Not pronouncing a name "properly" (according to my mum)

[BramRang]

I have an Italian name with a -ch sound that would be unnatural to an English person with no prior knowledge of the name/language (if they hadn't gained popularity) (like Francesca or Lucia). My great grandfather was Italian and moved to England when he was very young - I don't see myself as being Italian, we don't know our family in Italy, etc, I certainly don't speak Italian.

I would like to use the name Marcelina for my daughter. Pronounced, as I think most people would expect, Mar-sell-EE-nah. There is an Italian name (apparently), Marcellina pronounced Mar-CHEH-lee-nah. My mother thinks it's ridiculous for me to use the first pronunciation and it would sound weird given that my name uses the same ch- sound. We also like Marcella but agree that both pronunciations are equally normal, whereas with Marcelina I just don't think anyone would think to pronounce it with a ch-? Especially if only using one L.

Any thoughts?

I have to be honest and say that I'm English but read/pronounce Marcelina as Mar CHE lina.

I don't know why...maybe it's the Lucia thing. I just know it's CHE and not SEE.

So all in all I think it's one of those names which people will pronounce differently and if you choose it; you will be sentencing your child to a lifetime of "No...it's X not Z"

Better to choose a name with no question mark over pronunciation.

Not that it's anything to do with your mum!

I would also say Mar-Che-Lina. That sounds really pretty, Mar-sell-ee-na, not so much.

It a lovely name pronounced the Italian way, otherwise I just think of the monkey in friends.

I would say Mar-sell-EE-na.

I am Irish and know several Marcellas, all pronounced Mar-sell-a, and one Marceline, pronounced Mar-sell-een.

I also know a Marcello (male) whose name is Mar-chell-o but he has an Italian father and was introduced to me with this pronunciation.

I would assume Loo-see-a or Loo-thee-a (lisped) for Lucia, not the Italian version, as I am more familiar with people of hispanic origin named Lucia.

Francesca is different as it is universally understood to have the CH sound for the c.

But for Marcelina I think you could easily claim to use the Irish S pronunciation.

I'd pronounce it as Mah-sell-eena if I saw it written down.

(Mostly due to Marceline the Vampire Queen)

I think of Lucia is pronounced Loosha as in St Lucia. If I saw Marcelina I'd think Marselina. Avoid.

I read it with the ch sound

Sorry but I agree with your Mum

The confusion is likely to be increased by the fact that you (the Mother of the baby) have a name with the Italian pronunciation and I do think that will lead people to assume that your baby's name Marcelline is also pronounced the Italian way

That doesn't mean you can't use the name but it does mean you need to be realistic that you will spend a lot of time correcting people!

I would see it as a ch sound too but oddly see Marcella as an s sound. I like the Italian version most but don’t mind the Irish version. She might get called both versions by different people but she’ll get used to saying how she prefers it.

I'm sorry I agree with your mum. By changing how it's pronounced you are effectively giving her a made up name. It's tacky. Like Elle being pronounced Ellie

It's hardly a "made-up" name - it's a Roman name! Variants are used in Italian, French, Polish and English, so lots of different pronunciations.

I would say it with a S sound, but only because I know a Marcellina who says it that way.

If I knew a mother called Lucia (Italian way) and a daughter called Marcellina (with a S sound) I wouldn't think anything of it. I might get it wrong the first time, but it's easy to correct. I'd just assumed they liked that way better / preferred it that way because of being in the UK.

If it was my mum, I might compromise and allow her to pronounce it the Italian way, but have everyone else pronounce it the way I preferred.

What about Marcelle? That seems more naturally a soft C

Sorry I agree with your mum too

Marcelina is lovely by the way.

I'd pronounce both Marcel (boy) and Marceline (girl) as Marsel and Marseline

I also think it would be perfectly reasonable to give her a name which will pronounced differently by her Italian relatives from her English ones and not make a big deal of trying to get everyone to say it the same way.

Lebkuchen but OP didn't say "Marceline" she said "Marcelina"

I would by default pronounce Marcelina with a soft 'S', despite the harder "ch" in Lucia!

I would say it as you do OP. She’s your daughter, you can pronounce her name as you like. And I also think it’s fine for her Italian relatives to use a slightly different pronunciation if that comes more naturally to them. Beautiful name, by the way!

Thanks for the responses, much more divided than I was expecting! It isn't that I don't like the Italian pronunciation, I just didn't think anyone would pronounce it that way without being prompted - but clearly I'm wrong! I only know one Marceline and another Marcelina IRL, both German and pronounced exactly the same (to my English ear, there is a difference in German but I'm a fairly crap linguist) as Mar-sell-EE-nah (the -e ending is more of an -uh and the -a ending is more of an -A).

I will look for a less confusing name and perhaps use Marcelina as a middle.

Marcel, Marceline, Marcelina, Marcella etc all pronounced with s. At least by me.

The single L throws me a little. I'd pronounce Marcellina with the "ch" sound in the middle, as it's so Italian looking. It's the double L that does it. Marcelina looks quite eastern European to me, probably said as you've suggested. It's also a type of moth, I see.

Basically you tell people what your baby is called and you dictate the pronunciation. People van get it wrong if they like but in my experience people will follow your lead. Before long it won't be an issue.