Okay, so I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to actually matter when the time comes, but I’m curious what you other berries think.
I’m American and my bf is English. I have a daughter from a previous relationship named [name]Hannah[/name], and depending on the word that follows, sometimes he calls her Hanner. (If a vowel follows. For instance, if he said “Is [name]Hannah[/name] okay?” it would come out, “Is Hanner okay?”) We’ve even joked about it. When he watched 24 for the first time, he joked that [name]Nina[/name] was off the table, and our future daughter is now nicknamed Neener (joking, of course).
I’m just curious… Would you avoid using a name that ended in A if you were in a similar situation?
Ha ha, I have a friend with this issue. I think that taking into consideration the pronunciation of a name is an important part of naming a baby. Like the name [name]Jeremy[/name]. Most people pronounce it [name]Jer[/name]-eh-me I have always pronounced it Germy unless I try really hard not to. So of course we could never have a [name]Jeremy[/name].
I think that it is cute that he recognizes that he calls [name]Hannah[/name] Hanner and that maybe [name]Nina[/name] wouldn’t be a great name. Like a [name]German[/name], Italian or any other accent, working within your pronunciation bounds is probably a good idea to avoid confusion.
I would definitely take it into consideration. I wouldn’t avoid it altogether, but I would find a name that sounded pleasant under both accents. My Australian and English friends call me “Alanar” or “Alarnar” and I always find it slightly humorous but barely noticable after a while.
Hmmm, I do think that might be something you have to avoid. It’s like the difference between “[name]Jenna[/name]” and “Jenner”–someone may think it’s a different name if they overhear.
I couldn’t help but to reply. My step-dad is from [name]Maine[/name] (and we live on the west coast) and has a sister named [name]Tina[/name]. Now on the west coast, the name is thought of/pronounced “TEE-nah”, but he (and the rest of his family) always call her “Teen-er”. At the same time, pizza has always been “peetser” and he doesn’t wear shorts, but “shots”.
There’s never been the issue of a younger sibling, but loving names like I do, I know that I wouldn’t want a name used that wouldn’t come across the same, or at least very similar. And that would be just for a sibling. I would be 10 times more picky for my own child.
Personally, if I were in the same situation, I would consider it when the time comes. I would have us each pronounce the name, and see if the pronunciation was something that took any of the charm of the name away (or even maybe added something!). It would be a factor, but not necessarily a deciding factor. There are so many great names out there, and this might never even been an issue!
