When I was born, my Malaysian parents named me Mabel (may-berl). They also gave me a Chinese name, Li Teng (lee ting, 丽 婷), which is my middle name on my Australian passport.
I’ve always went by my English name. Growing up, my parents called me Mabel at home. I introduced myself as Mabel when I went to school and still do today.
When we look in the mirror or reflect on who we are, we see imperfections in ourselves. Our name is a big part of who we are | Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections.
In this world made up of so many cultures, there are countless of us non-Caucasians who have Western first and last names. But there are times when some assume we go by “exotic” names if we aren’t Caucasian. If we’re dark-skinned, some might think we’re a Muhammad or Suresh. If we’re Asian, our first and last names might be Lee or Nguyen.
This has happened to me. In Malaysia and Singapore, “Kwong Li Teng, Mabel” was my name on class attendance lists (in Asian cultures, surnames take precedence over first names). On the first day of a new school semester, a Caucasian teacher walked into my class and rattled off the roll. When she got around to my name, she barked, “Li Teng!”. I corrected her. But she addressed me by my Chinese name until I left for Singapore. Most of my classmates went by their “exotic” names and she may just be so used to associating certain racial faces with certain names.
There are some Asians who adopt Anglo names when they move to the Western corners of the world. It’s also not uncommon for them to leave out their foreign-sounding names on their resumes too. Some Westerners struggle to pronounce non-Anglo names; going by a Western name almost certainly makes it easier for those who speak English as a first language to pronounce and remember their names.
Once I met a very nice international student from Vietnam at uni. When we first said hi, she told me her Vietnamese name and immediately told me, “You can call me Caroline”. I pronounced her native name right on the first try much to her surprise.
It’s usually awkward when someone pronounces our name wrong. Maybe they’ve never heard our name before and it’s hard to enunciate. When this happens, we pause to process what we’ve been just called. Silence. Then we might say our name aloud. Sometimes the person we’re speaking to manages pronounces it down pat, sometimes close enough and sometimes not at all and so calls us by an abbreviated name, which we may or may not like.
Many times I’ve turned up to class and events and been addressed: Marble, Mehhberl, Marbleh, the list goes on. When I go, “I’m Mabel”, people like to respond, “Maybelline? Maybe it’s Maybelline!”. How can I not laugh at that?
Likewise, it’s awkward when we pronounce someone’s name wrong. We try and try to pronounce that person’s name as they’ve said it, feeling silly spitting out syllables foreign to us. On the other hand, we don’t kick up much of a fuss when our name’s spelt wrong. At least I don’t. Spelling errors can be corrected and I find it amusing reading the variations of my name in written form.
On a given day, we really don’t think too much about our name. Once in a while we might google it to see what it means. But deep down we all know our name is an integral part our identity, something our heart connects strongly with. It’s something we tell others when we meet them. We perk up, jump, when someone mentions our name, and also if we come across it in a book.
It can be disheartening when someone doesn’t give two cents about our name. Once I took a phone call at work and said, “Mabel speaking”. At the end of the ten minute conversation, the caller said, “Bye bye, Betty.” Either ignorance at its finest or the caller misheard my name. But I felt like a nobody. I was too flabbergasted to say anything.
Mabel is me. Mabel. That is who I am. Nothing can take that away from me.
Do people get your name wrong? Do you get people’s names wrong?
Mabel Kwong 
All. the. time.
LikeLike
With a name like yours, Enqi, I’m not surprised. It’s a unique name with unique spelling and pronunciation. Perhaps sometimes it helps to carry on a conversation with someone you’ve just met. Attached to a name is culture and background, so with a name like yours, you should be able to sustain a conversation with anyone fairly easily 🙂
LikeLike
I know what you mean about people adopting Anglo names. There’s an Indian man in my neighborhood. He owns the gas station near my apartment. His real name is Tushar, but he goes by Tony.
LikeLike
That’s interesting to hear that it happens over there in the States too, Matt. I hope that Indian guy doesn’t get accused too much of being “Westernised” by adopting an Anglo name. Tushar might be a bit hard for some people to remember, but it sounds like a very lovely name. And I’m sure he is a nice guy too 🙂
LikeLike
Oh yes. He’s a great guy. But he won’t make me a curry, no matter how much I beg him.
LikeLike
I know this sounds very stereotypical, but Indians do make good curry. Maybe ask Tushar/Tony to make curry when the holidays roll around, you might stand a better chance then of your request coming true.
LikeLike
That’s a good idea! My barber recently offered to make me a curry. I might take him up on it. I’ve been looking for one all my life.
LikeLike
I’m not a fan of curry actually. But I think it’s one of those dishes you have to try as it’s an iconic dish in some cultures. There are red curries, green curries, yellow curries…all of them taste different with different levels of spiciness! So go demand your curry!
LikeLike
I will, I will. 🙂 I did eat a curry at a Thai restaurant once, but I don’t think it’s the same as an Indian curry. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Indian restaurants in my area — not that I know of, anyway. I’ll just have to harass the guy at the gas station, I guess.
LikeLike
I don’t think it’s actually that hard to remember people’s names and surnames, no matter how tricky. When I was doing training in Adelaide, most of the students had non-Anglo names and they were really surprised when I spelt out their full name correctly in the first go. People who don’t try to remember your name, i.e. how to spell it or pronounce it shows a clear sign of disrespect, laziness or just plain stupid. I mean, I suspect some of them have learning difficulties. If one really can’t pronounce a surname or name, that is sort of understandable but there are ways to address the person’s name correctly, maybe you can ask the person if there’s a shortened version of their name. I very very rarely get people’s names wrong (maybe because I have a fantastic memory and good at spelling) and I always treat people with respect, so I make sure I spell their names correctly.
A lot of people get my name wrong; and it’s people from different cultures – even Chinese people get my Chinese name wrong! For the Yi part they think I use 儀 or 怡 but actually I use 夷. My parents picked this 夷 because the other two are too commonly used, and 夷 is a very ancient word and it was used in Lao-Zi’s Dao De Jing.
LikeLike
You bring up an excellent point there as to why some people can’t get names right: it can definitely be due to disrespect, laziness and plain stupid all lumped into one category. Sometimes when people get my name wrong and I correct them, immediately I see their eyes glaze over and it’s as if they can’t be bothered to get my name right. I don’t think it’s rude at all for someone to try to pronounce an unfamiliar name over and over again on the spot, trying to get it right. After a few tries and saying it slowly syllable by syllable, you’re bound to get better at saying the name, remembering it and of course, putting a person’s face to a name.
It’s always challenging to pinpoint which character is affiliated with my Chinese name too. It just goes to show that not only Anglo names are hard to get right, but Chinese ones too. Each character also means a different thing. A lot of Chinese characters may have almost the same pinyin but they have different intonations, so I guess the confusion as to which character is the right one lies there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow people are so disrespectful! Some people can’t stand to be corrected. And because of this, they continue with their ways. Very rude of them. Some people need to be taught manners! You’re right, some words have the same sound but different meaning. But for my case, because the word 夷 is rare they shouldn’t really confuse it with something else and it’s not hard to write 🙂
LikeLike
Very wise words: “some people can’t stand to be corrected”. Probably just plain stubborness and yes, rudeness. Each name is special. Your Chinese name is very peculiar and interesting. I googled your Chinese name Yi 夷 and one of the websites told me it means “Eastern foreigner”. I don’t know how true this is. Pardon my wonky Chinese, I’m not very good at it but I’m trying to understand your name 🙂
LikeLike
Because 夷 is a very old word, and back then when Chinese vocabulary did not have that many words, 夷 was used for various meanings: (1) Barbarian or foreigner, (2) Eastern Foreigner; because there was a non-Han ethnic tribe that was called Dong Yi, they were the ones who supposedly invented archery as the character of 夷 suggests. It has the elements of the word ‘big’ and ‘bow’, as it bow and arrow, (3) Exterminate and raze, (4) A punishment where the Emperor ordered the entire execution of your entire family clan, (5) Equable and calm
LikeLike
My name originates from the scripture of Dao De Jing which says “what you see is evanescence, what you hear is inaudible”. And the ‘Hsin’ part means ‘heart’. So when you put the word together, it may mean to people that I cannot see or hear. But what it really means: I shouldn’t thoughtlessly take in the things I see, or the things I hear – but to use my own judgement to find out the truth. And also, my behaviour, character and conduct should not be affected by my surroundings, because ‘Yi’ also means ‘calm’ and ‘equable’.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for sharing, Hsin-Yi. What a wonderful name you have, it’s so full of meaning. I guess all names can have a positive and negative side, story, history and interpretation to them. If anyone is bent on thinking that your name really is about being not able to see or hear, then that’s very unfortunate. Under-the-surface interpretations of anything are usually the most insightful and make the most sense. There’s always a silver lining to everything, every name 🙂
LikeLike
There are some reasons why people may get names wrong initially but to imply that some people are disrespectful, lazy or just plain stupid or even to state that someone may have learning difficulties because they can’t remember someone’s name comes across as very wrong.
On a side note-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312408/Revealed-Why-forget-peoples-names-meet–remember-hours-later.html
http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/have-aversion-to-non-white-names.html
The implication being made here (consciously or subconsciously) is that westerners can’t pronounce non western names but I believe that this issue could be made anywhere globally.
My mother has an Irish name made up of just four letters but many of her friends can’t pronounce her name despite her telling them several times so she often uses her second name which she shortens to an English (Anglo) name. I refuse to call her by this name even in the company of her friends for a variety of reasons but I’ve come to accept that some people can’t say her name. My girlfriend has three names in three different languages and she uses them depending on the context.
If I meet someone new then I will make an effort to remember their name and how to pronounce it correctly but please forgive me if I get it wrong the first time.
LikeLike
Great idea for the photo of reflection. I really love it.
Being Thai, I think most of us have ‘exotic’ names, even the last names too. Sometimes, I don’t even sure how to pronounce someone’s name despite being Thai too.
As I am working at multi-national company, I need to talk to colleagues from different nationality. And yes, I often have trouble calling their name. I don’t know how to avoid that kind of awkward moment. So when I am in that type of situation, I will try to speak only the points we are discussing and let them know who I try to talk to. I mean I usually talk to them via tele-conference which is sometimes harder to understand each other than talking in person.
LikeLike
I’ve met a few Thai people in Australia and they have really long first names and surnames. In a work setting, it’s hard to avoid such awkward situations unfortunately. It must be difficult for you trying to get their names right at work. I suppose you have to address some of them in English, your second language (but your English is good!). I’m sure that those you are talking to will always make it a point to introduce themselves properly, which is professional work etiquette. I guess the worst is when you’re chatting with them over the internet and everything sounds fuzzy and not clear 🙂
Also, thanks for your nice words about the photo. I had to go out and buy the dice to set up this shot (it’s dice for a game, so I can use it and learn the game). Glad it turned out okay and that you like it!
LikeLike
There are so many names in the world, it’s inevitable we’ll encounter names we can’t pronounce, no matter where we are. People often have trouble with my surname – Sergeant – because of the spelling. It’s actually the way the police and army spell it. I often wonder whether it’s worth correcting people who get it wrong, because I don’t want to make them feel bad.
My son’s dad, who is from Ghana in West Africa, gets around the pronunciation problem by having different names for different contexts, but as Ghanaians tend to have lots of names, that’s easy for him. They have day names, given names, family names, Christian/Muslim names, nicknames, order of birth names, a special name if they are a twin or were born after a baby who died, etc. etc – lots to choose from.
LikeLike
That’s a very good point, Maamej. There’s just too many names in this world in different languages that it would probably take us a million years to master them all. Just impossible. Sergeant. Sarr–jerrnt. I think I got it right on the first try. Yeah, sometimes I too don’t feel like correcting people when they pronounce my name wrong. I don’t want them to feel embarrassed at their mistake or think that I’m a stickler for rules. Usually I just try to correct them as politely as possible, laugh a little at the funny-sounding name but not them as a person and hope they don’t take it the wrong way.
Didn’t know Ghanaians had so many names for different contexts. I guess they have mastered the art of remembering them all!
LikeLike
Yay, pretty good pronunciation 😉 -jerrnt or -jent, both acceptable.
Yes, keeping it light is important. It can be worse if you don’t correct people, I’ve seen it snowball into total embarrassment.
LikeLike
Yay! Brownie points for me! 😉
I’ve never had that getting-name-wrong-experience up until it snowballed into total embarrassment. I think the worse that can happen is if someone gets your name wrong, you don’t do much about it, and this person goes ahead and introduces you to all their friends using the wrong name!
LikeLike
I can’t remember the details but it was at a conference, so a bit too public. Not me but I saw it happen.
LikeLike
It must’ve been embarrassing for the person who’s name was pronounced wrong and very uncomfortable to watch! I bet many couldn’t stop watching.
LikeLike
Yes, lesson learned!
LikeLike
Friend from Vietnam. I might know her, too 😀
LikeLike
This is a small world so you definitely might know her too. Thanks for reading and commenting, Han. I really appreciate it 😀
LikeLike
Ah names, they can be so easy and so hard for some people at the same time. For example my first name is Timo, its a pretty common name in Germany and in Finland but now comes the problem. I grew up in Germany so I got used to how people pronounce it but when I went later to school in Finland and told my name to other students, they did not understand me at all. Only after they read it they were suddenly surprised and called me by my name but in the Finnish prounciation. It is pretty interesting how the same name can have slight differences in the pronounciation and thus result in much confusion.
For our son we chose as the first name Nathan, his second name is Yiran/ 逸然(Chinese) and third name is Antti (Finnish) so he can chose by what name he wants to go depending on the country he is in 🙂
LikeLike
Finally I know you name. About time! Timo is a pretty unique name and it doesn’t sound as if it’s short for “Timothy”. You’re so right. We all pronounce names differently and I think a lot of the time is due to the accent(s) we have. I’ve had some Spanish people tell me that in Spanish culture, “Mabel” is actually a very common name and pronounced as “‘Mah-bell”. I think it’s time we all learn to accept the fact that names are never pronounced the same.
That is such an interesting name for you son, thanks so much for sharing. He will always have something interesting to talk about when he meets people as he gets older. I hope he will be able to remember and spell them all 🙂
LikeLike
I think Timothy is just another form of the name used in English speaking countries. Timo is a form of Timotheus in German, and the name itself some old Greek stuff (according to the name register!)
As you wrote in your article, many Asians create some kind of English name, mostly during English class during their school years. My wife had over the years several English names but finaly sticked to one for the past 6 years 🙂
btw, I cant (yet) write my sons Chinese name, I have too many character flying around my head from my studies ^^
LikeLike
Thanks for enlightening me about your name. It’s always interesting to dig up not just the meaning but the history of our names (which is probably more interesting). Yes, Asians create English names and I like that you used the word create. I’ve come across some Asian migrants here in Australia who decide to the most obscure English names while staying here. Can’t remember the lot off the top of my head but the least weirdest one I’ve come across is Indigo.
I am sure you’ll get around to mastering your son’s Chinese name in due time. Chinese is a hard language to write, what with the stroke sequences and the shape of each stroke 🙂
LikeLike
Hello, Mabel. Nice to meet you. What a great entry for the “Reflections” theme. Your composition reminds me of something I once read:
“…the average person is more interested in his or her own name than in all other names on earth put together. Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it—and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage.” – Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends & Influence People
I am part Asian, and although I once went by the name “Mahina” (mah-HEE-nah) in high school, I am glad to have two names that represent my heritage— French and Okinawan. Thank you for your wonderful post! 🙂
LikeLike
It is very nice to meet you too, Rene. Thank you for your kind words. I love the quote you shared. It’s a bit of a self-centred one but in a sense it also tells us to get to know ourselves and love ourselves for who we are, long name or short name. “Mahina” sounds like a very pretty name. It must’ve gotten you quite a bit of attention in school 🙂
LikeLike
Yes, the quote was from a book called “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and does reveal human nature’s general self-centeredness. Like you said, too, “…deep down we all know our name is an integral part our identity, something our heart connects strongly with. It’s something we tell others when we meet them. We perk up, jump, when someone mentions our name, and also if we come across it in a book.”
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing the book. It sounds like a book that teaches us how to get along with others. I might check it out!
LikeLike
Nice post, Mabel.
LikeLike
Thanks, Kongo 🙂
LikeLike
A great take on reflection and I really like your photo choice. My first name is short, simple and pretty easy for everyone to pronounce but my growing up my last name was long and German. I couldn’t spell it for years and most teachers and co-workers didn’t even try to pronounce it correctly, they just called me Lisa K. My married name of Kennedy is much easier to spell and remember but some people still get it wrong. Oh well. 😉
LikeLike
Thanks, NW. Glad you like the photo. I loved messing around with the colours. It must have been frustrating for you, having a long name that even you had trouble spelling! If you couldn’t do it, chances are others around you couldn’t, too. It must’ve been disheartening. It must have also been annoying for you to fill our forms that required your full name when you were a kid.
Kennedy. That’s a pretty common last name. I imagine people tend to leave out an “n” 🙂
LikeLike
You’re right Mabel, lots of people leave out the “n”. 🙂 Oh well, at least they can pronounce it!
LikeLike
Better to get the pronunciation right first than the spelling. I don’t think any of us wants to stand around unacknowledged amongst a group of people saying the wrong name over and over again 😀
LikeLike
I spent so many years responding to Lisa K instead of my full name I definitely appreciate having a more user friendly name now. 🙂 A few misspellings aren’t a big deal in comparison. 🙂
LikeLike
I second that. It can be fun correcting someone who spelt our name wrong…it should be way more easier than teaching someone how to pronounce our name the correct way 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: Good Morning! | Words 'n Pics...
I like your name.
My name is Eileen and yet people would call me, “Elaine.” I don’t know why. Even teachers would shout, “Elaine?” I just got used to of it and I would simply raise my hand. My classmates would be the ones to correct them, “Ai lean!!” Don’t get me started on how people spell my name. I usually see Eilen, Ellen, etc. I’ve had people say, “I am going to call you Ellie.” Okay?? I don’t really like my name.
LikeLike
Thanks, Eileen. I like my name too. It’s always amusing when people get it wrong.
Forgive my ignorance, but I thought your name was pronounced “Eeeee-leeeeen”? I had a classmate whose name was spelt exactly like yours and that was how she said it was pronounced. Eileen is quite a common name and I’ve seen it many times in writing, sorry to hear that it gets mangled quite a bit. It must be frustrating for you. I think sometimes people are just rude and ignorant when they don’t make the effort to get names right.
LikeLike
That’s different. Nothing wrong with that. I never had anybody pronounce it like that. I’ve even had friends from Singapore pronounce it correctly, especially Taiwanese. My Chinese name sounds very near like my Irish name. Common way to pronounce my name (cause my name is of Irish origins) Eye-lean.
http://www.pronouncenames.com/pronounce/eileen
LikeLike
That is so many variations of Eileen :O You really must have heard almost every single variation of the name said to your face. Props to you for putting up with it!
LikeLike
Love this post Mabel! It is so true about the assumptions, often wrong, that we make from someone’s name. As for my name, I’ve been called everything from Sheryl, Cherry, Cherie, Sher, and even asked if it is short for Sheridan!! Growing up in England my name was quite rare and certainly not spelt with an ‘i’ at the end. When I lived in America it was much more common and it felt strange as I wasn’t used to other ‘Sherri’s’!! It was my Irish grandmother who chose the name apparently!
I love the story about your Vietnamese friend!
I had a Malaysian friend in California whose formal name was Waheeda but she asked everyone to call her Sheeda. A really lovely person, just like you 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for reading, Sherri. And thanks for stopping by and the nice words. Sherri is such a lovely name and it’s so unique. I’ve seen it spelt Sherry, but never Sherri with an i. It’s funny how when people come across a name they are not familiar with, they assume it’s an abbreviation for something more longer and common. Nicknames have always been in fashion so maybe that’s why.
Waheeda is a lovely name, your friend is very lucky to be given such a beautiful name. She sounds like a lovely person and I’m sure there are some of you that call her Waheeda every now and then 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Mabel! Very interesting post, and you’ve just inspired me to write about it in my blog too 🙂 I know what you mean, Sofia may sound quite straight forward, but you cannot imagine how everyone just gets it wrong!
LikeLike
PS You being called Betty is worse than me being called Sylvia…
LikeLike
So nice to hear that I inspired you 😀 And you wrote such a hilarious post, So-fee-yah! Sometimes I think people must be sleepy or tired and don’t listen properly and so mangle our names…oh well 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: Spring and Sofia | Papaya Pieces
Many times I get names wrong. One time, I wrote a comment to someone’s blog and for the life of me, I called her by a different name. Good thing that she was gracious in pointing out to me her correct name.
LikeLike
That must’ve been embarrassing for you, Imelda! Good to hear she was very light-hearted about it. I think sometimes we don’t mean to pronounce or spell names wrong. Probably just a slip of the tongue or mind, or we’re just tired or have too many things going in our mind 🙂
LikeLike
Interesting that people can say Mabel incorrectly. Or is it just their accent or the way they speak?
Yes it can be difficult to say exotic names the first few times, but I think the person understands most of the time. And in this multicultural world, will exotic names continue to be exotic? What really confuses me is surnames, given all the mixed marriages and adoptions in the world.
LikeLike
I don’t know. A lot of the time when people mispronounce my name, they say it confidently, as if the wrong pronunciation is the correct one. Mabel is an oldish kind of name. Some have told me point blank that “it’s an old name”. Like an old person’s name.
Surnames probably are more difficult to pronounce in many instances. Yeah, with mixed marriages and such, more and more of us will get longer and hyphenated names. Maybe this is one reason why names will continue to be exotic. If not, they will just be plain confusing. It’s up to how we perceive it, I suppose.
LikeLike
My name is pretty straight-forward, so no one really ever gets it incorrect (except when I am in China…then it is always mis-pronounced, but I now use my Chinese name and no problem!). I am not real great with names so I use to forget them quite often, but in business it becomes so important that I have really improved in that area 🙂
Very nice and interesting post. 丽婷 is a very nice name (and so is Mabel…) 🙂
LikeLike
I’m not surprised that people get your name wrong in China, Randall. There is still a large proportion of people in Asia who aren’t very English-literate and can barely string a proper verbal sentence in English. Hahaha, you’re great with names. If we ever do bump into one another someday, someplace, I hope you’ll remember how to spell mine!
Thanks for the compliments. 丽婷 has a very soft and feminine touch to it. I didn’t use to like it a lot because of this – I tend to be a strong-minded, tough as nails kind of person who like all kinds of physical and emotional challenges 🙂
LikeLike
I’m sure I will be able to remember yours, and I am happy that you too think 丽婷 is soft and feminine ~ as it really is, even though as a woman you would dislike such a name. Contradictions are always nice to have 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Dalo. Contradictions are a part of life, after all. It never makes things dull!
LikeLike
Bingo!
LikeLike
My chinese descent friends here in Indonesia also had two names, chinese and common indonesian names, i’m not quite sure why is that but i guess i’m from batak descent and we used to use our names everywhere in the world, few of my sibling became us citizen, NZ, Australian and many more but their name not changes at all….
LikeLike
Most of the Chinese Indonesians I’ve met here in Melbourne don’t have Chinese names but have full Indonesian first and last names. They’re from Jakarta, so maybe they go by different names there. So it’s interesting to hear you say that. I’ve heard that before but was doubting it because most Indos I know have long non-Chinese names that are fun to pronounce!
LikeLike
Interesting subject. As a Jennifer, I get called Jessica all the time, so it happens to those of us with common names as well. When I was teaching in Korea, I got to give a lot of my students English names. Some students chose their own names as well, which often resulted in some unusual names.. I had a Dragon in one class, and my friend had a student named Food! My husband has several English names, but I’ve only ever called him by his Korean name. When we were living in NZ, he went by Tony. It felt so weird calling him that. I asked him to please just use his Korean name now that we are in the US. Some people mispronounce it, but it doesn’t seem to bother him much.
LikeLike
Jennifer…Jessica… They start with the letter J and each are made up of 8 characters of the alphabet, and their first syllables go “Jehh”. So maybe that’s why you hear Jessica quite a bit. Hahaha! I’ve never heard anyone going by the names Dragon and Food. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m sure your husband is proud of his Korean name. If you can pronounce it, I’m sure others can too 🙂
LikeLike
My last name name is of Italian origin. When I was growing up in school and the teachers used to call attendance they said my name with a New York-Long Island type of accent (as “Laaango”) which I don’t think is how it’s supposed to be pronounced in Italy but I just always pronounced it that was because of where I am from. My aunt is Malaysian and I used to misspell her name until I found out how to spell it right.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing, Domenico. Very interesting to hear that different accents affect the pronunciation of your name. I like how you pronounce your name as it sounds from where you’re from – you must be very proud of your name! Sometimes some Malaysian Chinese/Malay/Indian names are long and contain many alphabets or awkward vowels so it can be a struggle to both pronounce and spell them right. I’m sure you can write and say your aunt’s name now all correctly and that she’s proud of you 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections | Life is great
I have Chinese first, middle name. But I only use my middle name, my English name is on my birth certificate. I was born in Canada.
I didn’t know the meaning of my first Chinese name nor my middle name which I share with all my sisters.. until my early 20’s.
As it turns out my first name in Chinese translates as: Highly Treasured or Precious. (I am the eldest.) The middle name is Lun or Orchid. Is that beautiful? If I had only known earlier.
LikeLike
That is a very interesting Chinese name you have, Jean. It is very beautiful and you should be proud of it! I too didn’t know much about my Chinese name until a few years ago. I simply got curious and wondered what it meant. Learning the meaning of our Chinese names is much more easier – and faster – than learning to write it stroke by stroke. But I guess once we learn how to do so, then it’s easy.
LikeLike
Hi Mable. I enjoyed reading your post. It’s a very interesting subject. Many caucasian people get caucasion names wrong, so you are not alone. My name is Iris and I get called Trish, Chris and a lot of times I get Irene. I have even heard from more than one person “did you say your name was Virus?” I think it’s just part of life. I disagree with Hsin-Yi Lo that people who don’t remember names are lazy or stupid. I don’t always remember someone’s name. They introduce themselves then we start a conversation. After talking for 3 or 4 minutes I don’t remember their name because I am paying attention to what they are saying. I tend to think that is true for a lot of people. And again, Mable, great post! Super interesting.
LikeLike
Thanks, Iris. Names are always an interesting subject, aren’t they? We all have different names but sometimes we meet people with the same names as us – and that’s always very surprising and interesting too. “Virus”. That person must have misheard you real bad. But every time this happens, I suppose it’s a chance for us to extend the conversation with that person. A chance for us the spend another minute with them and who knows, you might make a friend for life. Or just an acquaintance with a funny attitude and you can tell this story again and again. Yeah, sometimes what people have to say is very interesting up until the point we can forget their names. In a sense this is good, paying attention to what they say as opposed to something else like judging the way they look. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Very interesting article. there is a service that deals with this issue . namez.com
If more people used that, this problem will slowly disappear i think.
LikeLike
Thanks, Dan. And thanks for the link, it’s a very interesting free service. I wonder how many use it to help others pronounce their names. It’s definitely worth looking at, free and you can use it online and I’m guessing your phone too.
LikeLike
Thanks for the link. As you say the problem will slowly disappear if more people use the site but it assumes I guess that people can understand English in order to use the site to begin with.
Lastly even some English names are pronounced differently depending on where they are spoken so does the site account for this. (eg:- Stewart, Anthony…)
Side note-
http://inogolo.com (this site assumes everyone is interested in American English pronunciation of names/words but this might not be useful for people living in Australia, Ireland, UK…..)
LikeLike