Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s name is Caroline. Pronounced the usual way. You would NOT believe how many people say it wrong, usually Carolyn. REALLY??!? (And I’m not talking about ESL. Our Housecleaner calls her Car-o-lee-nah in a beautiful accent and I love it.)

But yes OP, I correct people who say Carolyn.

So her name has a long "i" sound at the end? Huh. I would've pronounced it like Carolyn, similar to Katherine. We don't say Kath-er-rhine.

np but duh. Caroline and Carolyn are pronounced differently.

Not necessarily. I know Carolines who end like the Katherines. This confused me as a child. I think Little House on the Prairie was the first time I hear Caroline and thought the long I was totally weird.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s name is Caroline. Pronounced the usual way. You would NOT believe how many people say it wrong, usually Carolyn. REALLY??!? (And I’m not talking about ESL. Our Housecleaner calls her Car-o-lee-nah in a beautiful accent and I love it.)

But yes OP, I correct people who say Carolyn.

So her name has a long "i" sound at the end? Huh. I would've pronounced it like Carolyn, similar to Katherine. We don't say Kath-er-rhine.

np but duh. Caroline and Carolyn are pronounced differently.

If I'm traveling and will never see the person again, I say nothing. I'll never be back to this crappy hotel in Nebraska so what do I care if they can't pronounce my name?
If it's somebody I will interact with regularly I tell them the correct pronunciation.

Depends on the context. If we're flying past each other, no. If we have the time, yes.

I have a last name that is fairly common in NYC but not DC. Everyone gets it wrong, and I've gotten used to it so I always just chuckle a little. Same with my first name which is a nickname that is similar to a more common name. People "auto correct" it to the more common name. I am used to that as well. No big deal. And, it actually helps with telemarketers because they always get my name wrong and I know they don't know me. MY DH has a worse last name than me...so I kept my less bad name.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s name is Caroline. Pronounced the usual way. You would NOT believe how many people say it wrong, usually Carolyn. REALLY??!? (And I’m not talking about ESL. Our Housecleaner calls her Car-o-lee-nah in a beautiful accent and I love it.)

But yes OP, I correct people who say Carolyn.

So her name has a long "i" sound at the end? Huh. I would've pronounced it like Carolyn, similar to Katherine. We don't say Kath-er-rhine.

My name is Anastasia and It depends. If it’s somebody that I will interact with on consistent basis then yes, if it’s just a random person then no, unless they ask me.

Anonymous wrote:I never correct. If I do it’s as gently as possible, usually not directly.

“I love Quin-no-uh”


“Oh yes, this Quinoa is so good!”

Direct corrections always come off poorly. I’m ESL and mispronounce/misspell constantly and direct correlations have made me pretty humiliated and less likely to speak or engage.

+1, even for names. Nobody likes to be embarrassed, and that's more important than my being right.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one of those last names that could legitimately be pronounced 2 or 3 different ways.

+1. I don’t correct. I honestly don’t care which pronunciation someone uses for my last name.

I do correct for my first name. I get called Melissa a lot. My name is not Melissa. I guess I just look like a Melissa.

Any chance your name is Michelle? I swear I'm called Melissa in 25% of one-off business interactions.

Ha, it is Michelle.

As a non-Michelle, I'd say it's because they are both super common names from the 1970s and both start with Ms. So I stereotype them together.

^Also, pretty much every time I give someone the correct pronunciation of my name I do it while inserting a compliment.

"It's X, but you were so close!"

"In my family we say it like X but your pronunciation is actually the Italian/French/whatever way."

"Wow, most people don't even try, thanks! I say it like X."

It depends on if it's someone who will have the occasion of saying or using my name frequently or if it's the cashier at the supermarket telling me to have a nice day.

I have a very unusual name though so when people read it they are pretty much always making it clear with their body language and facial expression that they are giving it their best shot. It's almost fun for people to try and say it and I take it all in good fun too.

My son has a simple name that is both mispronounced frequently and mistaken for another, similar sounding name. I don’t correct unless necessary, and neither does he- even when he was little it didn’t bother him when people got his name wrong. When I convey his name in an official capacity- school, medical setting, pharmacy, etc., I say his name and immediately spell it for them.

Anonymous wrote:I will pronounce your name how I like.

If you try to correct me, I will just take it even further in that direction.

I also gave my kids easy to spell and pronounce names in part because I hated dealing with people like PP who thought it was their right to decide how to pronounce my name. Very disrespectful.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s name is Caroline. Pronounced the usual way. You would NOT believe how many people say it wrong, usually Carolyn. REALLY??!? (And I’m not talking about ESL. Our Housecleaner calls her Car-o-lee-nah in a beautiful accent and I love it.)

But yes OP, I correct people who say Carolyn.

If you ever read the Hax chat, many posters call her Caroline even though it says Carolyn at the top of the chat (and on her columns, etc.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one of those last names that could legitimately be pronounced 2 or 3 different ways.

+1. I don’t correct. I honestly don’t care which pronunciation someone uses for my last name.

I do correct for my first name. I get called Melissa a lot. My name is not Melissa. I guess I just look like a Melissa.

Any chance your name is Michelle? I swear I'm called Melissa in 25% of one-off business interactions.

Ha, it is Michelle.