[name_f]Kasia[/name_f] is lovely! [name_f][/name_f] I’m biased though because I am very fond of Polish names in general! [name_f][/name_f] Because of my familiarity with [name_f]Zosia[/name_f] and [name_f]Hania[/name_f], I had a loose idea of its pronunciation but admittedly thought maybe kah see ah before I realized it was Polish.
[name_f][/name_f]
People in general are apt to take most things personally, especially if it’s from a culture that is not one of the most widespread. [name_f][/name_f] To me it sounds like they were trying to protect what they love, just as you want to celebrate your culture—just from different angles. [name_f][/name_f] Unfortunately, most [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers won’t say it perfectly, but if you have the patience to explain the name and its pronunciation, it sounds like a wonderful option for you! [name_f][/name_f] (It can’t be more difficult than [name_f]Małgorzata[/name_f], surely, and I’ve met little babcias that make her shine!)
[name_m]Hi[/name_m]. I can understand your confusion.
[name_f][/name_f]
Basically, when I asked the native Polish speakers online how they would phonetically pronounce [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] instead of KAH-sha, they said the couldn’t do it. Because that IS the Americanized way of saying it. [name_m]The[/name_m] sound isn’t really distinguishable to [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers. [name_f]So[/name_f] to me that means it shouldn’t make a difference. Americans say other foreign names with their own accent, so I don’t see the big deal with this one. It’s just a pretty name to me that sounds like it would be recognizable in [name_f]English[/name_f].
I think accents naturally make phonetics slightly different anyway, it doesn’t mean the name is being “butchered”, some regional accents/dialects just can’t make certain sounds and that’s okay. I know pronunciations are important, but as long as you try to get it as close as you can that’s all you can do. [name_f]In[/name_f] a lot of non-(US)English languages the specific inflections and differences in tones are a lot more pronounced than they are for us too. I personally have a very common name (Helen) and several people in my immediate family say it very differently; non of them are “wrong”, it’s just a difference in accent. They all “hear” it the same even if they “say” it differently. I think the issue you’re having with [name_f]Kasia[/name_f] may be the same, so I also wouldn’t write it off if it’s a name you love and you don’t mind the small hassel of correcting people (which may not be that big of a hassel as there are so many common names that end in -sia/-cia that are prn /sha/[name_f][/name_f] i.e. [name_f]Lucia[/name_f], [name_f]Alicia[/name_f], and Anastasia)
