I kind of hate it when people mispronounce my last name. Granted, my family pronounces it differently than the rest of the world does, but that is in part why I love it so much.
{Connell}
How would you pronounce it upon first seeing it? Emphasis on the first syllable with the second sounding like the '-ull' in the word 'bull'? Thought so. Guess what? That is incorrect. Try putting the emphasis on the second syllable. Another hint: my last name rhymes with 'bell'.
And perhaps what I hate more than people mispronouncing my name {they can't help it if they don't know how to pronounce it} is when people over-enunciate my entire name with a twangy, obviously fake Southern accent as if poking fun at where I'm from. I've honestly never heard even the most Southern Southerners say my name the way these impostors do. They say it in such a way that it doesn't even sound like my name anymore. I guess it's kind of like the Seinfeld episode where Dr. Whatley converts to Judaism purely for the jokes and Jerry takes offense. You can make fun of your own culture to an extent without negative repercussions, but poking fun at another culture in the presence of a member of said culture probably isn't the greatest thing to do. It's not very nice.
{Connell}
How would you pronounce it upon first seeing it? Emphasis on the first syllable with the second sounding like the '-ull' in the word 'bull'? Thought so. Guess what? That is incorrect. Try putting the emphasis on the second syllable. Another hint: my last name rhymes with 'bell'.
And perhaps what I hate more than people mispronouncing my name {they can't help it if they don't know how to pronounce it} is when people over-enunciate my entire name with a twangy, obviously fake Southern accent as if poking fun at where I'm from. I've honestly never heard even the most Southern Southerners say my name the way these impostors do. They say it in such a way that it doesn't even sound like my name anymore. I guess it's kind of like the Seinfeld episode where Dr. Whatley converts to Judaism purely for the jokes and Jerry takes offense. You can make fun of your own culture to an extent without negative repercussions, but poking fun at another culture in the presence of a member of said culture probably isn't the greatest thing to do. It's not very nice.
5 comments:
Now that you've given the world of Blogspot your last name (and the correct pronunciation), can we stalk you on Facebook? :-P
I would most likely never pronounce your last name correctly. Tricky, tricky!
Yep. Connell. Say it right or don't say it. Heehee. I found a relative by the way he pronounced his name. He lived in MD (and that's where we met) and his family was originally from TX but we figured out that we were both descended from the Connells in Lancaster, etc. Accent on the 2nd syllable baby. He went to Camden in the summer to do genealogy with Mama and Daddy. Funny, huh?
I'm with you on that name thing. You would think Chesley wouldn't be too bad. I have to tell people all the time---S before L, not Chelsea.
Do I get 10 points for recognizing romeo and juliet?
I got the Romeo and Juliet thing, too! It's practically the ONLY thing I learned in high school English class. But I do feel your pain about the name thing. It's not Erwin, Irvine, and Irving. Get a grip, people!
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