to want in laws to correctly pronounce my very ordinary name?

[DrSeuss]

I have a very ordinary, English-of-Greek-origin name. Spelled in the traditional way, couldn't e simpler, really.
For over twenty years, ILs have mispronounced it. For twenty years, I and my husband have periodically corrected them. Not a huge thing, granted but it grates every time they say it wrongly.

AIBU to slightly mispronounce their names just a little, e.g. Sarah becomes Sorah, Jim becomes Jom? Childish, I know, but it is pretty much the only thing I have asked of them in twenty years! Other family members ask for and receive special food despite having no real grounds for this or meals served at a particular time despite having no children. I'd just like them to say my name without me mentally wincing!

I'm a Helen and my boss insists on calling me Hellin so I feel your pain OP!

errm ok... But someone up thread said thatpeople who say 'choklit' make her want to punch them. No issue with that, but my little 'really?' makes you get all sweary?

I just chose to answer you. You're a bit of a wind-up Merchant.

YANBU
However I have a welsh name and hardly anyone can pronounce it properly, my own dad and husband included.
Tbh I accepted being called something else years ago.

Soupdragon but the OP has been correcting them - so they must know there is a difference. And they choose not to change it. Most people do have the odd little linguistic idiosyncrasy and may not notice it until someone points it out. Even then, there's no need to change it unless it's somebody's name!!

So theatre, chocolate etc - go for it - it's your accent and/or your little quirk. But don't mispronounce someone's name for decades if it annoys them! It's just rude.

No, they could well be thinking "but that's what I'm saying!"

I cannot hear what I am apparently saying oddly with theatre. How do you suggest I change something I can not hear? Magic?

I don't see it as mispronunciation it's far too subtle a difference to be called that in my book. It's just the name pronounced in a different accent.

Personally I think it's a bit precious to get worked up over.

It's a bit weird not to be able to hear the difference between 'un' and 'in' though? ? Surely reception age children learn this?

I get that each of us might have a little phonetic blind spot somewhere. I didn't realise until someone pointed it out that with my W Mids accent I was saying 'none' as 'non' instead of 'nun'.

Ok, so you're saying that in your case you literally couldn't hear the difference. I believe you. But what are the chances of the OP's mil AND fil having the exact same little phonetic blindspot as each other?

NB I didn't call anyone on this thread obtuse. I said it would be obtuse to feign inability to pronounce the 'uh' sound, given that it's the most common vowel sound in English.

Being able to pronounce it is a completely different thing to saying it naturally after other sounds. Of course I can SAY Hel-un, but it make me sound like a complete dick who is oversaying it on purpose. And who's to say that's the 'correct' pronunciation anyway?

In my accent the emphasis on the name is strongly at the front and the un/in bit tails off as if barely audible. So I struggle to see the problem tbh.

In reference to your last comment Primalass. Isn't that the whole point? Perhaps the ops Pil can say "HelEN" but would also sound like a complete dick, and are not saying HelIn to annoy op at all. Or perhaps they are unable to say it another way. In any case having such an issue with an accent really is PA - as far as I'm aware, they're not doing it deliberately.

Exactly.

But what are the chances of the OP's mil AND fil having the exact same little phonetic blindspot as each other?

If they're from the same region and have the same accent, then surely the chances of them having the same phonetic blind spots are pretty high?

I can't physically say 'on' words. I think I am but I'm told I say 'an' instead.
I say 'Landon' not 'London' For example.
I can hear the difference in other people and I think I'm repeating them but they hear 'an' sounds instead.
It is my accent and I can't help it because to me it sounds right lol

Are you a cockney, Greenyoga, because your pronunciation is not unusual. Most people pronounce it Lund'n. Its only usually those who have learned English as foreign language who pronounce it to almost rhyme with condom!

I think people are misunderstanding the Helun thing. It's not so blatant - Hel-UN !

forvo.com/word/helen/#en

All of the above would be fine with me as nobody is saying Hellin.....

Cecily I moved from near London to Leicester and then to Lincolnshire which is when my accent was pointed out many times!

If its a first name couldnt you tell us it so we can comment. Maybe their pronunciatoon is a fair alternative. There must be a rason why both should make the same error. More info please

Sorry 22 pages on this. Now i know its Helen...just accent, speech impediment. I cant say my 't' s properly sometimes.

I know accents but Helun I can cope
With whilst hel Lin really pisses me off. I'm not aware of an accent that means you can't say en or un...

Oh Jeez, RTFT. We've been through this.