AIBU to think my son's name isn't that hard to pronounce?

[SailorByTheSea]

Or is this an acceptable pronunciation!?

We live in London, so 'fear' is 1 syllable (this is relevant!)

My son is called Theodore... You know, 3 syllables, 'The-uh-door'?

All he gets is 'fear-door' please tell me that this isn't an acceptable pronunciation? It makes me regret his name massively

' Calling a northern Frances Frahnces is still pronouncing her name incorrectly, even if the reason is entirely your accent.'

Oh that's nonsense. You expect a Southerner to adopt a cod Northern accent when addressing a Northern Frances? I suspect that would sound like taking the piss! If I met a Manchester Sophie there's no way I'm going to call her saw-feh even if that's how she pronounces it herself.

If I spelled them that way, it would be incorrect, but to say them that way is not, because it's my accent and dialect. I can posh up if I want to but I choose not to because it comes off like an affectation. I have a very harsh accent that is difficult to change without it coming off sounding forced. To put my students at ease, I speak in the same way they do. Have never had a child yet who thought that "Three" was spelled "Free" even if they pronounce it that way.

In that case, I agree with Hillary: thank god you're not my children's teacher. A dialect or accent is not a get out of jail free card for laziness and incorrectness, and god help your students if you're passing your bad habits on to them.

Languages are not rigid so there is no 'correct'.

Agree.

@saynotocarrots
Calling a northern Frances Frahnces is still pronouncing her name incorrectly, even if the reason is entirely your accent

Oh that's nonsense. You expect a Southerner to adopt a cod Northern accent when addressing a Northern Frances? I suspect that would sound like taking the piss! If I met a Manchester Sophie there's no way I'm going to call her saw-feh even if that's how she pronounces it herself.

Agree with @squoosh. Pronouncing a name differently to how the owner of the name pronounces it, is not 'saying it wrong!'

FGS, what about the 100s of millions of people who are not indigenous to the UK?! Are they all pronouncing British names incorrectly because they say it in their accent.

I agree. Utter nonsense.

It just makes you sound thick. Or "fick", perhaps.

While believing or suggesting that accent is linked to intelligence makes you sound not that bright yourself.

In that case, I agree with Hillary: thank god you're not my children's teacher. A dialect or accent is not a get out of jail free card for laziness and incorrectness, and god help your students if you're passing your bad habits on to them.

FGS I give up!

For the LAST TIME............

People have regional dialects and nobody is saying or pronouncing anything incorrectly!!

Stop being such an insufferable snob!

I'm outta here. This thread is pissing me off!

Calling a northern Frances Frahnces is still pronouncing her name incorrectly, even if the reason is entirely your accent.

Tell her not to travel to the US then.

I'm American. I have a Scottish surname that, in its migration across the pond, came to be pronounced a lot a bit differently than it is in Scotland. I went to university in Scotland. Should I have been correcting people in Scotland about how they pronounced the name?

wow this thread. some of you should be ashamed of yourselves! it's worse to call someone lazy and thick then it is to pronounce thick as fick.

A Mancunian and a Londoner both called Jane would pronounce the A sound in their own names differently. Anyone who thinks that each should pronounce the other's name differently to their own is nuts.

Fin for thin isn't mostly a regional marker, it's a class marker. That's why posters on here are picking up on it.

People need to learn the difference between 'correct' and 'standard'. Seriously.

People have regional dialects and nobody is saying or pronouncing anything incorrectly!!

So many hard of thinking people on this thread. Differences in vowel sounds can be attributed to accents (bath, barth, for example), but of course they're pronouncing something incorrectly if they're going as far as to use a completely different letter, like thirsty vs firsty. It's not even the same word, for god's sake.

Definitely unrealistic to expect names to be pronounced according to your own particular accent

The name Katy can be pronounced multiple ways depending on where the speaker is from

A friend from Hull pronounces it Kairteh
A cousin from Kent pronounces it Kay-ee
An American friend pronounces it Kaydee
A French colleague pronounces it Katty

It'd be facile to correct them because they're just saying it in their own accent

As long as they're not calling me dickhead I don't care!

dolcezza99

You must be fun at parties. Being an insufferable snob isn't a good look.

I love the idea of people frothing at the mouth at their inability to shame people out of speaking with their natural accents.
Thucking brilliant.

You must be fun at parties. Being an insufferable snob isn't a good look.

And sounding thick because you can't speak properly is? OK then. Knock yourself out with that.

I am a lazy and thick Londoner. I can't pronounce 'Th'. Oh well? hasn't done me any harm. I teach at a Russell Group university by the way :-p 9k a year and the lecturers can't pronounce 'Th'!!!! What has the world come too.

It's not even the same word, for god's sake

But lots of accents are 'wrong' - ever heard a Northerner say "I'm working 8 while 5 today?"

That's all kinds of wrong but it's right because it's an accent.

That's all kinds of wrong but it's right because it's an accent.

That's dialect, not accent.

So many hard of thinking people on this thread. Differences in vowel sounds can be attributed to accents (bath, barth, for example), but of course they're pronouncing something incorrectly if they're going as far as to use a completely different letter, like thirsty vs firsty. It's not even the same word, for god's sake.

Accents are not limited to vowels. You're not coming across as very good at the old 'thinking' malarkey.

Is your own accent rhotic or non-rhotic? What do you do about 'h'? How do you pronounce 'ch' in 'loch'? How do you feel in just about all accents when 't's are pronounced as 'd's? How do you pronounce the sound at the end of 'jumped' and 'tipped'? How on earth do you manage in Wales?

I also pronounce 'dew' and 'due' the same as 'jew'.
As I say chree for tree.
I think accents are so interesting.
And the angst around them so entertaining

Good point, Jassy.

In a lot of American accents, t's are often pronounced as d's or close to it. So if an American says "fordy" for "forty" is that wrong?

That's dialect, not accent

Sorry, I'm fick

also pronounce 'dew' and 'due' the same as 'jew' me too,all the same.

And sounding thick because you can't speak properly is? OK then. Knock yourself out with that.

Want to challenge me to an English test? I can guarantee I'd run rings round you. Have you ever heard Noam Chomsky speak? He talks in a very thick Philly accent, including slang terms and their pronunciations of words. It doesn't seem to have held him back. Equally, someone from Baltimore pronounces 'iron' as 'arn' - that doesn't make them stupid.