Whats in a name?

[Galaxia]

Ω

[halfwaynowhere]

well, people pronounce all sorts of things differently in different parts of the world, names should be no exception... its not as if we write everything with pronounciation marks or anything... thats what makes life so interesting... all the differences...

[Pandoras]

Galaxia,

Here's something you can share with your grampa that will get his drawers in a bunch. In Spanish, we translate names. For example, we call Prince Charles "Principe Carlos." Elizabeth becomes Isabel and Stephanie (of Monaco) becomes Estefania.

Language is a living thing and it changes. Take the word knife, for instance. In Middle English (during Chaucer's time) it sounds quite different than it does in Modern English.

I think your grampa's rant was probably less about pronounciation and more about the desire to go back to what he sees as simpler times (nostalgia, youth, etc.).

[banondraig]

My grandpa out of the blue today started ranting on about names. He said people ought to pronounce them the way they are spelled instead of trying to make them sound all "fancy", and that people that do that are trying to be too "fancy" about who they really are.

Example: On of the people on an Indy news station has the last name "Drucker". He says it shoul be pronounced "druh-ker" but she calls herself "drew-ker".

I don't know exactly what he was trying to prove at that moment in time, but he said it in a completely insulting way (like everyone is wrong except him kind of deal). (It seems he forgot my family's last name isn't pronounced the way it looks; its a transliterated (sp) version of a cyrillic name). I don't think I was so much insulted or anything as I was astounded at his ignorance. People from southern Indiana most definately do NOT pronounce every word an name in the English language the way its meant to be said. But then again, what do I know? :goodgrief

"Drucker" is a German word meaning, "printer". It's pronounced "Drook-er". (would rhyme with "booker" or "looker".

[arctic splash]

I'd just nod and smile. :) Doesn't make much sense to openly disagree. I used to be like that about some things, and I'll tell you, there's no other way. :D

Anyway, personally I don't think there's any right way to pronounce something. I have a friend whose last name is Maher and she pronounces it in a silly Boston way... I hate imitating Boston accents.. I just can't get myself to do it... but if she wants to pronounce her own name that way, that's fine. :)

Right. Drucker in German is quite similar to "booker", or at least that's the closest English equivalent. I myself have the habit of pronouncing words as they're pronounced in the native language (if I know how they're pronounced!) So when I watched the Red Sox this season, I found it strange that Bill Mueller's name is pronounced "Miller." In German it's more like "Mooahler." (2 syllables) Well... something like that anyway.

[skatha_mare]

when I watched the Red Sox this season, I found it strange that Bill Mueller's name is pronounced "Miller." In German it's more like "Mooahler." (2 syllables) Well... something like that anyway.

It's not much better in northern New England. We have french familys up here who have changed the pronounciation of their names. For example Gervais (french is jer-vay) has become propounced as Jarvis. Routhier (route-e-a) is ruth-e-er. My grandmother's maiden name is spelled Farrar and pronounced within the family as far, but most people pronounce it fa-rarr. But then again, my german decended maiden name has a silent K at the beginning of it.

That's one of the joys of americanized english- we butcher everything indescriminantly.

[Dragonladyofwater]

People from southern Indiana most definately do NOT pronounce every word an name in the English language the way its meant to be said. But then again, what do I know? :goodgrief

A bit off topic but living in Indiana and being from the west coast this cracked me up! My In-Laws say things like "How come'd you to do that?" "What fer?" and "Why come?" Used to drive me insane when I first moved here, now it just makes me giggle. They are both very literate intelligent people who make themselves sound like utter morons when they talk like that.

And I agree with Pandoras he probably just wants things to be simple like when Shawn was Shawn and not Sean, when Tina was Tina and not Tynae... Grandpas are allowed the lattitude to want such things in my book. When I'm old I want the room to be a big cranky hag sitting on my front porch in a purple moo-moo with a bright pink hat spitting at nothing and swearing just because I want to. :hahugh: Age ought to at least give you that.

[ap Dafydd]

Being a grumpy old scrote myself, I'm probably with granddad on this one.

Just can't see why people feel the need to introduce bizarre spellings of names when the originals are perfectly good, it's almost as if they are inviting people to mispronounce them, just out of embuggeration.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred (who, if he met someone called Tynae, would pointedly pronounce it Tie Nie)

[MoonDragn]

Heh, when you get older you get more and more crabby and grumpy. Its just how life is, you've been through so much that you gotta complain about everything just for the heck of it. Just ignore it, he isn't really serious and just shooting the breeze.

[LacyRoze]

When I'm old I want the room to be a big cranky hag sitting on my front porch in a purple moo-moo with a bright pink hat spitting at nothing and swearing just because I want to. :hahugh: Age ought to at least give you that.
o0o0o0o0o0o,, I like you!!!! :woot: