Have you ever had the unpleasant inconvenience of meeting someone but not knowing how to pronounce their name correctly? Not sure how to overcome this linguistic difficulty of yours? No fear! If you carefully follow the tips given in this article, you are well on your way to becoming an expert in name pronunciation.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Spelling Clues
Step 1. Examine the name
If you have seen it written but have never heard it spoken, try repeating it over and over in your mind. This is usually a useful way to get started with pronunciation. Try spelling one syllable at a time… unless it's a Welsh name!
- Think of other words you already know that look like the name you want to say. For example, the letters q-u-i in French are pronounced like the syllable "chi" in Italian, the letters c-h are pronounced like the "sc" in "fish". So a word like quiche will be pronounced more or less "chisc", while a word like Quitterie will be pronounced more or less "chittrì".
- Sometimes the names of cities are real puzzles. Think of names like San Jose, Guadalajara, Lille, Versailles and Guangzhou.
Step 2. Consider the origin of the name
Sounds like a French name? or Spanish? or maybe Chinese? Remember that each language has its own alphabet and its own system of vowel and consonant sounds, so a previous knowledge of that language helps you to pronounce the names.
- The Spanish language, unlike English, has a very simple vowel system: the vowels a-e-i-o-u are always pronounced the same way.
- The French alphabet is a little more coherent than the English one, but it is already more complicated than the Spanish one. If a noun ends with a consonant, it should not be pronounced. Robert is pronounced "robér". And a name like Michelle? It is pronounced roughly "miscél".
- Mandarin Chinese is even more difficult: the "q" is pronounced like the "c" in "one hundred", the "j" is pronounced like the "g" in "frost", the "x" is pronounced like the "sc "of" scene "and the" zh "is pronounced" dr ". So an expression like Xiaojin Zhu reads "sciaogin dru".
- If the pronunciation of the diphthongs "ei" and "ie" in German confuses you, remember that "ei" is pronounced "ai" while "ie" is pronounced "i", so for example the word Steinbeck sounds "stainbek" while liebe sounds "libe".
Step 3. Pay attention to accents and other diacritics:
they can significantly affect the way a name is pronounced.
- In Spanish the stressed syllable must be pronounced with emphasis. The proper name María, for example, is pronounced strongly emphasizing the second syllable "ri".
- Unfortunately the French don't follow the same rules. The letters "é" and "è", with acute and grave accent, represent two different vowel sounds. Although very similar, they correspond more or less to the open "è" and to the closed "é" in Italian. Examples of French nouns that have a closed "é" are Renée, André and Honoré, while a name like Helène has the vowel "is" open.
- The most used letter with the addition of the so-called cedilla is the "ç". This letter is pronounced "s", as in François, which becomes "fransuà".
Step 4. Look for diacritics that indicate pitch
While this requires some familiarity with the language, some tones are quite logical.
- A downward sign (`) generally indicates a decreasing pitch, an upward sign indicates an increasing pitch.
- A sign that goes up and down, or vice versa, indicates that the tone must be modulated first up and then down (or vice versa).
Method 2 of 2: Other Resources
Step 1. Ask around
Try to play cunning. For example, ask "What is the name of that colleague we are working with on the etymology project?" As it happens, even your friends can't pronounce its name!
Don't be afraid to ask the person concerned. It is likely that, by not knowing how to pronounce this person's name correctly, people will constantly distort it. Ask him what is the correct pronunciation, in the mother tongue, of his name, so that he can pronounce it to you as he would in his country. The person will appreciate the effort you are making to learn his name correctly
Step 2. Repeat this many times
Once you have learned to pronounce a name, don't forget it. As Dale Carnegie says: "Remember that for a person, whatever language they speak, their name is the sweetest and most important sound in their language."
Repeat this in your mind at least seven times in a row. It's harder to forget a name if you record it firmly in your memory. If the pronunciation sounds strange to you, try to associate it with a rhyme, to recall it more easily in memory
Step 3. Go to the internet
In a world that is increasingly becoming a global village, there are several sites in English that deal with the subject. To name a few:.
The sites Hearnames, Pronouncenames, Inogolo and The Name Engine (all in English) are useful tools to overcome the impasse and learn the pronunciation of names
Advice
- If you want to deepen the study of less frequent diacritics, consult the grammar books and bilingual dictionaries or go to this site (in English) for the Spanish language and on this site (in English) for the French language.
- If you have just met someone and have already forgotten how to pronounce their name, there is a way to overcome your memory loss: introduce this person to your friend and say something like "Hi, I want to introduce you to my friend Andrea ", hoping that the person whose name you have forgotten will pronounce it to introduce himself to Andrea. This system works well at parties and other large social events, but use it with caution when in groups of a dozen people or fewer.
- Don't worry too much if you mispronounce a name you thought you learned. Apologize, shrug your shoulders and, from that moment on, try not to miss the pronunciation again.
