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#1
12-13-2006, 01:42 AM
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How insensitive is this?
A few years past, I worked delivering mail to a predominately Jewish neighborhood. Often I'd have mail that required a signature, and I'd ask for the person by name. Since many Jewish names are of German derivation (and in fact are words in their own right) I'd always prononce the name per the rules--just as I would pronounce, say, "Jose Castillo" differently than English pronounciation would require. I always assumed this was appropriate, but quite often I would be corrected with (possibly my imagination) a cool reception.
Thinking back, my therapist pronounces his last name--Reiss--as "Reese," our judge--Machen--rhymes his with "backin'," and our former coroner pronounces Wecht with the w per English rules. Due to history, is it improper to pronounce a Jewish person's name per the rules of the originating language? Should I feign ignorance with the rules of the German language? What if someone has a German sounding name but I'm not sure what their ethnicity is? 
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#2
12-13-2006, 03:00 AM
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Re: How insensitive is this?
you're the delivery guy. just say it like the dumb american they expect you to be.
i don't even pronounce my own name correctly when dealing with english-speaking people. it causes too much confusion.
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#4
12-13-2006, 03:17 AM
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Re: How insensitive is this?
[ QUOTE ]
I introduce myself as Kevin a lot of the time so I don't have to deal with that kind of crap. [/ QUOTE ] My friend (Keyvan) does this all the time....I make it a point to call him by his actual name loudly and in front of the people he's just told his incorrect name to. It's pretty awesome, [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Yugoslav
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#5
12-13-2006, 03:28 AM
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Re: How insensitive is this?
isn't there 2 different and correct ways to enunciate in german? I would have ryhmed Machen with Backin as well the way I learned german.
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#6
12-13-2006, 03:29 AM
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Re: How insensitive is this?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] I introduce myself as Kevin a lot of the time so I don't have to deal with that kind of crap. [/ QUOTE ] My friend (Keyvan) does this all the time....I make it a point to call him by his actual name loudly and in front of the people he's just told his incorrect name to. It's pretty awesome, [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Yugoslav [/ QUOTE ] doesnt that just make you look stupid for not being able to say his name correctly (from their point of view)?
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#7
12-13-2006, 04:42 AM
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Re: How insensitive is this?
Remember the Saturday NIght Live bit with Jimmy Smits from LA Law where he was news guy who spoke English but then threw in the Spanish pronunciation for Spanish words like Sandanista? it sounded pretty silly. they probably think you're pronouncing their last name wrong when you say it "right."
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