If you have an uncommon or atypical name, what is your go-to way of introducing yourself to new people when you kinda already know that they won’t immediately be able to pronounce it? Do you have a way of teaching people (politely) how to pronounce your name? And, when they do mispronounce it, do you have a go-to way of correcting them without sounding confrontational or uppity about it?
My name is Lucía and I’m a Spaniard so the pronunciation of my name that I prefer is either “loo-THEE-ah” or “loo-SEE-ah”. However, when I’m in the US or the UK I find that most people will pronounce my name as an either “LOO-shah” or the Italian “loo-CHEE-ah”.
When I was younger, this didn’t bother me so much and I even made it easier for English-speakers by telling them to call me Lucy.
But, as I’ve grown older, I guess I’ve become crankier and want to be called my actual name, not a faux nickname or someone’s best guess approximation of how it should be pronounced. It’s not the end of the world if I have to keep bitting my tongue but, if you’ve found a hack that you can share, I’d greatly appreciate it! 🙃