If you add random extra letters into a name, don't be pissy when people mispronounce it!

[BoobsOnTheMoon]

I met someone recently who has a young child with a name that is actually quite a old/traditional English name, rare but not unheard of. Almost the perfect sweet spot, you'd think.

When I heard the name I immediately said oh how beautiful, I love that name. Which then set the mum off on a big rant about how nobody can ever pronounce it. Strange, I thought, it's not that unusual and tbh it's pretty phonetic when written down.

Except I found out later via FB that the mum has added two letters to the name (a consonant and a vowel), in two different places, that make it look like you pronounce it completely differently to the way she wants it pronounced. It's not an alternative spelling (which the name does have a couple of, both of which are completely obvious how to pronounce). If you were to see it written down you'd add an extra syllable when reading it out! And probably mispronounce the one of the consonants because it's had a random other consonant put next to it for...no reason? She must just like how it looks

I can't say what the name is because this child is literally the only person in the world with the name spelled that way, I've googled it and got the total of 2 results (both of which refer to this child, via their hobby). The closest examples I can come up with would be calling a baby Phetier when you want it pronounced Peter, or Elixzabieth but wanting it pronounced Elizabeth, or Dharrien and expecting everyone to know you say it Darren.

Anyway I don't particularly care how people spell names but to then be huffy that it gets mispronounced is just silly, right?

Phelicitije

My DD was at school with an Eirlysiane. What the fuck??

Mhari is the vocative case. Mairi is the nominative case.

Strictly speaking, Mhairi should never be used in the nominative sense. It should only be used when addressing someone by name.
"Her name is Mairi" = nominative.
"Good afternoon, Mhairi" = vocative. In Scots Gaelic = "Feasgar math, a Mhairi".

It's Gaelic (Scots), and it's the vocative case ofbthe name Mairi.

Maire is the Irish name you're thinking of, in the nominative case. It follows the same changes in the vocative case as Mairi does in Scots Gaelic.

I have a traditional Welsh name (maternal grandparents all Welsh). I was forever correcting people who mispronounced it as a child (i would probably still be correcting people now if i ever met anyone new haha). And even worse was the people who assumed it was mispelled and would try to correct me! The spelling has now become standard for a popular mispelling of a traditional English name in America. sigh

The next time you meet her, tell her that people can pronounce it, but she is unable to spell it.

Her mum, Chantalle, said in an interview "We loved the name Eirlys, but her sisters have long names so we lengthened hers." I think Eirlysiane Rose is a nice name!

Her older sisters are Aurelia and Iolanthe. They sound like princesses from a 1930s storybook 🤗

@mathanxiety, are Mairi and Mhairi pronounced differently?

Name calling is good when it comes from a positive mind.

How was I supercilious? I was sharing information that incidentally I teach daily. I didn’t go into extra detail because most people don’t care about it and it can be complicated to explain the details and exceptions in a short post. No need to be offended by an innocent post clarifying spelling rules.

I find it funny that people call their daughters Caitlin without knowing it's Irish and is pronounced Kotchaleen. 😳

My perfect job, be still my beating heart.

I do so want to be on a National Naming Committee.

Where do I apply?

I was once passed a baby Beowulf to hold in an Islington park.

Rodney? I mean Dave 😀

This stuff about nominative and vocative is fascinating.

Am I right in understanding that if someone is saying your name to you in Gaelic, it sounds different?

In which case, you’d barely hear your name said out loud, would you? Because people don’t tend to talk about you while you’re there!

It’s twisting my melon!

They are not 'rules'; they are descriptions of how language is generally used, and that changes all the time. There are also many exceptions. Your reply didn't address the bough/tough/borough etc example. What rule applies there?

YY. It's a topic-related diversion, so why not 😄

Thorough
Through
Trough
Rough

Thorough / through flummoxes me even now, as they're etymologically the same word (see thoroughfare and throughway) and I don't know why 'through' is pronounced like 'threw'. You'd need a fuckton of rules to make sense of it all, and still have another fuckton of outliers!

I love language 😂

Facade.

Facade is a French word and in France would have a cedilla to indicate the pronunciation of the c.

Pronunciation of the same combination of letters may vary depending on the original language - Sean Bean for example.

There was a Maisie at playgroup. Her mum called her Maisie. She called herself Maisie.
Found out later it was spelt Macy. Her mum was also annoyed that people pronounced it ‘wrong’. She said she preferred the look of Macy but the pronunciation of Maisie.
It’s a different name!

Also knew a little Micheal. Pronounced Michael. Never understood that one. 1️⃣

@viques oh my!

Tragedeigh

I was replying to the spelling Kaighleigh and I was basing it on the the first 3 letters the name Kai would be pronounces ky

Wouldn't surprise me 🤣🤣

Worst I've encountered - in real life, not internet urban legend - is Zhane, pronounced Sian. As in, the Welsh girls name Sian (Shahn). The girl wasn't Welsh. She was seven and already tired of it. I also know an adult who was encumbered with a "unique" name by her parents. As soon as she was 18 she changed it to Katherine by deed poll.