee.

She might simply not know - perhaps she's only ever seen it written down. There are still people who think Hermione is Hermy-Own, or Niamh is Ny-am.

Yes, I thought Sian!

smellyfishead

OK I admit that I feel a bit silly now. But I really have never heard this name pronounced the way she is pronouncing it before.

I'm worried about pointing it out to her though in case I'm wrong.

Would you point it out, even just to say you've never heard it pronounced that way before, just in case you're wrong? But if you're not wrong then that child might be facing a lifetime of misery.

"Oh I didn't realise you were spelling DCs name xxxx! I have a friend called xxxx and they pronounce it differently to you - more like yyyy."

My great uncle told me I had spelt my sons name wrong

I hadn't but it was still none of his business!!!

If you do feel you need to say something (and I don't think you do!) I would go with nessalinas suggestion

Is it Balonze'? Most people use a hard 'o' sound like in the popular male version. It's softer, as in Zoe' with the same 'e' sound.

Come on, tell us the name!

I have several friends with daughters called Rebecca. I have heard it pronounced Reebecca, Rabecca, Ribecca and R'becca. I haven't told any of them that they are pronouncing it wrongly. Surely she can pronounce her own daughters name as she wishes?

Maybe it's not the name you think it is? Perhaps she wants to pronounce it that way?

Dana is pronounced darna or dahna, no?

Or am I wrong?

Nessalina's suggestion is the way forward - you can compliment the name at the same time as subtly questioning the pronunciation.

Oh, if that's the name - it's pronounced both ways. Dana Scully was Day-na, not Darh-na.

I'm unable to comment until I know the name.

I've only ever heard darna (female) or dahna (male)

Dana can be day-na or dah-na.

Dayna would also be a perfectly usual pronunciation.