Pronouncing Scandinavian names - pet peeve

[dylexicdementor11]

This is meant as a friendly reminder to all the Liv’s, Sören’s, Astrid’s, Freya’s etc out there.

As a Scandinavian, I think it’s quite charming that Scandi names are all the rage. However, if you do not speak a Scandinavian language and you decide to name your child a Scandinavian name, or if you have a Scandinavian name please be aware that you are probably mispronouncing the name.
So if a person that actually speaks the language correctly, pronounces the name, please don’t throw a hissy fit and correct them. 😊

My god this, why are people here denying this basic fact.

Thank you for the question. I always attempt to pronounce peoples names the way they prefer them to be pronounced after they have corrected my pronunciation.
However it does send chills down my spine to say ASS tree id. 🤭

I know. The English pronunciation is such a harsh way of pronouncing such a pretty name! I was going to be called Astrid but my parents wanted it to be pronounced in the Norwegian way which obviously wasn't going to happen in the UK.

Amazing!! I want this to just be how everyone is named in future. 😂

They haven’t “corrected” your pronounciation though, they’ve just stated their own preference. Most people would be thinking “gosh how interesting to hear the way it is said in Norway/Sweden/Denmark, but we’ve gone with the English adaptation.” Surely nobody actually says that you are wrong?

Isn’t the British version just ass-trid? Where does the “tree” come from?

But he was Icelandic, where Magnús is pronounced Mag-noose. With a hard g.

I have a boy and a girl and they have different last names for this reason! They have the traditional patronymics.

It's the father's name in the genitive case (which does not always mean adding an s!) plus -son for a boy and -dóttir for a girl. So Magnússon and Magnúsdóttir if the father is called Magnús. E.g. Kárason or Káradóttir if the father is called Kári. You have to have a grasp of the basic grammar to form them correctly.

Some people have matronymics instead and a few people do have surnames.

OP, you haven't addressed the fact many PPs have pointed out, which is that Scandinavians (not to mention Nordics) do not always agree about how to pronounce things. What with there being three different main Scandinavian languages.

If a Dane, a Swede and a Norwegian say things differently, are they allowed to correct each other? What happens if an Icelander and a Faroe Islander join the conversation? The English pronunciation of Freya is practically identical to Icelandic Freyja and I think therefore the English are saying it correctly and you are wrong! (Joking)

Swede here. It is Shershtin. But spelt Kerstin

I'm Swedish but live in London. My kids names are pronounced in English by their friends and dad and in Swedish by me and Swedish family. Never given it a second thought. We live in the UK!

Totally this. Imagine having the audacity to tell someone that they are pronouncing their own name wrong. Jesus wept.

But it is THEIR name surely? Why do you feel entitled to insist on someones name being pronounced differently to how the name holder wants it pronounced. That is just bizarre.

'Some people have matronymics instead and a few people do have surnames'

Again, please pardon my ignorance - finding this fascinating, so you could have a boy called Magnus Kerstensson?
Completely unrelated - how are you putting the accents over the letters? I do not seem to have this facility. Are you using a Scandinavian/Nordic keyboard?

Yes, if we take an Icelandic feminine name (not Kersten!) it's the same process - put it in the genitive case and add -son or -dóttir. E.g. María gives Maríuson or Maríudóttir.

Yes, I use the Icelandic setting on my keyboard. It has a special accent key so you press that first, then the vowel and it appears with the accent. I can also do þ, ð, ö and æ without hassle Anyone can change the language settings for their keyboard as far as I know, but it won't match how the keys are labelled so could be tricky to work out!

On phones you can usually just hold down a letter to see a load of international variations.

Yes but it would be spelled Kerstin

Astrid and Freya are pronounced the same in Swedish as in English though?

They're not.

And on that video she goes on to say Freya/Freja in the same way in English and Swedish, just obviously using a Swedish accent when saying it in “Swedish”. But it’s the same way of pronouncing it. And so is Astrid.

Whereas Sören is different. Not sure how people pronounce it in England - maybe Sorren whereas in Swedish it would be Sir-en.

And Liv in Swedish would be pronounced Leev rather than Liv. But since Liv is also a shortening of Olivia or Olive, it’s hardly said the “wrong” way here and Olivia is not a Scandinavian name but when it is used there it’s Oh-leev-i-a

Explain the difference then (apart from the fact that a Swedish accent sounds different to an English one).

Freya - Frey-ya in both language although maybe slightly more emphasis on the first syllable in Swedish
Astrid - As-trid in both languages and no difference in emphasis.

Puffinshop,
Thank you for your patience and the explanation - this is fascinating.

“If a Dane, a Swede and a Norwegian say things differently, are they allowed to correct each other? What happens if an Icelander and a Faroe Islander join the conversation?” - well if Bellman joined the party you’d have a funny joke.

https://barnensbibliotek.se/artiklar/vara-basta-bellmanhistorier

I’m glad this thread is helping to distract so many people from the horrors of our world. I’m sure I’ll eventually manage to read all the comments. In the meantime please accept my thanks for your engagement in this silly (but informative) discussion.

In Danish they pronounce is Maun-noose

However it does send chills down my spine to say ASS tree id. 🤭

What a weird reaction. I've never heard anyone say 'Ass tree id'. They say 'Ass trid'. I presume the giggle is for the 'ass' bit. Would you react the same when pronouncing the English words 'ASSthmatic' or 'ASStronaut'?

Overall you just give the impression that you're mocking people for pronouncing names how they are normally pronounced in their language. It seems pretty childish and a bit ignorant to me.