Is there really no wrong way to pronounce a name?

[Eri]

Many people have the same name. Many of those same names are spelled differently. Anna, Ana, Catelin, Kaitlin, so on and so forth. Some of those look like they would be said differently from one or the other.

Anna is pronounced like "Ann-uh", would it not make sense Ana is said "Ay-nuh"? I saw a commercial earlier with a woman with the last name Hough. She pronounced it "huff". Wouldn't you think of saying it "O" instead of like tough? Names can be crazy.

Most people would say it's your name, it's pronounced however you say it is, but If that's the case, I could say my name was Bobby, but it is pronounced Jason. Obviously, that would be wrong. You can't change how a language is pronounced just to suit your needs.

Take note that names are not heteronyms, which are words spelled the same and pronounced differently, however, they also mean two different things unlike names, which mean the same.

 

[Kortney]

Yes there are wrong ways to pronounce someone's name. I think it is rude and shows a lack of respect to mispronounce a person's name, especially when you should know better. Innocent mispronunciations are fine obviously, but everyone should strive to pronounce someone's name the way that person wishes them to.

If my name was Ana and it was to be pronounced "Ann-uh" and you kept calling my "Ay-nuh" I'd politely correct you. If you kept doing it I'd be annoyed and tell you it's not my name.

 

[Lilani]

The "right" way to pronounce a name would be the way the bearer of the name prefers it to be pronounced. For example, I once saw a clip of Maury which featured a young woman named Forever. However, she insisted her name was "Fo' evah," not "Forever." Maury still pronounced it "Forever," but she was adamant that she was the former. And who's to say she's wrong? If that's what she wants her identity to be, then why not?

 

[xHipaboo420x]

It really doesn't matter that much, especially with proper nouns.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

My last name is mispronounced ALL the time. I correct their mistake, but if they insisted they were right I'd stop talking to them. There is a correct way to pronounce someone's name: the way they want it pronounced. Whether it is technically correct is irrelevant, it is done out of respect.

 

[Eri]

If that's the case, I could say my name was Bobby, but it is pronounced Jason. Obviously, that would be wrong. You can't change how a language is pronounced just to suit your needs.

Everyone seems to have ignored this part.

 

[PunkyMcGee]

Well my name is Cornelius so there is always a slight difference in how people pronounce it. What upsets me is when people spell it wrong.

 

[KaiRai]

Some American's thought my name was Sam. It's Liam. I was pretty offended by that. Also the fact that god knows how many Americans claim to have Irish decent and didn't even know how to spell it.

"L-I-A-M"
"Dude, how do you even pronounce that"

That hurts.

 

[Eri]

Some American's thought my name was Sam. It's Liam. I was pretty offended by that. Also the fact that god knows how many Americans claim to have Irish decent and didn't even know how to spell it.

"L-I-A-M"
"Dude, how do you even pronounce that"

That hurts.

Honestly, if they can't say something as simple as Liam, you're better off without them.

 

[PunkyMcGee]

Some American's thought my name was Sam. It's Liam. I was pretty offended by that. Also the fact that god knows how many Americans claim to have Irish decent and didn't even know how to spell it.

"L-I-A-M"
"Dude, how do you even pronounce that"

That hurts.

You have a cool name.

 

[KaiRai]

snipple twist

You have a cool name.

Why thank you

double snipple twist

Honestly, if they can't say something as simple as Liam, you're better off without them.

It was on COD:WAW, and I found this exact point out when I ran out of ammo on level 3 because they were trying to use the teleporter.

 

[Melian]

My name gets mispronounced even by native speakers. Apparently it's hard to say, something I've never quite understood. And don't even get me started on english speakers! ^^ My name is Tove (yes it's a girls' name) and it's pronounced with long ooo's (as in Tooove) with a hard emphazis on the v. Everyone and their mother pronounce it like Toh-ve or simply Tohv, which sounds retarded. Oh, the joys of a rare name.

 

[crudus]

If that's the case, I could say my name was Bobby, but it is pronounced Jason. Obviously, that would be wrong. You can't change how a language is pronounced just to suit your needs.

Everyone seems to have ignored this part.

I didn't. I am just going to quote a webcomic I frequent.

Due to her rather bumbling parents, Katrina's legal name is actually Gregory Peck, even though it is pronounced Katrina Mikalia.[/spoiler]

Anyway, people would just attribute something like that as a nickname rather than it just being your name. Personally, I have people call me whatever I want. A name really isn't important in the long run.

 

[Guitar Gamer]

There is a wrong way to pronounce someone's name; any way that they do not specify that you are supposed to pronounce it.
My last name is "Knauff" and you pronounce it "Noff".
It is incorrect to pronounce it otherwise, reguardless of what language it may look like or which you speak, "Noff" is the proper way.

"Knauff" is not a word in a language (to my knoledge) and as such is not subject to rules of pronounciation of any language.

 

[Brentpool]

The way I've always looked at it is that a person's name is determined by their parents (unless they get a name change or whatever) and that even if they spell their name as "Bob" but insist it's pronounced "George," where am I to argue their validity because it's their name.

Aside from that, I've had a lot of experience with different pronunciations of names; I'm a Classics student, and I swear that every professor pronounces a character/writer/historical figure's name differently. It doesn't just stop at "Ed-opus" or "E-dopus."

 

[Mordekaien]

In my native speech, we have a proverb saying "Write as you hear" so usually in my country we don't have misspelling problems.

 

[theonlyblaze2]

My name gets mispronounced even by native speakers. Apparently it's hard to say, something I've never quite understood. And don't even get me started on english speakers! ^^ My name is Tove (yes it's a girls' name) and it's pronounced with long ooo's (as in Tooove) with a hard emphazis on the v. Everyone and their mother pronounce it like Toh-ve or simply Tohv, which sounds retarded. Oh, the joys of a rare name.

That is an absolutely amazing name!

 

[theonlyblaze2]

I now have to go by the name Blaze simply because Americans are too stupid to pronounce my name correctly. It is Blas, with the -a sounding like -ah, not BLAZ or BLAISE or (I shit you not!) BLOOSE!

And yes, it is only people born and raised in America. Never met a foreigner who didn't get my name on the first try.