And you read "h", too?

[novin_ha]

I am a fairly tolerant person, or at elast I believe so. It takes lots of work to really anger me - sole stupidity won't accomplish it, for example. You have to try to really offend me.

Yet there is a person who does it with little to no effort and, as I suspect, totally purposefully.

My German Teacher, Ms W.

, but my family tradition demands it is not read as a German word. Not even as a Polish one. There is an admittedly totally nonsense way of reading it that has a long tradition in my family, and that is how it should be read. It's a name, for God's sake, not a normal noun.

It is not difficult to remember - there is a 'celebrity', (an old football coach often invited to comment on matches) who has this surname, written in exatly the way it should be read (some part of family changed the surname that way, so we might be very distantly related, but I don't know if we are).

During the first class, she hesitated at my name and I told her how tradition demands it be read. She said it was weird and "I surely wouldn't mind if she read it properly in German." I mind, but did not say it, because what is the point.

If that was all to it, I really would get over it - so she can't bother to remember how to read my name. No deal. But...

She hesitates at it time after time, reads it once, then again. During last class it got realy unpleasant and she finally made me angry:

Ms W: "Proper German Version", oh, excuse me, "Improper Version All the Way".
Novinha: Actually, "Proper Version With "/h/" read as "/j/". *'y' in you*
Ms W: *In a patronising and sweet tone*: Ooooh, so you read the silent "h", too?
Novinha (calmly): Yes, that's the way we read our surname.

I haven't had people mock my name ever since I left primary school. And a professor at that (but only an MA, ha the ha).

I should get over her lack of class... But I just can't imagine how immature you have to be to try and be snobbish about the way other people read their surnames. *Headdesk*

Comments

[whatsfunny.livejournal.com]

Well, I think I understand you a bit. My surname, you know how it sounds, isn't declined in my family. But my Polish teacher from primary school kept on saying it sgould be decline as 'Kościuszko' for instant. It was annoying! Not to mention it is misspelled and mispronounced all the time, I don't know why, I've always thought it's pretty easy to say and write...

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Yeah. If I got a pense every time someone does that to my name, I'd be using a uch better computer now :(

[whatsfunny.livejournal.com]

Besides, I don't understand one thing. People don't really care how they're saying names and surnames. Because that has nothing to do with them. So why they can't do it as the very interested person wishes? It's just a case of being bice, nothing more...

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

It is basic politeness for me, which is why it makes me angry. She is being demonstrative about her dislike of me, and I haven't done a thing to deserve it. I am looking forward to the next four years I am to spend with her.

She's lucky she's a teacher. If she was fair game, she'd be on the receiving end of all the sarcasm I've been keeping inside me lately.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Ahhh name pronunciation drama.

I have long since given up trying to correct people about my name's pronunciation (the a is pronounced like in artist and not like in air) unless I plan to spend a lot of time with them because it's too much work.

It still bothers me a lot.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

As I said, I can live with mispronuncing, but to actually put an effort into mocking my surname? Because it's not German enough for her?

Because it makes her feel intelligent to go around commenting how she knows my surname better than I do?

Pathetic.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's extremely petty and juvenile.

[fallingfortruth.livejournal.com]

With my name it isn't mispronunciation (it's hard for a native english speaker to pronounce 'Kathrine O'Neal', they're too common of sounds) but with misspelling. The spelling of Kathrine isn't a common one, and people think they're being helpful when they write it as 'Katherine', thinking that I just forgot the 'e' in the middle.

But I didn't, arrgh!

*hugs*

Your teacher is a twat, though.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

She is.

*Hugs back*

Kathrine? That's nice :) Stupid Polish law says no strange names nowadays, only ones that sound Polish and have normal spelling :( So my name is kinda illegal :)

[fallingfortruth.livejournal.com]

That's just silly. But then again, I'm a progressive. :)

*hugs you, tries to figure out how the Canadian college system application works, arrrgh*

[cutecoati.livejournal.com]

Wait... she told you how you have to pronounce your name? *shakes head* As if there were no exceptions to pronunciation rules when it comes to names...

Erm - what I actually wanted to do was to tell you how much I enjoyed your comments at junediamanti's lj concerning David Irving (I just didn't want to hijack poor June's lj any longer :). It's almost alarming how many people think that the spreading of an "ideology" like that (which is, in fact, not an ideology but a crime) is harmless... *stands by fellow Central European*

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Yeah ;) And she was patronising about how our way to do it is silly. Like, um, her behaviour was mature.

My father is rolling in his grave. Well, I hope it helps him stay warm...

You're welcome, and thanks :) Central Europe is teh besteste ♥

Nazism is a crime and should be treated like one. It is very personal for me because a part of my family is strongly antisemitic and we fight about it each bloody Christmas.

[dark-vanessa.livejournal.com]

As a teacher I must tell you that it's a nightmare to have a name such as yours to read out loud ;-)) I always feel like an illiterate idiot when I mispronounce one. Luckily, it happens only occasionally, with students from Korea or Ukraine.
And I never make a mistake twice. Er... this kind of a mistake.


And by the by, I think I'll revive my lj.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

As I said, I would be OK with it if she just didn't try to start a war with me about it. I am a perfect student! I am, I adore all my professors, except for her!
I hope you'll have fun with your LJ.

G'Night *Goes back to Latin*

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

I haven't had people mock my name ever since I left primary school.
If you're not afraid of pissing her off royally, this would be a good thing to say next time ;)

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Alas, I have none suicidal tendencies whatsoever ;) and it's the next four years that she teaches me.

Dear God, I would like You to reward my German teacher with a trip to Switzerland she would love enough to sdtay abroad. Regards, Novinha

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

What nice person you are. When I read "trip to Switzerland" I expected "so she may fall from the iceberg".

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

I am not nice, I just do not trifle with Him, in case He decides to show His sense of humour on me.

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

Reasonable :)

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Do you watch Monty Python? "Well, it's written S-M-Y-T-H-E, but it's pronounced Throatwarblermangrove."

She must be threatened by you to be such a bint. ;-)

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

*Giggle* Monty Python is ♥, we watch it in conversations classes sometime.

She isn't, she teacher German, and well, German? I suck so much it hurts.

Never had much luck with German teachers (although at least this one does not haunt my dreams as satan...)