![]() It can also help you land your dream job in an international company, close an important deal with foreign customers, and of course, be a courteous individual who is respectful to the identities of others.Įach name on our database has an audio recording of its pronunciation and “phonetic respelling. We understand how important correct name pronunciation is to reduce teasing in the classroom. If spelling is the bully and we are the victim, NameShouts is the cool kid who stands up for us and saves the day. Naturally, English is one of the only languages that has a spelling bee! Enter: Phonetic Spelling Even English, a language that does use the Roman alphabet, is known for being a spelling disaster. Try pronouncing Italian Vittorio and Elena or Spanish Pablo and Alba aside from a foreign accent, you can be fairly accurate at the pronunciation.īut ABC is not always easy as 123: there are many languages that don’t use the Roman alphabet (A, B, C, … X, Y, Z) and their transliterations (aka, its Roman alphabet approximation) miss subtle nuances in pronunciation. ![]() There are exceptions to this, i.e., languages that are consistent in their spelling rules. Spelling is a bully that is just out to deceive us. ![]() If there’s one golden rule to name pronunciation, it's this: never trust spelling. To pronounce names right, using a name’s spelling can be risky business. People with “difficult” names shouldn’t have to give this up to accommodate others! In an interview with actress Uzoamaka Abuda, she recalled when she asked her mother to change her name to “Zoe”.įor crying out loud: singer and businesswoman Rihanna has been active since 2005, but we only recently started pronouncing her name right! It's “ree-AH-nah” and not “ree-AW-nah": her song “What’s My Name” was a cry for help! The ignorance must stop. When there is a lack of effort in pronouncing somebody’s name correctly, there can be long-term repercussions.Īs Gerardo Ochoa put it in his TedTalk, when he was called “Jerry” during his 5th-grade roll call, “Not only did she change my name, but the rest of my life”. Discussed in an article in the New Yorker, recent research suggests that our names can impact our grades in school, profession, who we marry, where we live… the list goes on. What about the individual difference we are given at birth? That’s right: our name! In Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet famously exclaims “What’s in a name?” To that, we answer, it's our language, heritage, and culture. This may come in the form of one’s hobbies, interests, and fashion the hipster culture is in! Societies have been growing more diverse, and thank goodness we have reached an era where individual authenticity is celebrated. Hayley Ostrega, Linguistics Research and Data Associate.
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