The UNPRONOUNCABLE names

pobody's nerfect

Tue, Aug 31 2010, 6:52 pm

One class (7 kids) in my small OOT school has a Yechezkel and a Yerachmiel. Their poor secular teachers....

amother

Tue, Aug 31 2010, 7:42 pm

I have a friend with a son Chesky/yechezkel and when asecular people ask her what his name is she tells them "Chaz" (here the ch is like the word "chair" not "challah")
I thought this was a cute idea. I was with her when she called him Chaz and the other person did not blink at all. Apparently thought it was a perfectly fine name for a little boy. I guess people have odder names for their kids out there....

mommy#1

Tue, Aug 31 2010, 8:04 pm

ohbaby! wrote:

My name- Tzivi, here in Brasil they just cannot say it!!

and my husband's tzvi-forget about it! no one can pronounce it. the best ive heard was "Swi!"

mosma

Tue, Aug 31 2010, 9:13 pm

avigayil. even with the "y" I stuck in there.
it's not my legal name so I don't have the issue at offices or banks but anyone else cannot pronounce it.
a lot of them say it like AH-vgal.

amother

Tue, Aug 31 2010, 10:20 pm

I have to agree about Elisheva! I have a daughter Elisheva and no matter how slowly I say it, everyone says it back in one of these two ways:

Eh-LEE-shuh-vuh

or

Ella-SHEE-va

and I thought she was going to have an easy name!! but no!!

Shuly

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 12:18 am

My theory is if people can call their kids Tamequa and Stephonjia and everyone is expected to pronounce it, we can name our kids whatever we want.

lech lecha08

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 1:12 am

I once babysat for a Yitzchak Elchonon. Every time I said his name, it came out as Yitzchonon.

amother

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 1:13 am

Feige, Fayge, Feiga - no matter which way you pronounce it, nobody who is not familiar with Yiddish seems to be able to get it. Not Israelis and not non-Jews.

From Israelis I just get puzzled sounds and non-Jews in the States think it's Peggy.

I have an uncle Sruly and many people cant' pronounce it.

Zus

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 7:37 am

My name, Michal, is totally unpronounceable for Americans, even jewish/frum ones.
The dutch know how to pronounce it perfectly well, once they know how to read it! Even though it's written exactly the way you'd pronounce it, they don't know the name and think it's something exotic. I've been called anything from Mikal, Michel and most of all Michael.

amother

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 7:53 am

Eliyohu is very difficult to pronounce in the seculalr world. They say it Elijai or Eliyei.

chaylizi

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 8:00 am

Zus wrote:

What's so difficult about Michal for someone who is frum? Is it the wrong accent thing?

Chayalle

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 8:05 am

Quote:

Eliyohu is very difficult to pronounce in the seculalr world. They say it Elijai or Eliyei.

Yes. I have a relative with that name, and they are always mixing it up. We all just call him Eli.

My neighbor's baby is Eliyahu and my little DD calls him "yelliyahu". They love it (they say it fits, he yells all day and night). It's sticking....

My DD is Zehava, and I'm always getting "Is that Sahara"? And then "that's pretty...."

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 8:17 am

We call out son Netanel 'Nati'. My ILs call him 'Nah-dee' and a woman in the supermarket today thought I said 'Nazi'.....

Zus

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 8:47 am

chaylizi wrote:

Zus wrote:

What's so difficult about Michal for someone who is frum? Is it the wrong accent thing?

I guess?

yo'ma

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 9:45 am

Zus wrote:

You should hear how my phone (landline) says Michal and a bunch of other names too. LOL

Half the time, we're like, who is it? Rolling Eyes

yo'ma

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 10:12 am

In starbucks they ask you your name and they write it on the cup. We don't even bother with our name Rolling Eyes

, we give a different one that they can say and understand what we're saying Wink

Atali

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 10:50 am

For some reason no one who isn't frum can pronounce the name "Shneur". The most common mispronunciation is "Shner".

I don't get what is so hard about it. There isn't even a "ch" and people do just fine with saying my DD's name (Shaina) which has many of the same letters.

Rebshosh

Wed, Sep 01 2010, 11:02 am

Kasriel! Its my sons name and almost nobody can say it right, frum people included. Everyone seems to think that the S makes a Z sound. No matter how many times I say it its always kaz-RI-el.