In Reply to: Me too posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on January 05, 2025 at 23:57:45
correctly.
I had a friend in my early college years who finally gave up and changed his Hispanic name to something much more Anglican so as to fit in better. That made me sad and I had nothing but sympathy for him and his own internal struggles. I understood why he did it. I never went that route. I became what some might say was more militant but never angry or hostile. Before that I was passive and I could feel it wearing on me. I merely felt I was standing up for you I am and I no longer tried to fit into someone else's idea of what the world should be like and how I should fit in.
I think we are talking near each other and not to each other. I never thought the announcers in the Nebraska game were wrong with anything. I was simply trying to explain why I thought they may have been pronouncing Mara as either Mata or Mada which was brought up here on this forum. I also included the possibility that they might have actually thought his name was Mata or Mada which is another thing entirely.
In terms of native speakers, I am aware of the limitations we all sometimes face when trying to speak a foreign language. Somehow the conversation has gone on to name pronouncement. I think that's somewhat different than language because it can carry a whole lot of deeper implications and complications.
I was merely sharing my experiences of how those complications can impact individuals. In this regard I think that one trying to pronounce a name properly is the important thing knowing that sometimes there are accents that can't be duplicated. You wouldn't believe, however, some of the things I've been told about my name. Sometimes it takes great strength for some of us to stand up to the onslaught.