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Imantaghavi Posted 14 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
How to pronounce a name in English?
Hi,
I'd appreciate any help in the following issue since it has been my problem for a long time.
I'm an Iranian and know how Iranian names are to be pronounced in Farsi, but when it's in English they're pronounced in a different way.
Suppose the name 'Mohammad' which the 'h' sound is pronounced clearly in Farsi while it is less clearly heard when pronounced in English.
Now. how am I suppose to pronounce these kind of names in English since I am an Iranian and have the ability to pronounce them correctly? Should I pronounce them the way which is common in English or the other way in my own language?
Thank you in advance,
Iman
I'd appreciate any help in the following issue since it has been my problem for a long time.
I'm an Iranian and know how Iranian names are to be pronounced in Farsi, but when it's in English they're pronounced in a different way.
Suppose the name 'Mohammad' which the 'h' sound is pronounced clearly in Farsi while it is less clearly heard when pronounced in English.
Now. how am I suppose to pronounce these kind of names in English since I am an Iranian and have the ability to pronounce them correctly? Should I pronounce them the way which is common in English or the other way in my own language?
Thank you in advance,
Iman
Top answer
Salaam. I think you should pronounce such names correctly. Maybe we speakers of English will be able to learn something from you.
- Salaam.
- I think you should pronounce such names correctly.
- Maybe we speakers of English will be able to learn something from you.
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8 Answers
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Salaam.
I think you should pronounce such names correctly. Maybe we speakers of English will be able to learn something from you.
I think you should pronounce such names correctly. Maybe we speakers of English will be able to learn something from you.
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I'm going to disagree with our esteemed colleague DWM. If you pronounce names correctly for Farsi, they will be wrong for Urdu, Arabic, Javanese, you name it. Furthermore, you are liable to be misunderstood. If my name is George, and I move to Mexico, call me Jorge.
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Native speakers use some 'internal' system to predict acceptable pronunciations based on what they see on the paper. So, it is a system that takes the romanized string of letters and produces a sound output. Even look at the word 'Mohammed', see how Turkish folks pronounce it and write it: Mehmet. People ignorant of how languages borrow words from other languages sell the non sense that one should
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Hmm, enoon, not for me thanks. If I go to Italy, and somebody there calls me "DAH-veed", I will correct them.
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DMWHmm, enoon, not for me thanks. If I go to Italy, and somebody there calls me "DAH-veed", I will correct them.Sure, you can correct them. However, it is a lost cause. You think it is rational to correct them. Italian speakers are as rational as you are to pronounce it as 'DAH-veed". So, what to do when intuitions conflict? Who wins in such disputes? In this
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True, but that won't stop me from pronouncing my name the same way I always have. Even in Italian sentences.
By the same token, I firmly believe that Imantaghavi should continue pronouncing the name Muhammad in exactly the same way he would if he always has, regardless of whether he is speaking English, and regardless of who his audience is.
By the same token, I firmly believe that Imantaghavi should continue pronouncing the name Muhammad in exactly the same way he would if he always has, regardless of whether he is speaking English, and regardless of who his audience is.
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Thank you enoon and raindoctor for your time and effort. That was a great help.
Regards,
Iman
Regards,
Iman
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