To wonder why people can’t say my name

[Rowennanotrowena]

I am resigned to being Rowena is written correspondence. But why is it when I say ‘my name is Rowenna’ people keep saying Rowena? The two names look similar written down but sound very different so I’m not sure why people get it wrong. And AIBU to find it really irritating?

You’re not being unreasonable to find it annoying if people repeatedly mispronounce your name after you’ve clarified it.
But otherwise it’s not really their fault. Your irritation should be with those who named you!

I feel people are lazy.
My name is Janet and my friends name is Janice.
We always got called each others names. When we corrected them, most reply .. whatever.

They probably think they have misheard you and presume you said Rowena because they have never come across Rowenna being a name.

Morwenna is a much more common name so people are more familiar with it.

I have a strange surname that people can’t spell or pronounce- it’s frequently pronounced as ‘Quran’ because that’s a word people are familiar with.

I get this, I have a two-syllable, 5 letter name that people just can't seem to spell, even when I sign off my emails with it.

If someone still spells it wrong after a gentle correction, I then spell their name wrong in emails as well.

I've heard from a couple of colleagues that the person whose name I spelt wrong thought I was out of order for spelling their name wrong and that I'm oversensitive.

The irony of why they get to be upset at their name being spelt wrong obvopusly escapes them.

I don't know why people can't say it, OP.

I learned in infant school that whether you have one or two consonants changes the sound of the vowel.

Either way, if you introduce yourself as Roh-when-a and have "Rowenna" in your email signature then it shouldn't be difficult to remember than your name is Rowenna and not Rowena.

That said, I have a very ordinary name, albeit with various different spelling possibilities, and you wouldn't believe the number of people who consistently say and spell it wrong even though they talk to and receive emails from me pretty much every day.

Say it's Elizabeth, which can also be spelled Elisabeth, and which I shorten to Liz, you'd think that was pretty idiot proof but I still get people saying and writing things like Elizzabeth and Liss.

@Rowennanotrowena I am a Joanna, and spent my teenage years plagued by being called Joanne, so much so that I shortened it for everyday to Jo.
I still sometimes get called Joanne, even when people can see the correct name written in front of them.
So I really do feel your pain 😞

If I'd never seen the name before I'd guess your pronunciation, but I am familiar with Rowena and so I would assume a different spelling of that name. Because people do that with names, with varying levels of success! Or even read quickly and not notice the extra letter. Obviously once corrected I'd use the correct pronunciation, but I think it's a reasonable mistake (and actually more reasonable than Joanne va Joanna as they are both commonly known names).

In writing it might be unfamiliarity. I've met a Rowenna so in my head that and Rowena are two totally different names.

If I saw 'Morwena' I might assume that despite phonetics it was meant to be 'Morwenna' with a 'unique' spelling, because I've never come across a mor-wee-na.

If you've introduced yourself verbally as Rowenna then people have no excuse!

But when otherwise? Sorry, I feel like I’m being obtuse and I’m not; I genuinely don’t understand what you mean.

You seem to be in agreement that it’s annoying when I say my name clearly and people call me a different name but ‘otherwise’ it isn’t their fault - when otherwise?

Yes it's a name!

"It’s a bit like saying Katherine and people calling you Kathleen"

It's not quite as big a difference as Katherine/ Kathleen. It's only one vowel sound and the "eh" and "ee" sounds are not really that far apart.

People are getting it wrong because it's a fairly minor phonological difference and some people aren't really in tune to that. They probably don't even realise.

If people are saying your name wrong and it bothers you, it's OK to correct them.

You've had your answer. It's hard to understand why people can't listen and get it. Even when you've explained it here, some put in a w where there isn't one or blame your parents. It reminds me of when people write 'I can't breath' when they know to say 'breathe' yet that knowledge doesn't transfer over to writing. It must be the education system.

I agree it is minor written down but not when said out loud. When you say the two names they do sound totally different so that’s why it baffles me a bit.

I used to correct people but they just endlessly say Rowena anyway and there does come a point where it is pointless.

One of my friends at school was Karen-pronounced Care run, a lady I work with is Karen- pronounced Car run. These names understandably get mispronounced. Some people just like to stress different syllables of their name eg. Nadine may be Nay dean or N'dean, Nicole may be Nick oll or Na Cole. Then we have Mia which may be Me a or My a and Alicia, which may be pronounced Alice e a , or Al ee sha. .However in your case there is definitely a difference pronunciation because it is a different name. BTW my name is one of the ones listed above!!!!

I get what you're saying about hearing it & still not getting it. My name is unusual (I've met one other & heard of another) though similar sounding to a bunch of normal English names. It's not a weird pronunciation of one, it's a name in it's own right & at 45 ppl still have to take a moment when I say it cos they hear something familiar & assume it's that. It doesn't annoy me, I just expect it & I don't think ppl do it on purpose.

At work I make a real effort to get ppls names right & will outright ask how to pronounce it (if I see it written first) or how to spell it (if it's spoken first cos I have to write it down) & it's not obvious to me. If it's unusual & totally new to me I'll ask where it comes from cos I think unusual names are interesting. Though one that trips me up a lot is Aaron/Arron which you'd think was obvious but ppl do say them differently. One of my regulars is a giant young farmer, looks very intimidating, on his first visit I called him the right Aaron (air-un) & he was visibly taken aback & touched. Names are important imo

Sorry, I wasn’t clear.

I meant if they just see your name and mispronounce it then it’s not their fault. If they get it wrong after you’ve said it out loud then it is their fault.

Double consonants vs single with a vowel each side change the vowel.

So enna has a short eh sound, like in hen. Henna, Jenna, etc.

Whereas ena makes a long eeee sound like in been. Like in the words cinema, lace, ribena. It's the same thing you may have been taught at school as "magic e" (where the e is silent) but it also works with a and y as well.

This is why American spellings confuse me - traveling should be pronounced traveeling or travayling (French e), color should be co-lore (not cuh-luh). Can't think of another example but the point stands.

I think you misread that @pinkyredrose

Morweena is not a name.
Morwenna is.

But that’s exactly the reason people are pronouncing Rowenna as Rowena.

Just as your brain corrected to Morwenna, others brains correct to Rowena.

Oh! I think I misread!

I know "Morwenna" is a name @pinkyredrose but "Morweena" isn't which was one OP's examples ☺️

Whereas ena makes a long eeee sound like in been. Like in the words cinema, lace, ribena.

Cineeema? think I must have misunderstood that sentence.

I don't think it's worth being super worked up about. I've an Irish name that NOONE can pronounce and it's been mangled every which way. I just find it funny.

Keep correcting them every time they mispronounce your name.
If they persist, start calling them something they hate, they'll soon get it, unless they're deliberately trying to piss you off. Or ignore anyone who calls you Rowena until they get it in their heads that THEY are saying it wrongly!
I like Rowenna, I think it's a lovely name and I cannot see why people are having such difficulty with it, they're just being ignorant!!

This is why American spellings confuse me - traveling should be pronounced traveeling or travayling (French e), color should be co-lore (not cuh-luh). Can't think of another example but the point stands.

Modeling should rhyme with yodeling... or should yodelling rhyme with modelling? unfortunately English spelling and pronunciation aren't consistent.

Anyway, op, people mispronouncing your name after you've said it and the pronunciation tallies with the spelling must be annoying, it's quite rude really.

This is why American spellings confuse me - traveling should be pronounced traveeling or travayling (French e), color should be co-lore (not cuh-luh). Can't think of another example but the point stands.

Dependant on the region of the States just like spelling and pronunciation is here in the UK, dependent on the region.