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Comment on Should you copy a person's accent when pronouncing their name?

I will attempt to say a person’s name how they say it. If they say “call me [simple anglicized name]” then I will do that.

Most people seem to appreciate the effort. I’m sure my American vocals butcher some pronouciations, but I don’t make a big deal out of it and my work gives me a lot of chances to practice. I will always make a good faith attempt at last names.

I live in Texas and will pronounce food names of Mexican origin with a Mexican accent. Burrito, taco, chalupa.

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Aeao@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
That’s where I land. I had one friend named Juanita who praised me for being the only one who pronounced her name correctly! Then I have another polish friend who ISNT named Chris. He’s very vocal “just call me Chris”

I’m interested in names because I personally am “Michael” not “Mike”

It seems like a simple thing but it isn’t. A name is only “the sound I make to get your attention “ if you shout @mike” I won’t hear you. It’s a very common name. I’m Michael not Mike.

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- MycelialMass@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  Sure thing Mike /s
  
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  - Aeao@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    That’s the thing! It’s not annoying or insult to call me Mike.
    
    If you shout “Mike” I’m not going to look because I’m not Mike. It’s not a personal preference. You might as well shout “Abraham” it’s not my name.
    
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ilinamorato@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
For the food thing, as a Midwesterner I feel like I come across as making fun of the other person when I try too hard. Like the people who say “Bærthélōnã” after they get back from two weeks in northwest Spain; it’s not going to fit into my normal speech pattern, it’ll just sound like I’m trying to draw attention to it if I say “bûɽɽɽito.”

But for names? I dunno man, that’s your name. I don’t want you to feel left out if I’m pronouncing “Evelyn” and “Leo” and “Elliott” perfectly, but then I stumble over “Rekha” or “Urooj” or “Joãozinho.” I’ll try to at least get as close as I can to the way I hear you pronounce it.

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- Triasha@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  I grew up here, being white doesn’t mean it’s not my culture. I don’t know jack about Mexican cuisine, but Tex Mex is my culture.
  
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  - ilinamorato@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    Yeah, if I was from the Southwest I’m sure it would be different. But as a Midwestern kid, our “culture” is almost entirely used to ferment milk for cheese.
    
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- eronth@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  I honestly feel like the “you’re trying to hard to pronounce the country/city/food name” vibe is silly anyways. If they pronounce it “Bærthélōnã” in Barcelona, then why shouldn’t I try to pronounce it that way? Especially these days in our hyper-connected world, I don’t really have an excuse of “well I never knew they said it that way”.
  
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  - ilinamorato@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    I don’t mean people who earnestly pronounce it the way they do in Barcelona, I mean the people who make a huge deal out of saying it as intensely as possible, trying to call attention to how well-traveled they are by making it sound super alien.
    
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