[name]Just[/name] wondering what Berries think about phonetic spellings?
I am against it in general, and abhor unique spellings ( I just met a little boy named EEthen, yes two capitalized E’s , oh WHY).
Still, sometimes I look at names, especially those that are of Irish/ Celtic origin and wish there was an easier way to spelling these names. They often have beautiful meanings and sound lovely but spelling them is a nightmare. It seems a shame to avoid these names because you don’t want your child to have to correct people constantly. On the other hand it seems to slight the history and culture to avoid the true spelling.
Considering I’m from [name]Ireland[/name], it annoys me when people change the spelling of names that are from here. But I completely understand why anyone who doesn’t know Irish would!
I can understand the reasons for this, but it feels like a lose-lose. People who aren’t familiar with a name (like the Celtic names) might be able to pronounce it better spelled phonetically but may still think it’s a made-up name b/c they haven’t heard it and anyone who is familiar with the original spelling is probably to feel like an “easy” version cheapens it.
It really depends on the name, I think with Ethan, it’s not necessary, most Americans are familiar with the name. Same with Phoenix, most people know the word and so changing the spelling just seems unnecessary and pointless.
However, some names, like Eilidh make me wish people would try to “americanize” it. To me Eilidh is pn like eyelid, or ihlid, not Aylee, so spelling it Aylee would make it easier on me so I don’t have to ask how say the person’s name or end up butchering it in the attempt to say it or embarrass some poor kid because I called them “eyelid”
It’s great you want to keep the culture and traditional spelling, but I think then you should use it as a middle if you plan to do that. It’s the main reason so many Chinese people pick an American name and move their Chinese name in the middle spot. (I’m sure other foreigners do it to, but I can only speak from what I know, and I only know Chinese family/friends that have changed their names or taken on an American name)
In most cases, changing the spelling of a name from a particular culture makes the name lose some of its essence. A part of any name’s charm is its origin and therefore the most authentic spelling. For example, the Irish [name]Niamh[/name] changed to [name]Neve[/name]/[name]Nieve[/name] or [name]Caoimhe[/name] to [name]Keeva[/name] just don’t make the grade for me. The names essentially loose all of their Irishness in my opinion. Names are like puzzles: if you loose one key element, the pieces don’t fit. You can also think of names as recipes: if you forget one key ingredient, the end result is not up to par. The world is becoming a smaller place and many countries are borrowing names from other cultures. People should try to get over their fear of unusual names and spellings because you’ll be hearing them more often as the years go by.
My best friend’s family is Chinese and her American name is one that was extremely common for her age. Ditto for her sister. I think she might have preferred going by her Chinese name, to hang on to some of her culture and to feel more like an individual.
I was working at a preschool a few years ago and there was two little girls, [name]Niamh[/name] and [name]Caoimhe[/name] (and I’m in [name]New[/name] Zealand), the teachers had written [name]Keeva[/name] on [name]Caoimhe[/name]'s drink bottle and other things cause they couldn’t spell her name. I only saw [name]Niamh[/name] written as [name]Neve[/name] once or twice, probably because her name was shorter and easier to spell…
I have a friend named [name]Siobhan[/name]. My dad got an email from her (same church, he’s the maintenance guy and she heads up a committee) and spent forever trying to say her name. When I pronounced it for him he said “[name]How[/name] do you get THAT pronunciation out of that spelling!?!” She has a sister named [name]Rachel[/name], and said (while laughing!), that when calling restaurants for reservations that she sometimes just says her name is [name]Rachel[/name] because it gets annoying to have to spell and pronounce it for people. Which is why I can see why some people try to Americanize it. But I do think it loses some of the charm when this is done.
I also have a friend named [name]Ame[/name] (like [name]Amy[/name] or [name]Aimee[/name]). A friend of ours (when introducing her to someone else) said “This is [name]Ame[/name]. And it’s spelled phonetically.”
Overall I really just prefer names do be spelled correctly. Especially when it’s a common/known name to the vast majority of people know how it’s meant to be pronounced. (Following the [name]EEthan[/name] example, I have NEVER met anyone who had a hard time pronouncing it And I know 4 or 5 Ethans. So that spelling is just unnecessary to mess with the spelling.)
It really depends on the name and/or the reason for me. Most people over here are generally fairly familiar with most ‘mainstream’ Celtic names because the influence is obviously quite close to home. I know quite a few little Eilidhs and Niamhs and Caoimhes who’ve never had any real problem with their names, bar once or twice. However, I have a friend named [name]Neve[/name] whose parents spelt her name like that partly because their [name]German[/name] and Australian relatives pronounced [name]Niamh[/name] as ‘Nymph’, and her name suits her spelt like that; I couldn’t imagine her as [name]Niamh[/name]. EEthen is awful and like posters above said, [name]Ethan[/name] is a fairly familiar name, no need to change the spelling.
It’s not so much a fear, it’s more of a nuisance/annoyance. I’ve known plenty of people who just give up when someone’s name is too difficult and go by their first letter. Teachers do this a lot with their last names, oh you can just call me Mr. G (I’ve actually had 3 Mr. G’s in high school) or Ms. B, just because their last names are too troublesome. I know one boy who just said my name is D because his full name was too complicated and he was annoyed by people saying it wrong all the time.
So basically I’m not saying you should change the spelling, but you have to keep in mind that people do give up and eventually if a name is too hard, you end up just being called “you” like “Hey you come over here” or “hey you stop that”
I honestly don’t find it wrong for people to give up, because other countries do it too! My sister and I have totally different names in Taiwan since our Chinese family can’t say our English names. [name]Do[/name] we expect them to? No! Of course not, our names are of course too hard for them, and having the nicknames is really nice because it feels like we fit in. Which is why when my mom moved to [name]America[/name], she changed her name to [name]Clare[/name]. It helped her fit in and prevented people butchering her name.
Now I’m not saying don’t name your kid that, I’m just saying you have to keep in mind that maybe where you live, the name won’t be easy to pn and in the end your child might find have to find some nickname to fall back on, which isn’t a bad thing imo.
I’ve gotten the dreaded '[name]How[/name] did you get THAT pronounciation?" question more than a few times. However, I can’t complain, since my parents have been pronouncing my name the wrong way since birth.
I went to camp with a girl named Leegha, though- misspelling of [name]Leah[/name]. [name]One[/name] counselor said a bit too loudly, “Her parents must have been illiterate.”
Though, Americans are sometimes stupid with pronouncing names. [name]One[/name] of my best friends is [name]Kaleigh[/name]- pn [name]Kaylee[/name]- and she has gotten [name]Kylie[/name].
I also have a friend named [name]Iana[/name], pn yawn-uh, but she was born and Bulgaria and knew three other Ianas her age. So it was really common over where she was born, but almost unheard of in the US (She got [name]Ina[/name], I-ana and even EE-nuh).
It’s a conundrum. Spell [name]Caoimhe[/name] and [name]Aisling[/name] the Irish way in [name]America[/name], and get called stupid or illiterate for pronouncing them ‘weirdly’. Angelicize [name]Aoife[/name] to Eefa or [name]Saoirse[/name] to Seersha and be called stupid or illiterate for ‘making up’ a name. Sadly, in [name]America[/name], these names should probably be avoided.
I’m not a fan of phonetic spellings, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s a great idea to use a name that most people you expect to encounter won’t have a clue how to pronounce. I see a lot of Irish names floating around on these boards. I am an educated, well-read American, and I don’t know how to pronounce any of them. Most Americans would not know how to pronounce those names, lovely and meaningful as they may be, so I’d be reluctant to use the original spellings of those names. At the same time, as others have mentioned, a phonetic spelling can detract from the charm, history, and beauty of the name, so I don’t think that’s a great solution, either. My advice? Choose a name that most people you encounter will know how to spell and pronounce, or be prepared to politely correct people and explain the origin of your child’s name on a regular basis. Or (now this is extreme) you can just move somewhere that the name is familiar. : ) Also, you’ll need to realize that some people will think the name is made up (whether you use the original or a phonetic spelling) and, sadly, will make negative judgments about you or your child based on that.