I was puzzled to read that the mispronunciation of someone’s name is now being decried as belittling and a “microaggression” (“#Mynameis calls out the mispronouncers”, News, last week). I have never been worried about the way people pronounce mine (“Crepney” works best).
When one has an unusual name, it is not an insult if it is pronounced erroneously. The real aggression is making a fuss or throwing a tantrum when a stranger makes an innocent mistake.
Rafe de Crespigny, Lilli Pilli, Australia
Reality Czech
I live in Czechia, where the locals mispronounce my name all the time: it usually comes out as Vee-lee-yam. It would be ridiculously precious of me to claim, as one of the supporters of this movement seems to, that my “heritage” is not accepted because of this.
Many British people have trouble pronouncing English words, so it’s hardly surprising that non-English names — which are essentially nothing more than unusual words — are mispronounced.
Peter Williams, Prague, Czechia
Roll with it
Adding a phonetic pronunciation guide after one’s name on correspondence seems a sensible idea. But if I’m in France, for example, and someone calls me “Doree”, with the “r” rolled, should I be offended by their accent and insist that they say it my way? Equally, should I correct a Scot who calls me “Doorus”?
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Simply changing a name to make it easier to say may be casual racism, but we should accept that different nations (and regions) have different accents.
Doris Bolton, Caterham, Surrey
Something in the Eire
I have an Irish surname, which is almost always mispronounced because I’m English and live in England (it’s my married name). No one does it deliberately; it’s not a personal attack or a sign of disrespect. If I want it pronounced correctly at all times, I just need to go and live in Ireland: problem solved.
Mel McGrath, Long Eaton, Derbyshire
The cap fits
As skins grow ever thinner, society skates on ever thinner ice. Emma Nabridnyj says she often has to point to her knee to explain the correct articulation of the last syllable in her name. What’s wrong with that? Surely it’s just a knee-monic.
Gary Thurman, Stratford-upon-Avon
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