What is it about Aussies and getting people's names right? Are we lazy or what? Is it really that hard to get our tongues around the names of those from other cultures? We say we can't do it and OK some are tough but so are Knauerhase and Featherstonhaugh, which are names of people I taught years ago. and seem to have been assimilated.
We had an exchange student from Thailand whose name was Sirilak "But you can call me Anne," she said. Why? When she told me how to say it, it wasn't that hard.
People also complain that with some of those 'foreign' names they can't tell if when written if they are male or female. I had that problem recently at an event for which I had created names tags.There were names where I wasn't sure either whether they were male or female (names like Chris and Alex.)
One of the name tags at that event was for Rahmah. She was the last to arrive and I greeted her - a small woman wearing a head scarf. "Hi Rahmah," I said (rhyming it with 'calmer'). She pinned on her badge and sat down. Later when participants introduced themselves I noted the way she said her name and over morning tea I moved to check it out with her. It was nearly as it looked but the syllables were separated with a short stop, more like Ru Mu (the 'u' as in 'up'.) I repeated it a few times after her and she shyly told me I was the first person who had ever tried to get her name right. Seriously?
Surely we can do better. Care enough to try, listen carefully and ask to hear it again. Just do it. It's not that hard.
Glenys, I agree wholeheartedly. It's a mark of respect to take the trouble to pronounce a name correctly. When I was in Indonesia, many struggled to correctly say the "th" in the middle of my name but they always tried hard to get it right. Well done.
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