In my younger years I hastened to interrupt conversations and lectures to correct a poor soul who happened to mispronounce my name.
"It's Lar-ruh," I would sigh in exasperation (usually while rolling my eyes for greater effect), after hearing the highly ignorant ( in my teen-age opinion) Lair-uh, Lor-ruh, Lori pronunciations. Never mind the more common names of Cara, Tara, and Sara are all pronounced with the "air-uh" sound. Dang it! Everyone should know that Lara is the exception to that rule!
And isn't it common knowledge that my name is not a funkily spelled version of Laura? It has its own unique origin and meaning completely unrelated to Laura. Just look in any baby name book and it's plain to see. Doesn't everyone peruse baby name origins in their spare time?
Okay...I admit I may have been a little bitter and perhaps at one time even harbored secret wishes to be called Jennifer so that I would never have to spell out my name again.
But after a while I came to realize that most people literally could not even hear the subtle variations in pronunciation that bothered me so greatly. So in the name of keeping friends and maintaining a healthy blood pressure, I've chilled out a lot over the years. Numerous acquaintances and even good friends now regularly mispronounce my name and I rarely say anything...and it really doesn't even bother me. Except for an unsuspecting telemarketer now and then....
LARA. L-A-R-A.
ReplyDeleteDid I get it right?
As your little brother, I wanted to say thanks for letting me know that mispronouncing your name bothers you so much. I will never say your name right again (insert evil laugh here)!!!
ReplyDeleteyeah i somewhat understand the misprouncing of the name. i guess people don't ususlly say it wrong, they just leave off a syllable or two. but i've just learned to respond to the many variations of my name.
ReplyDeleteTelemarketers often incur my wrath by asking for Steffen or Step-hen.
ReplyDeleteAnd 9 times out of 10, someone will spell our last name "Crane" - even neighbors, church members, etc. who have known us for years.
Nonetheless, your poor mother tops the cake as even good friends still often call her Rosanne. Over the years she has been referred to as Rosie/Roxanna and Roxanne.
We, of course, had no idea that such a simple name as "Lara" would prove to be so difficult.
In any case, we can officially change your name to Jennifer if you so wish.
Love, Steffen and Roxanne Crane
Your loving parents
I'm just so happy that I married into a family with a last name that is nearly impossible to mispell, although I still have people ask me to spell it on rare occasion. There really aren't any alternative spellings of King, but hey some people aren't very smart.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know PP will be purposely calling you Laura for the next several years. As long as I can keep calling him PP, then all is well. (o:
Your preaching to the choir here. I have just given up because both nickname and real are not even close when it comes to spelling or saying. I'll pretty much respond to anything as long as it's not rude.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Man, my name is just too hard for people to pronounce/spell. In high school, many people pronounced the 'm' in my name as a 'p', the 'a' as an 'e', the first 't' as a 't' and the second 't' as a 'er'. Now there are some funky linguistic processes at work. For some reason, when we moved to Oklahoma that pronounciation of my name stopped. Must have been the Minnesotan accent ;)
ReplyDeleteAll these great comments and not one mention of your FABULOUS 80's doo! Or is that spelled "do"? "Dew"?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Lah-ruh has indicated numerous times that the only reason she married me was that I was able to pronounce her name correctly from the first attempt the first time I met her. I have my only sister, also Lah-ruh, to thank for that!
ReplyDelete