I asked in the previous post “What’s in a name?” According to this report today, for some people, there’s an awful lot riding on one’s name, or at least, the correct pronounciation of one’s name. An 18 year old girl kicked a 40 year old man in the testicles for mispronouncing her name (”Megan”). Apparently the fellow pronounced her name as May-gan when it should have been pronounced Mee-gan. The man suffered severe genital bruising requiring hospitalisation, but no permanent injury.
Now I understand how irritating it is when people mispronounce your name. My own name is reasonably common, but it’s spelled in a less common more old-fashioned way (it’s more common to use this spelling in the UK and the US). I am amazed at how often it gets mangled or mispronounced. Still…I think this girl’s actions were very extreme indeed! Usually I don’t say anything unless the mispronounciation is repeated, in which case I might gently correct the person. I certainly wouldn’t physically attack someone who mispronounced my name, let alone kick them in the nuts.
Megan (remember, that’s Mee-gan) was found guilty, but was given a good behaviour bond and spared a conviction. Apparently she was very drunk at the time of the offence.
3 Comments
Hello LE..
Struth, talk about over-reaction…I’ve got a Scottish surname that I don’t reckon is all that difficult to pronounce, but I reckon if I’d kicked everyone that had mispronounced it over the years, I’d have a permanently bruised foot…
Haha.
As you well know, LE, my own name is somewhat unusual. It gets mangled and mispronounced all the time, with people usually substituting my name for one they’re more familiar with. As the years have gone by it bothers me less and less, but I don’t know, do they presume that after 25 years I still don’t know how to spell and/or pronounce my own name?
My big dilemma is whether or not to correct the pronunciation of people who STILL get it wrong, despite being corrected x times before. After the second or third time, I usually just let it go.
Sounds like she had a whole lot of other issues going on at the time…
I have that fun situation of an interchangeable first and last name. Every teacher I’ve ever known has addressed me by my surname. But I don’t really get cross about it - it’s just a sign that that person hasn’t really acknowledged my existence yet. Dead giveaway.
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