My daughter is NOT a boy and pronunciation gripe!

[mum1day]

I've never posted here, but I'm just so p'ed off, I have to vent.

So, the hospital billing department calls today and leaves a message about how they need to clarify some stuff on "gooooliana's" newborn stay and how "my son's" insurance stuff is incorrect. My DD's name is Giuliana, the Italian spelling of Juliana.

So, I was already seething at 1) the hospital billing department has records of my daughter in front of them and still has the nerve to call me and say "your son" and 2) the ignorance in mis pronouncing my daughters name. I called back and explained that I had given this information to them months ago (DD is almost 5 months old, I'm hoping the insurance doesn't pay it now because it's over 90 days old!) and the stupid woman kept saying "his" insurance and saying "gooliana". I finally just went ballistic on the woman. I couldn't take it anymore.

I know my DD's name is not common in the US, but if you're up to speed on current events you MUST know Rudolph Giuliani and the correct pronunciation of his name. GRRRRR! I swear, I could just throw a chair when people are that DUMB! Especially after I pronounced it correctly at least 3 times on the phone.

Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest. Ahhhh...it feels better already! ;-)

Natasha
Mum to Giuliana (3/1/04)

[jbowman]

Natasha,

That is annoying! It is one thing to pronounce it incorrectly the first time, but there is no excuse after that! Aaarggh!

I had the opposite problem when I lived in Italy. Nobody could pronounce my name. Instead of Jill, they said "Yill." Of course nobody had a problem pronouncing my friend Gill's name, LOL!


BTW--I love your daughter's name! I think it's absolutely beautiful!

[deborah_r]

Hmmm, this makes me wonder. There is a mom in my playgroup named "Gil"; I believe she is from the Phillipines originally. I never know how to pronounce her name and it always seems awkward to ask. Does anyone know how this is pronounced?


To the original poster, sorry for your frustration! I've had them think my son is a girl on the phone before, and they pronounce it either "Kay" or "Kia". But it is annoying that they kept saying it over and over, like they just can't listen to you!!!

[Marisa6826]

My best friend is preggo the second time around and Giulia is her first choice.

They have a very Italian last name and it would go perfectly. However, she realises that she will be sticking her kid with a lifetime of spelling her first name and mispronunciations.

-m

[mum1day]

ITA-But I would support her to do it. It's a very unique choice and for us was a very good reflection of my Italian upbringing (first generation), even though we have a polish last name.

Natasha
Mum to Giuliana (3/1/04)

[August Mom]

Sorry you had a rough time with the billing department. We had issues with them too after DS was born and although we didn't have pronunciation or gender issues, getting several people in the department to listen to what I was saying was virtually impossible. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you will be encountering mispronunciation a lot. I have an unusual name, Chanda, and it has been mispronounced my whole life. I correct people initially and usually more than once, but just say it how they want to say it.

[Kieransmom]

Stupid people! Anything that ends with an A is feminine.

We get that with Kieran. If we're somewhere where the person is looking at him they know Kieran is a boy. But if I'm on the phone talking to someone they ask "is that a he or a she?"

Now, if we were in Australia everyone would know that Kieran is a boys name. I was thrilled to see that there were 2 Kieran's listed as children on our Wiggles Hoop Dee Doo DVD and 1 on the Wiggles Top of the Tots DVD. Lol.

Michelle
Mommy to Kieran, born 5/9/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030509/1/5/0/+10/.png[/img][/url]

[mum1day]

Jill,

Thanks for the complement! I love it too!

Natasha
Mum to Giuliana (3/1/04)

[mommd]

I understand. My daughter's name is Elzbieta, which is Polish for Elizabeth. At her four month appointment, they still called her name as "baby girl" rather than pronouncing her name, which really isn't that hard. Like anyone hasn't named their baby by then?? I understand that she will have this happen for the rest of her life, but I like the unique name (at least in the US).

[rottiemom]

Natasha,

I feel your pain, I have no patience for idiots & to have the brain trust continue to mispronounce your daughter's beautiful name after your repeatedly correcting them must have driven you batty.

But I've got to warn you, get used to it. Most people probably won't be so dense and will either ask you for the correct pronunciation or take note when you correct them but you're bound to encounter a lot of both.

I think that Italian is one of the easier languages to pronounce because you always know what each letter is supposed to sound like. But I seem to be in the minority in my part of the world. As there is no J in the original Italian alphabet (hence the use of giu for the "ju" sound, only so much more fluid) there is also no Y. My last name begins with Iam (pronounced "yam"). It is rare that I meet anyone that can pronounce it. In college, when everyone else was Mr Johnson or Miss Brown I was Nina.

I view it as a source of amusement for me. Stick to your guns & make sure everybody says Guiliana's name right! It's to lovely to be mispronounced :).

Nina

[Sarah1]

What it boils down to is this: many, many people are idiots!

Even growing up with a super common name (Sarah), people would misspell it. Shara. Sarha. Or my personal favorite, Sahara--like the desert! Yes, my parents named me after a freakin' DESERT!

So, try to let it roll off your back! :)

[tippy]

LOL!!!!! My name is pronounced Te(soft e)va (like duh) not Teeva(long e yes like in the shoes). My entire life I have gotten Teeeva, Debrah, Tarah, Keva, Teba, even Henry! Oh well, I guess that is the price you pay to have a unique name. It used to bother me but now I just laugh it off.

[starrynight]

The peds used to butcher Daria's name also we would get "Dora" among other things. The only person that pronounced it right was the ped that checked on her after her birth and her second ped after the first one left the office. It is frustrating but I've finally gotten used to it after 2 years.

The insurance still had my dd listed as "female" until she was a month old and I told them to fix it!

[kthomp]

Although I can't complain about my DD's name, which is not very common anymore but very easy to pronounce; I can gripe about my own!

Through my life I have constantly been called Carrie or Ker(like Kur)-e. Not to mention the spellings! (keri, kerry, kery) I mean, it's not really that hard to say! Plus I constantly got the- You must be Irish!- thing growing up, even though I didn't have an Irish last name. I am Irish, and proud of it, but I mean, why do you have to say that?!?!?

I had a hard time accepting what people seem to view as a very ethnic and different name for most of my childhood. Now I absolutely love it!

So try to remember that you gave your daughter a special name that will remind her of her hertitage. And if you have to tell someone the correct pronunciation that many times, they are probably not too sharp, and maybe you should deal with someone else!