Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: How do you pronounce your name?

This is topic How do you pronounce your name? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-10-2003, 11:07 PM:

I suppose this is silly but I was just wondering. How do people pronounce their names?

For most Americans, pronunciation of other American's names is easy. How many ways can "John Smith" be pronounced? On the other hand, we have a growing number of Europeans, South Americans and people coming to this site from other places were many Americans just don't know the lingo.

For instance, Per Hauberg... Do you say it, "per" as in "Miles per hour"? Or, do you say it with an accent like "peer"?

I'm sorry if I just slaugtered your name but that's kind of my point. It's common courtesy NOT to slaughter peoples' names.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-11-2003, 01:23 AM:

UL-PIN is how I and most of the people I associate with pronounce it. A common slip up is "Oplin". Nick names include O.P., Op, Olpy, Olpinater, Moplin, and Mop. My grandparrents (and for that matter all my relatives on that side) correct me all the time. Appearently the correct pronunciation is AL-PIN. At first I didn't understand how they were geting an A sound from an O, but then I thought about it:

Oliver = All-iv-er
so...
Olpin = All-pin

I guess that makes sense. Whatever.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 06-11-2003, 01:32 AM:

My name is pronounced like this:

MEE-SHA-EL SHUF-FER

the SHA sound is not like the regular English SH, but more a soft sound like air escaping from a balloon, or a variation of the rasping KH sound known from Russian names. The second name sounds almost like "shuffle".

"Olpin" seems to have a slavic feel to me. Where does the name come from?

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-11-2003, 01:45 AM:

Although my family originated from Belgium, that is a French-speaking country, many people here can't get it right from the first time because the roots of our name date back to 7th-century Ireland...

The name is like "foo" + "yen" (like the Japanese money). But in fact, the letters "en" at the end of the name are one sound in itself, which doesn't exist in English so I can't simulate it here for your understanding. However if you manage to pronounce "foo yen" I'll be most happy though.
[thumbsup]

Other spellings of the same name (with same pronunciation) are Fouillien and Fouyen. My first name "Lionel" is pronounced "Lee-o-nell" in French.

Michael, does your name normally spells with an Umlaut over the "a" in German?

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 06-11-2003, 02:00 AM:

No, Michael never has the ae in German. However, my last name, which is quite rare, is similar to Schaefer, which is a very common name. 90% of people spell it wrong the first time.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-11-2003, 02:06 AM:

My last name, "Redifer" is pronounced " hou-huf-ge-muaf ". It is polish and most people dont say it correctly. Angers me.

Posted by Jonathan Worthing (Member # 803) on 06-11-2003, 03:15 AM:

It's spelt Jonathan Worthing

It's pronounced stote wobbler mangrove.

(Python joke)

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 06-11-2003, 03:56 AM:

So, uh, Joe ... this weekend when I meet you in person, I shall ask for Mister Hou-huf-ge-muaf at the box office. Or do you work with a bunch of idiots that call you Mister Red-i-fer?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-11-2003, 04:15 AM:

Actually in reality it's

Kind of like Red if her, but without the "h" on the last syllable. Quite easy, but people try to overthink it and pronounce it wrong (not sure how this is possible, but it happens from time to time).

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-11-2003, 04:20 AM:

But, Joe, the creative pronounciation is much more confusing!

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 06-11-2003, 04:22 AM:

quote:
Or, do you say it with an accent like "peer"?

Yep, Randy - You've got it !

In Denmark, we have always learned, that the difference between english and american is, that the americans speaks with a hot potato in their mouth. I guess, that's what the young Mr. Hou-huf-ge-muaf just pointed out.
Joe - You just caused the Spell Check to go down. Black smoke comes out now from my screen. [bs]

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 06-11-2003, 07:02 AM:

per,

i should remind you that swedes say that of danes as well. the hot potato thing.

carl

Posted by German Marin (Member # 918) on 06-11-2003, 07:11 AM:

Germán Marín: her-MAN ma-REEN

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 06-11-2003, 09:28 AM:

Carl

We'll let the swedes do so for a while. -They are not the ones, we are at war with this week. -But i don't believe, even the London Tabloids could have been more dirty/naughty than our local "boulevard-press" were last week up to our football match with the Norwegians. Even I was embarrassed !

Trouble with the swedes is, that every time they get out of their cages and are allowed to take the ferry those 20 minutes to Elsinore, they get so overwhelmingly drunk, that they are not able to even understand each other. Back home, they've got something, they call öl (beer), which due to thorough investigations and lab tests shows up to be, what in Denmark is called "mosevand" - my best translation will be boggy-water. And then, when those otherwise very kind people are dipping their noses in the famous Danish brew (Scoot over, Schaffer), they get grossly intoxicated in no time.

So much for now about the Scandinavian brotherhood. -Our way of loving each other (which we do, -really !) is impossible for other cultures to understand, just as we DO have a problem, getting on with people outside our own farm.

Per

----------------------------------------------------------------
Would someone be so kind to teach me what to do, when i'm writing as long an answer as this one (the answer from You now should not be "shorten up"), and would like to use the SpellCheck. I don't know how to scroll down the Check window, and therefore, i can't check the last lines, nor can i release the trigger at the buttom. I am trying to learn Your language through this Forum, and the SpellCheck is a very welcome help, but...??? [Confused]

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 06-11-2003, 09:30 AM:

Randy,

I'm glad you started this thread. I often wonder about pronunciations of some of our fellow Film-Techers names also.

I'm amazed at how often my own last name, with only three letters, is mispronounced. It rhymes with "toy" but I often get "Lou," "Lee," Lowe," and "Lloyd."

Generations ago my last name was Maloy but the "Ma" was dropped sometime during the 1800's. Now I'm told that some people are surprised to find out that I'm mostly Irish, and not oriental.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-11-2003, 09:42 AM:

My turn, I guess...

My surname rhymes with "Yankee". (STANG-key)

My grandfather was Polish. His name was originally Stankiewicz. (stan-KEV-itch) He anglicized his name early on. I think I would rather have had people mispronounce my name than have to put up with the crap I took in grade school!

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-11-2003, 09:51 AM:

Speaking of hot potato, I always found very difficult to understand spoken UK English. On the contrary, I never have to ask an American to repeat what he said. Accents, I presume.

And, no, I don't have a hot potato in the ears [Cool]

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 06-11-2003, 10:13 AM:

Maar German Like the Planet without the "s" Mar.

Marr Engilsh Same as above

Maher Irish Same as above

Most people pronounce the name Maaaaaaa [Wink]

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-11-2003, 10:25 AM:

Funny you say that Lionel!
When I graduated High School I spent a summer in Belgium. (1984)
The family that I stayed with used to say the same thing!

However, I would modify that statemet a bit because there are some accents in the USA that even other AMERICANS have a hard time understanding! I would say that Americans from the Great Lakes states on through the Upper Midwest would be the easiest for Europeans to understand. I would say that people from the West Coast would be the next easiest to understand, followed by the New England states. The hardest to understand woud be the Deep South, in my estimation.

I knew a strappin' big Texan who once said to me, "Boy, hand me that there toobba hard-all!" It took five minutes and a whole lot of yelling before I figured out that he wanted some GEAR GREASE! (Translation: "Tube of hard OIL", spoken with a heavy Texas accent.)

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 06-11-2003, 11:18 AM:

There are two ways to pronounce my last name: The Slavic pronunciation is Me - HO - Sick, while the Italian way is Me - Ho - Chick. Why two ways from two different nationalities? Before my great grandfather came to America in 1910 he lived in a Croatian village inside what was then Austria-Hungary, but within sight of Italy. He spoke Croat, Italian, and German. After arriving here, depending on which language he was speaking depended on how he pronounced our last name.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 06-11-2003, 11:36 AM:

Like a cat would say...
Mew-ler

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 06-11-2003, 12:18 PM:

The family name is German, but we anglicized the pronunciation of Mayer to rhyme with "Mayor" or 'Metro Goldwyn "Mayer"'. Most people pronounce it like the famous US frankfurter company name with the same spelling i.e. "MY er", which is probably closer to the way the name was originally pronounced.

Soon I will take on my Japanese family name which is Kawasumi (lit. river bend), a very rare name even in Japan. It's pronounced with short vowel sounds almost like Spanish and without accent on any syllable.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-11-2003, 01:12 PM:

My name is pronounced just like it is spelled, but people still butcher it.

Some people insist on "Evan" instead of "Evans" even though they see the "s" and even write the "s" when they write my name. I tell many people to pronounce my first name "CHRIS" if it's easier for them to remember (a nickname since 1974).

Criswell is CHRIS-well (preferred over chris-WELL). Some people say CHRIZ-well which I don't mind. The worst is chriz-WELL.

And of course, my middle name, "A", gets confusing, too. People want to insist on putting a period after it, which isn't technically wrong, just unnecessary. Three different English teachers (one in 8th grade, one in 11th grade, one in college) have marked it on essays or compositions I've turned in, when I'd have my name typed as "Evans A Criswell" without the unnecessary period, and had to explain it to them. You'd think they'd give me credit for knowing how to properly write my name, especially since I made nearly all A's.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 06-11-2003, 03:00 PM:

There are two ways to spell my name Ian (Scottish or Welsh) or Iain (Celtic), either way there is only one way to pronounce it: Ean

I met an Ian who pronounced his name I-an, he was wrong. So are all the telimarketers who call me and miss-pronounce my name.

Price they don't seem to get wrong.

Ian
God is gracious. The Scottish form of John.

Ranked #80 of 2001 and #69 of the last decade

Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 06-11-2003, 03:49 PM:

quote:
Would someone be so kind to teach me what to do, when i'm writing as long an answer as this one (the answer from You now should not be "shorten up"), and would like to use the SpellCheck. I don't know how to scroll down the Check window, and therefore, i can't check the last lines, nor can i release the trigger at the buttom. I am trying to learn Your language through this Forum, and the SpellCheck is a very welcome help, but...???

My bad.

When I wrote the spell checker I disabled window controls for the pop-up window, so it currently isn't possible to scroll down. I've added it to my list of things to do.

I believe it still has a limit of 500 words too... so if you don't see all of your text in the spell check box, don't click the button to replace your text with the corrected text as you will lose anything past the 500 word mark.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-11-2003, 04:13 PM:

Mine's BLAKES-lee, (BLAKES rhymes with "takes") but when salespeople from out-of-state call me, they often try to pronounce it "Blacks-lee" or "Blah-KES-lee."

My official nickname is usually Blakes, or "Hey you."

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 06-11-2003, 04:21 PM:

My last name is easier to sound than spell. Like England, with Le instead of the eng. When my ancestors came over it was spelt Leayland (i think could be wrong),which Bobby Henderson spelt one time. It was changed in the 1700's.

My ancestors came for England and mom's family came from Welch, Jenkins.

Randy, i bet you have a hard time understanding when Jeff Foxworthy does his redneck talk. [Wink]

.

In Charleston we have accents called " A Charlestonion accent" a mix of up north and southern drawl, some times people think i'm up north. Once you get near Columbia you can start to hear a twing accent.

Posted by Chris Markiewicz (Member # 1415) on 06-11-2003, 05:25 PM:

[Smile]

I can't resist this...
Markiewicz - usually we say "MARkowitz" but correctly is "MarKEVitch", from SE Poland originally.(Hi Randy!) Also Erickson from Sweden, Barrett from Ireland (Eire), and Jenkins from Wales. [Smile]

Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-11-2003, 07:31 PM:

Lehrke (Lur-key)

Pretty much Turkey with a 'L'

Well, it is suppose to be "Le-ar-key" but that is just not a name I wanted. I want to to be able to start my "Turkey Lehrke Beef Jerky Company" [Big Grin]

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 06-11-2003, 07:55 PM:

quote:
so if you don't see all of your text in the spell check box, don't click the button to replace your text

Hehe - that's about the whole problem. If I can't se the end of my text line, I can't se the button, either... [Wink]

But i'm sure, it's in the best of hands.

p.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 06-11-2003, 08:12 PM:

Hmmm... maybe that's how I fixed the problem with people losing their posts when they entered more than 500 words... took away the button! [Smile]

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 06-11-2003, 09:24 PM:

My first name is easy:
Rachel : Ray-chel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Innocent as a Lamb (yeah right, I heard those lambs are pretty bad trouble makers!)
On the Most Popular Name list for 2002 comprised of male and female names, Rachel rated #138.

My Maiden name , also easy:
Carter : Cart-er [Smile]

Although we say Ca-da being from Boston.
Origin: English
Meaning: Driver of Carts
On the Most Popular Name list for 2002 (using Carter as a first name) comprised of male and female names, my maiden name of Carter beat out my first name at #128.

My Last name by marriage:
Gilardi : Jill-Are-Dee
Origin: Italian
I'm not sure what it means but I know there is an Ice Cream with a very similar name! [Smile]

I was at one time told it meant dessert. I did a quick search but didn't come up with anything and it not being my true ansestory, it isn't that important to me. I'm basically keeping this surname for lack of hassle. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 06-11-2003, 10:12 PM:

The last name is pronounced 'Size-more' (just like actor Tom).

However in my time I have heard some really interesting butchering of the surname:

Seez-More
Sissy-More
Siss-more
Cease-More
Sis-mo-ray

and someone (thinking I was Italian?) pronounced it 'See-suh-more-ray' once. [Roll Eyes]

Oh well...

-Aaron

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-11-2003, 10:18 PM:

I'm not even going to get into the idiots that can't pronounce my name correctly! [Razz]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-11-2003, 10:46 PM:

Knowles...rhymes with "holes" or "poles"

It all makes sense now!

Posted by Don Bruechert (Member # 1538) on 06-11-2003, 11:28 PM:

Mine is currently clobbered in a variety of ways....

My family pronounces it "Brickert"

Other correct pronunciations could be "Broo-Shirt" or "Broo-Kert". I have also had it pronounced "Brook-ert" which is not too bad... Telemarketers are the most fun... they call and say "Is this Don B-b-rudert Brkert"... I just Say I don't want any and hang up!! "Breck-ert" or "Bruck-ert" are very annoying.

You guys need to get it right, because otherwise you won't be able to pronounce Rachel's last name in a couple of years.... (even though she can't pronounce it right either!) <evil grin>.

Posted by Jacob Huber (Member # 1138) on 06-12-2003, 12:29 AM:

If you're German, I believe my name is pronounced Hoober, but the American brutalisation would be Hyoober.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 06-12-2003, 01:34 AM:

You are right.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-12-2003, 01:42 AM:

quote:
but the American brutalisation would be blah blah....

Yes. Only Americans "brutalize" names. And we do it only with nefarious intent.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 06-12-2003, 01:46 AM:

Sean=Shawn not SEEN!
(even though it should be Shawn=Sean as Sean is the proper and only correct way to spell that name anyone who spells it differently is a loser [Smile]

)

McKinnon=MICK KINN ON (not MACK KENNON or anything else people like to calle me!)

and also my biggest pet peeve is when people spell my last name like this "Mckinnon" it is "McKinnon" the "K" IS CAPITOLIZED!!!! [Smile]

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-12-2003, 08:41 AM:

Yes, SEAN. Always wondered how they got SHAWN out of SEAN?

As for MY name, it's Mc Gee. Sounds like MuGee with a short u. It is never McG with a long G. And it is never spelled with a small g.

Telemarketers always fuck it up. Just another reason to rudely tell them not to call here.

Bruce = moose, deuce, goose, spruce...

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-12-2003, 09:03 AM:

I always wondered what is the pronunciation difference between Steven and Stephen? Please somebody tell me.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-12-2003, 10:06 AM:

Pytlak is pronounced pit-lack

One claim to fame is my father's cousin, who played professional baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=pytlafr01

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/P/Pytlak_Frankie.stm

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-12-2003, 11:15 AM:

The Mc or Mac means son of

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 06-12-2003, 10:21 PM:

I don't even know how many different ways my first name has been butchered! [Eek!]

gray-sha is the correct pronunciation.

Gracia is the old english diminuitive form of the name "Grace" - its modern equivalent being "Gracie"

The 'L.' to the left is for Leigh (lee).

Then 'Babbidge' get pronounced nearly the same as 'Babbage'. And no, I don't know what my surname means, although I do know that it's a rather uncommon one.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-13-2003, 03:38 AM:

I always thought it was "Gray-see-uh". I'm sure you get that a lot. Thing is, I have known some Gray-see-uh's that spell the name the same way. I wish there was something so that you would automatically know before you attempted to pronounce the name. I always feel like a fool if I mispronounce someone's name. Everyone should have tattoos with the correct pronunciation of first and last names clearly visable at all times.

Posted by Don E. Nelson (Member # 1049) on 06-13-2003, 02:29 PM:

Nel -son in Swedish is Nilsson, meaning Son of Nils.

My grandfather's name was was Sven Magnus Nilsson and emmigrated to America via Quebec and slipped into the US through Montana in 1893. His dads name was Nils Gustaf Petersson, hence my Grandfather became Sven Magnus Nils-son (son of Nils) and his dads, dads first name was Peter. and so that is where the name Petersson came from

His Americanized name was converted to: Swan Nelson.

His Mothers name was Catharina Jonsdotter, the daughter of Jon (something). They had 3 daughters and their last name each became Nilsdotter. Interesting way to name people, but after doing some ancestral research, this is what I found out to be true.

My other side of the family is Italian/French . Near the Matterhorn in Northern Italy a place called Valle Aosta, not far from Nus and Bartelemaya (sp?)

Arlian is the name pronounced R - Lee - Un
When I was little I pronounced it R-Lean.

My uncles name is Vinance Favre, like the Green Bay Quarter back, but pronounces it Fav-or, like Mr. Favre on the old Rawhide TV series in the 60's. Clint Eastwood was Rowdy Yates on that show. Bret Favre pronounces it
Bret Far.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-13-2003, 02:51 PM:

My full name is Claude Shigeaki Ayakawa and I am one of many grand children of my two sets of grandparents who emigrated to Hawaii from Japan at the beginning of the 20th century and settled in Waipahu where I was born and raised. The pronounciation of my family name is rather simple. This is the correct way--
AH Ya Ka Wa

My middle name is pronounced SHE GAY AH KEY and is made up of part of one of my uncle's name (Kazuaki) and My father's mother's (Shige).

Although I am a Roman Catholic, I was born into a Buddhist family but converted to my new faith when I was young. Both my brother ans sister do not have names of any saints and did not convert but I was given the name Cloud, (Claude) a 14th century French saint at birth.

-Claude

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 06-13-2003, 04:10 PM:

My family name is pronounced like the english word "upheld".
The first name (in german) would be "kris-dee-uhn".

A question to Jonathan Worthing:

I knew your name was SPELLED "stote wobbler mangrove"
but I thought it had to be PRONOUNCED "Raymond Luxury Yacht" ?
(another Monty Python...) [Big Grin]

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 06-13-2003, 05:09 PM:

My (sur)name is pronounced phonetically exactly as it is spelt, emphasising the first syllable. I'm always surprised at how many people instinctively emphasise the second syllable and/or spell it with two Ps (the latter usually if I've given my name over the 'phone which the recipient then writes down in some context or other).

Believe it or not, the name is actually English (most people don't). It comes from the Surrey/Hampshire border - a village called Chiddingfold, near which there is an Enticknap's Copse. My father, who is an avid genaeology nut, believes that it might be derived from a French knight called Antignappa who is mentioned in the Domesday Book (again, in Surrey), but that is really speculation.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-14-2003, 12:41 AM:

If someone cannot pronounce my name then I'm afraid they have some problems.

By this time tomorrow night there may be a special pronounciation: "Bob-is Far-from-sober."

What's with the Hendersons in Sweden and Norway that spell it "Hendersson"?

Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 06-14-2003, 03:01 AM:

My last name is prnounced the same way as the more common spelling "Fuentez": f-win-TEZ. Most people insist on sticking that "E" at the end if they just hear the name, and if they read it they promounce it "f-wentz" or something like that. I am a junior, so the reason for the deleted "E" at the end of my name is something only my grandfather knows, since all my aunts and uncles have the name spelt the "regular" way. Perhaps it was a typo on my dad's birth certificate?? I don't talk with my dad very often so I don't know the story.

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 06-14-2003, 09:59 AM:

I guess it's my turn! [Smile]

Thomas - Just like it is. Don't exaggerate anything like "TOE-maas" or "ThomAAs"... better yet, just refer to me as Tom.

Procyk - It's Ukranian, just like my father! [Smile]

Pronounced, "Pro-Sick" like I'm really good at being ill. If you REALLY want to try hard, the Ukranian pronnunciation is, "Prrro-tsick" (roll the R and make a click when you say "sick") Here's a list of the mispronounciations (sp?) my last name has endured: Prozak, Procky, Prozick, Protschick, Proick, Prosync, Protick, Proseek, Precock, Precook, Prosy, Prock. I think that's all.

My mother is Polish, and I've been exposed to a little more Polish culture than Ukranian. I can speak both languages fluently, and can immitate both accents to perfection.

You givink me Film-Tech? I be show you Film-Tech! [Wink]

=TMP=

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 06-14-2003, 02:30 PM:

I think that I have it worse than any of you to date....

My name is Will; not Willis, Wilbur, Wilburforce, Willie, William, Bill or whatever....in the Jewish tradition, my first and middle name are after loved-ones who had passed away.

Anyhow, thruout my life people have continually disrespected me and have insisted upon arguing with me about my name. Many a person insist that no such name exists and that Will MUST AND HAS to be short for something. It has finally gotten to the point where I tell people my name is Will...like "Your last WILL and Testemant", "Thy WILL be done"...etc, etc. And when I tell them this, I try to be intimidating so that they get the message. Then I continue to ignore them until they get it right! One person I know at work continues to call me Willis for some reason and insists on doing so even though I have politely spoken to him about it. So, I just refer to him as "Q Ball" or "Papa Smurf"...which he definately does not like.

When I was formally enlisting into the USAF, a Marine was formalizing my paperwork. First, he mispelled my name, and then he tried to pull a fast one on some technalicities that could have screwed me over...but I came prepared and new what to look for. Livid, I tore up the enlistment paperwork in the Marine's face, cursed him out, and told him to get it right! He then tried to counter with a Drill Sergeant attitude. I told him to put a lid on it, as I had yet to complete the formal paperwork or take the oath. I went on to say that he had no power over me as I was still a civilian, and that I could march right out of there without him being able to do anything about it! The end result was that he retyped all the paperwork...correctly...and I enlisted...only to never see him again!

As for my last name...it is KUTLER...NOT...CUTLER...I guess that it is a true German spelling...but a rare way to spell my name. Wherever I go, people always assume that it is with a "C", and I am constantly correcting people. How difficult is it to prononce my name? You be supriosed how many people do..."COO" instead of "CUT"...sounds like "CUT" but spelled with a "K".

Ironically, one of the only places where I have seen my last name spelled with a "K" the nazi war criminal in Leon Uris' book..."Mila 18".

At least I am not the "Boy Named Sue" in the Johnny Cash song...or having a lat name like "LIPFSCHITZ"! [Big Grin]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-14-2003, 03:19 PM:

I prefer mine backwards.....kraM nesdnarbluG...... So now I wonder what that means in Norwegian....

Thomas, I thought your real spelling was Prozac....
Mark

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 06-14-2003, 03:50 PM:

Michael (My-Cull)
Brown (rhymes with frown)

I have noticed that some Yorkshire people pronounce 'Michael' incorrectlt adding a 'T' sound. Something like MY-TULL.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 06-14-2003, 08:29 PM:

I pronounce Cohen as two equally stressed syllables, CO-HEN, to make it easier for people to know how to spell it, after having drill sergeants and other monosyllabic Texans pronounce it CONE.

The name comes from my great-grandfather, Avraham Baer Nudembursky of Suwalki, Poland (formerly the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.) When he came through New York Immigration at Ellis Island in 1895, he probably answered "Ich bin a Kohain." The Kohanim descended from the children of Aaron, brother of Moses, who were appointed high priests in the Temple at Jerusalem. (People named "Levy" are from the Levites, the lesser priesthood.) It was with these names that introductions were made
since special portions of the liturgy were assigned by custom to such persons during group worship.
So Avraham Baer Nudembursky became Abraham Cohen in America.

Gerard is prononced Je-ROD, but in France people pronounced it Zhe-RAHRRD, and made some arcane "Step into the elevator" joke
that seems to have been the motto of a comedian of old, the way
"Wanna buy a duck?" was the property of Joe E. Lewis and "Come up and see me some time", of Mae West. I never understood the joke,
but the French roared with laughter, though I suppose few alive today remember that comedian.

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-15-2003, 03:17 PM:

Randy said

quote:
Funny you say that Lionel!
When I graduated High School I spent a summer in Belgium. (1984)
The family that I stayed with used to say the same thing!

In which city exactly were you, Randy?

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 06-15-2003, 03:25 PM:

quote:
Lionel Fouillen wrote: I always wondered what is the pronunciation difference between Steven and Stephen? Please somebody tell me.

There isn't.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-15-2003, 10:11 PM:

Lionel,

I was in Brussels.

Also spent some time travelling around. I went to Paris, some cities in Germany and Switzerland. I also spent a fair amount of time in Italy. The Tuscany region, mostly... In and around the city of Lucca.

It was the summer when I figured out what beer was really all about. [beer]

Trappist ales rule! [thumbsup]

It just seems ironic that the best beers would be made by monks!

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 06-15-2003, 10:27 PM:

In the middle ages, monasteries often owned vast expanses of land and the peasants had to pay them in money or goods to farm the land. The cities where the monasteries were located usually had big market places. Monks produced a lot of agricultural products on their own lands and in the monasteries - many orders had their monks work in the field as they looked at physical labour as purifying the spirit. Alcohol was not outlawed at all and so the monks drank beer, wine, and whiskey from their own production.