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South Florida Babies
People Mispronouncing LO's name
If people mispronounce your child's name, do you bother to correct them?
The majority of people are saying Ay-dree-ann-uh instead of Ay-dree-AHN-uh, the way I prefer. I'm gtting sick of correcting the same people over and over again (like my MIL who I am sure is doing it on purpose!).
So, just wondering of other people let it go or if they bother to correct people.
I didn't think I would have this problem, since its not an unheard of name. It's frustrating!
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Re: People Mispronouncing LO's name
No one mispronounces Alexis, but Like Adri, my name has is always mispronounced. I don't usually correct people as long as it's close.
It's supposed to be Lee-ahh-nah, but I get Lee-a-nah usually, I let it go.
I agree with Mel - if it's someone in passing, I would ignore it, but if it's someone who you will see often, then correct them, I don't think they would be insulted, I'm sure they would want to know the right pronunciation.
I don't know what to say about your MIL though. If she's doing it on purpose, can your DH talk to her about it? That would drive me nuts!
Leanna, I've been pronouncing your name wrong in my head this whole time (the 2nd way you described it)! Oops
I have to remember for the future that it's lee-AWWW-na (right?).
ANJ, I haven't had this problem since Emma's name is pretty easy to prounounce, but if I were you, I would do what someone else mentioned - use the name in conversation as much as possible with YOUR preferred pronunciation. Hopefully people will get the hint, but if they don't, I think your best bet is just to let it go. I know it's a big deal to you, but to everyone else it's probably such a minor distinction that if you even bother to correct them, they might think you're being silly or just plain forget.
I think with those types of names that have two possible pronunciations, people just get one certain pronunciation stuck in their head and then they call everyone with that name by that pronunciation even if the person (or their parent) likes it a different way. Once of the girl names I really like is Madeline, but I prefer for it to rhyme with "wine" instead of "lynn". I felt like if I used it, people would constantly be calling her "Madelynn," especially since that's more popular now than Madeline. Same with names like Jacqueline or Caroline...people will either rhyme them with "wine/line/mine" or "lynn" based on whatever is stuck in their head or whatever their preconceived notion of that name's pronunciation is, regardless of how it's spelled.
Sophia's name is pretty hard to mispronounce but I do get a lot of people spelling it Sofia. Kind of irks me but I don't make a huge deal out of it. I agree with Mel D that it is probably more of an accent thing and I figure up in NY you are getting a slew of different accents.
I don't know if I would out right correct them but I recommend doing it more subtly. For instance, once they say her name the wrong way you respond with, "Yes, Adrianna, is a great sleeper" and say it the correct way. They will get it. This way you correct them without making them feel wierd.
Leanna....do you know the only reason I say your name right is because Marc corrected me once? LOL.
Yeah, say it in spanish and that's how its supposed to sound.
Dh gets really upset when people misprounounce Nico's name as Nih-ku-luss. We prefer Nicolas said in Spanish Nee-ko-las. If it's someone close to us (like MIL who always pronounces it wrong- I think she does it to bother us!) we always correct them. I tend to use it the right way right they pronounce it wrong. DH will straight up just tell them not to say it that way. But if it's a stranger like the receptionist at the pedi's office or something like that, it doesn't bother me.
my daughter's name gets mispronounced all the time (like mine). i ALWAYS correct them.
she sometimes gets the "madeline" (ma-de-line) and i usually just say "its madelyn (ma-de-lyn) by the way". but what pisses me off more is the spelling of her name. i hate it when people do not spell it properly....they either do the two n's at the end or the "line". we call her mady and i make it a point to spell it MADY and people will usually put two d's to it. i hate that. there isn't two d's in madelyn so why should there be two d's in maddy?
my name and her name are also pronounced in spanish differently than english, unfortunately there is nothing i can do about that, especially with spanish speaking family.
whoa ive been calling you by the way you said it in the second pronounciation. oops!!! this reminds me of gena...its jenna not gina!! i won't forget that lol
Oops!! I've been mispronouncing your name in my head as well!
But yes, people mispronounce E's name as well --- especailly my mom!! She prefers UH-lie-jah -- at this point I don't correct her. I guess its her Jersey Twang. I prefer Eee-lie jah. My MIL does it too - but I think its b/c she doesn't speak English very well (or at all) she calls him Eeee-Lie (long E short lie) versus E-lie (short short).
We pronounce Graciela in the Spanish way: Grah-see-EH-lla. I have some friends that cannot seem to say that. They say "Grace-see-ella." I understand, but it just sounds wrong to me. It doesn't really bother me if the person saying it is American or someone I won't have much contact with, but if they are Hispanic, I really don't understand why they can't say it right. I have a good friend who is Dominican who pronounces it the American way, and I have said "Grah-see-ella" over and over and over but to no effect. But by now it's been over a year and I don't know if it's just too late to correct her. Drives me nuts. I also don't like it when people call her "Gracie." But I usually let it go.
As for Cedric, we say "Sedd-rick." Not that tough. Some people say "Seed-rick," and that just sounds wrong as well, but I often let it go, again, unless it's someone I'll see often. And I don't much like "Ceddie" as a nickname, but I figure I won't have much control over what he is called eventually, but I just don't call him that. I do call him "Cedri" ("Sedd-ree"), though, so I guess I'm not averse to nicknames altogether.
I've gotten both Gracie and Seed-rick at the doctor's when I visit a pedi who is on call vs. our regular pediatrician. I let it go.
If it were my MIL, I would correct her.
DH and I always get our names said wrong. His name is Ofer; you can imagine it's tough. And I was brought up as "TAH-nee-ya," not "Tanya," and I always corrected people who said "Tanya" when I was a kid. Now, I often let it go. Not worth it most of the time. Then again, here in Miami, most people who speak Spanish say it correctly, so I don't have as much trouble as I did up in NJ.
Leanna, I always have said your name wrong!! Now I know!
And Melly&jimmy, I have a nephew in NJ named Elijah--we all say "Uh-lie-jah" in our family, just like your mom. Maybe it's a Jersey thing!!
Tania
LOL! It must be!!