If you love a name, but difficult to pronounce

amother

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 12:35 am

I love the name Bracha but it's difficult for me to pronounce in Hebrew and we live in Israel (I can't say the Hebrew Reish, I can pronounce the Chet properly but it's a little more awkward for me than other letters).

There are also other names I really like that have a reish. And other names I like that have 3 or 4 syllables and in English the stress would be on the second to last syllable, but in Hebrew it is the last (like Renana).

My friend has a Yitzchak, and after a few months the name just rolls off my tongue and seems perfectly fitting and natural and the Chet is not an issue. She also has a daughter with a name that when I first heard it I thought "that's an awkward name" (something like Naama, where I don't have trouble pronouncing it but in English it sounds weird to have two A's next to each other). After a few months that name became perfectly normal to me too and no longer seems awkward.

Would you give a name that you can't pronounce correctly in Hebrew (if you lived in Israel)? What about a name that you can pronounce correctly but is awkward sounding in English (like Naama)?

Miri1

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 12:44 am

I'd want to be able to say the name with confidence.

But you could practice for a few months if you say that works for you.

I don't hear how Naama sounds funny, perhaps because I'm used to the name.
But honestly in this day and age, unless a Hebrew name has specifically negative connotations in English (and I can't think right now of any examples), I wouldn't be bothered. There are so many unusual names out there in so many different languages, I don't think anyone really cares.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 1:05 am

If you love the name, practice it before you have a baby and if you get the hang of it, go for it. But if not, not. Do not name a baby something you yourself cannot pronounce well. Regarding a name like Naama, my DD is Na’ama😊. Love the name. Thrilled I went for it. Frum people don't bat an eye, non-religious Jews and non-Jews do a double take and ask if I said Naomi, and I need to repeat her name and break it down as syllables. But after once or 2x are fine.

singleagain

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 1:58 am

Miri1 wrote:

Agree with this

And as for the bolded. A name like Moran. Which can sounds like moron in English ...

But I feel like it's time to repost this

Ora in town

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 3:46 am

singleagain wrote:

Agree with this

And as for the bolded. A name like Moran. Which can sounds like moron in English ...

But I feel like it's time to repost this

Wow! It really takes a bit of phantasy to come to this conclusion...
And a special kind of spirit...
Thank you in the name of all the Morans around me...

mamma llama

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:11 am

Ora in town wrote:

learn the reish and chaf. it's not that hard... there is good material on youtube to train...

Reish is hard for me to pronounce the Israeli way and I've tried imitating videos and my Israeli friends! Confused

If any Israelis have tips on how to say it right, now is the time to help me and OP!

Rappel

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:16 am

Ora in town wrote:

Wow! It really takes a bit of phantasy to come to this conclusion...
And a special kind of spirit...
Thank you in the name of all the Morans around me...

Oh cut me a break. There are tons of names which come out funny in English.

Right now, the only one which I can think of is Bitya. But we've definitely shot down names in the past because no one Anglo would be able to say it without snorting.

Edit: long ago and far away, we were considering the name "Naama Amit." But it becomes "nom a meat" as soon as people start saying it regularly. I don't think we dropped it because of that, but it was worth noting, because 90% of our family have no Hebraic context.

Last edited by Rappel on Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:24 am; edited 2 times in total

Rappel

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:21 am

mamma llama wrote:

Reish is hard for me to pronounce the Israeli way and I've tried imitating videos and my Israeli friends! Confused

If any Israelis have tips on how to say it right, now is the time to help me and OP!

I wish I could help you! It's in the throat, not the teeth/lips, but I also couldn't manage it until I'd been living here quite a few months!

If it's any comfort: DS has all the israeli phonemes, but he hasn't really captured the English ones, which makes for some very funny language mixups.

mamma llama

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:22 am

Rappel wrote:

How about Fraidy Katz? Smirk

Rappel

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:25 am

mamma llama wrote:

How about Fraidy Katz? Smirk

And I don't know any Americans whom live in Kfar Pinnes. It's a lovely, Torahdig town, but it somehow doesn't seem to appeal to English speakers...

Ora in town

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:33 am

Rappel wrote:

Why is "Bitya" "funny in English"? ... and I didn't know this name existed, I only know Batya...
I would understand if you avoided chen, but Moran? It's actually very popular in Israel, I know tons of Morans...

mamma llama

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 5:35 am

Ora in town wrote:

Why is "Bitya" "funny in English"... and I didn't know this name existed, I only know Batya...
I would understand if you avoided chen, but Moran? It's actually very popular in Israel, I know tons of Morans...

Bitya... Bit ya!

I remember learning in school one year that Bas Pharaoh was pronounced as Bitya, not Batya.

essie14

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 9:56 am

I love the name Be'eri but my american relatives would call him Barry.
(We live in Israel)
When I was pregnant with DD we teased the older kids and told them we are naming her Ditza Moran LOL

Yeah, most anglos dont name their kids Moran or Tahel or Gal.

amother

Goldenrod

Tue, Jun 16 2020, 12:47 pm

mamma llama wrote:

Reish is hard for me to pronounce the Israeli way and I've tried imitating videos and my Israeli friends! Confused

If any Israelis have tips on how to say it right, now is the time to help me and OP!

Americans have trouble with it because they keep trying to use the front part of their tongues.
The Israeli reish happens at the veryback of the tongue in the same spot as a chaf. It's really more of a gentle "chaf". Listen to the difference when doing a /k/ and then a /g/. Now take the same idea and make a "ch", and then a "gh" (if that makes any sense!!). If you're familiar with phonetics, it would be closer to a voiced "ch". And it has no connection to an American /r/.

I worked on it for a long time, and Israelis say I have pretty authentic sounding accent accent. When I stopped thinking of reish as an 'r', I had a breakthrough.