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From: "Paul J. Kriha" <kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz>
Subject: Re: Name pronunciation
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Date: Mon, 6 Feb 1995 13:31:24 GMT
References: <3glltt$mli@agate.berkeley.edu> <3grl56$1a8@seagoon.newcastle.edu.au> <1995Feb5.070756.21056@sq.sq.com>
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msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) wrote:
>
> peter@tesla.newcastle.edu.au writes:
> > My six-year-old son insists on giving his (and my) surname
> > two different pronunciations, depending on whether he is speaking
> > French or English.  Everyone else finds this strange; but to him
> > the habit is so natural that we can't break him of it.
> 
> Brader's Law of Usenet: never post an article that claims that "everyone"
> does something, for you will hear from those who don't.
> 
> Brader rhymes with "trader", when I'm speaking English.  However, I also
> speak some French and enough German to reserve a hotel room -- and when
> traveling in Europe, I have found that if I listen to the way native
> speakers of those languages pronounce my name, and vary my own pronun-
> ciation of it to match (well, try to match) theirs, then they'll spell it
> correctly and have a better chance of actually finding those reservations.
> -- 

It certainly helps to know how the person at the other end
of the telephone line would pronounce your name.
A few years ago I was trying to ring my cousin in 
Austria. They changed the area codes and I had to go
through the operator in Vienna. (These days I would
just telnet into Austrian phone directory service).

The operator couldn't find the name because she didn't
quite understand my pronunciation. When she asked me
to spell it, there was further confusion. I tried to
be helpful and spelled it in German, she thought I was
spelling it in English.  Eventually, I got the name
across correctly and she found the right street and 
house number. "Ahh" she cried "So it's KRIHA" and
gave me 5 minute speel on how to pronounce the name
correctly.  I tried to tell her it was also my name
so I should know how to pronounce it but she wouldn't
let me in.  The worst thing was that I couldn't 
discern any difference in her pronounciation of the
name and my German-like approximations.

Eventually, she finished and I apologized. In German.
That was a mistake. She asked why was I speaking
English earlier if I could make the enquiry in German.
I apologized for apologizing in German and explained
that my German wasn't really that good. She gave me
another 5 minute speel not to mix languages in the
future.

I suppose, she was right.  I use telnet these days,
it's faster.  It's not such fun though.

Paul JK


