Is there such a thing as Creative Pronunciation, and isn't it a bit...

[Mahauld]

...mad?

I mean where people use pronunciations they have decided on which are obviously wrong.
Is it really bad manners to correct them and isn't is just 'creative' pronunciation.
Or is it acceptable to make-up your own pronunciation as some make-up names?

[stroid]

But I knew of a Sean who pronounced his name See-ann. In my head that doesn't make it right!

[tammytoby]

Many names DO have different pronounciations especially in a global environment. Why is it such a big deal? Just pronounce it how the 'owner' wishes it to be pronounced - easy .

[BikeRunSki]

A friend of mine has just given her 2 week old daughter a very common name (top ten) with a totally made up spelling, "to make it more unsual". The poor girl will spend her life spelling out her name, and it still sounds the same. If you want an unusual name, fine, but use a properly unusual name!

[DesertOrchid]

Some of this is just due to names crossing borders to places where people don't know the original pronunciation of the letters, or the traditional place for syllable emphasis. Greek names for example would also have different pns depending on whether you used a classical or modern pn. I've seen lots of people claiming Ismene as Iz-MAY-nee or Iz-MEE-NEE but have a classics scholar friend who reckons it should be more like IS-muh-nee.

Additionally the crossing borders issue removes the original accent. If Catriona is 'Ka-TREE-uh-a' with a subtle Irish accent, you can see how those hearing it could change it to either Katrina or Catreeohna. Niamh is another one - Irish people seem to be able to say it so that you hear both the i and the a, but for the English it comes out just as Neev.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

The -uh in Catriona is the same as in the pronunciation of Niamh, which isn't Neeve but Ni-uhv with the uh a very quick sound.

(always wanted to say gavel)

I know of an Aisling who is pronounced Ay-shlin instead of Ash-lin. Drives me potty every time I hear it.

[mustdash]

DD1 is a Katriona. Less common spelling, but we think still Ok (didn't want a C for family reasons).

No issues with pronunciation, because most of the time she is just Katie.

We do love it when she goes to somewhere new and gets Kat -rye- ooo - na though.

We're east coast, and generally I'd say the O is there, but very very light. We don't stress about it though! A bit like Desert O above says about Niamh.

[CoteDAzur]

I met this woman whose DD became friendly with mine. I heard her call her DD "May-uh" so when the time came to send them a birthday invitation, I wrote her name as Mea. She said her name is written "Maya"

People really shouldn't name their children words they don't know how to pronounce.

[AlpinePony]

Can I have the opinion please from any Gaelic/Irish about this name? An acquaintance has named her daughter "Caitlin Kathleen" and I thought of this thread when I heard it...

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

Daft. Like Seamus James. You might as well call yourself John John and have done with it!

[AlpinePony]

That's what I thought - and bit my tongue! As we sat and ate our feta she told it tasted just like goat's cheese. I went home with quite a swollen tongue!

[Trebuchet]

pmsl @Bucharest

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

:o

[RitaMorgan]

I know a Sean pronounced Seen.