Comments on: My Secret Starbucks Name http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/ Basab Pradhan's weblog about business and life in a 'flat world'. 6 AM Pacific is the best time for a global conference call. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:02:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Basab Pradhan http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-16449 Basab Pradhan Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:07:49 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-16449 Lola, Thank you for stopping by the blog and your comments. All of them were very interesting. Hearing it from an American in India is especially nice for 6AMPacific. Lola,

Thank you for stopping by the blog and your comments. All of them were very interesting. Hearing it from an American in India is especially nice for 6AMPacific.

]]> By: Lola http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-16446 Lola Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:10:32 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-16446 So funny!! When you are speaking, any name is hard to hear the first time if it is new and most people don't have the confidence to ask you to repeat. When you are writing, I've noticed that Indians using Roman alphabet to write Indian words use an "a" when Americans would use a "u". This might be part of the confusion if people see your name then pronounce it wrong. "Basub" would get you a correct pronunciation. I'm not suggesting you change the spelling of your name, by the way! Just trying to help think of why there might be so much confusion. "Niraj" is another example of this problem with a and u. It is written "raj" (with an A) so Americans will not say "rudge" unless he directs them to. The name "Mamta" is a good example of someone I know. I'd pronounce this "mom-ta" or "ma'am-ta" but the pronunciation is "mum-ta". "Barfi" is another example. When I see "barfi" think "barf - ee" and not "burf-ee". The other problem is the strong pronunciation on both syllables. Americans (I don't know about Brits) usually have lazy second syllables. Think of words ending in "y" in English. For example: "lucky" or "funny". The second syllable is soft. We don't say "luck- key" or "fun-knee". It's more like "luck -ee" and "fun- ee". In English it doesn't really matter, but with Hindi it does. "Roti" is "Rote-tee" but when an American says it, it sounds like "roady" because of this second syllable laziness. Likewise the name "Radha" in your example becomes "radda" and "Preity" becomes "preedy" and "Aditi" becomes "Adiddy". See what I mean? lol I think it is because there are so many more sounds in Hindi. I don't know about other Indian languages, but Hindi have alphabets that are entirely indistinguishable to English speakers. All those aspirated and unaspirated consonants sound exactly the same to English ears. So when you over-pronounce English words in a typical Indian accent, it sounds enunciated and sing-songy but easy to understand. When we underpronounce Hindi words, you have no idea what we are saying even though when you correct us it sounds the exact same to our ears! lol Nothing to do about it but have a sense of humor like you have! So funny!!

When you are speaking, any name is hard to hear the first time if it is new and most people don't have the confidence to ask you to repeat. When you are writing, I've noticed that Indians using Roman alphabet to write Indian words use an "a" when Americans would use a "u". This might be part of the confusion if people see your name then pronounce it wrong. "Basub" would get you a correct pronunciation. I'm not suggesting you change the spelling of your name, by the way! Just trying to help think of why there might be so much confusion. "Niraj" is another example of this problem with a and u. It is written "raj" (with an A) so Americans will not say "rudge" unless he directs them to. The name "Mamta" is a good example of someone I know. I'd pronounce this "mom-ta" or "ma'am-ta" but the pronunciation is "mum-ta". "Barfi" is another example. When I see "barfi" think "barf – ee" and not "burf-ee".

The other problem is the strong pronunciation on both syllables. Americans (I don't know about Brits) usually have lazy second syllables. Think of words ending in "y" in English. For example: "lucky" or "funny". The second syllable is soft. We don't say "luck- key" or "fun-knee". It's more like "luck -ee" and "fun- ee". In English it doesn't really matter, but with Hindi it does. "Roti" is "Rote-tee" but when an American says it, it sounds like "roady" because of this second syllable laziness. Likewise the name "Radha" in your example becomes "radda" and "Preity" becomes "preedy" and "Aditi" becomes "Adiddy". See what I mean? lol

I think it is because there are so many more sounds in Hindi. I don't know about other Indian languages, but Hindi have alphabets that are entirely indistinguishable to English speakers. All those aspirated and unaspirated consonants sound exactly the same to English ears. So when you over-pronounce English words in a typical Indian accent, it sounds enunciated and sing-songy but easy to understand. When we underpronounce Hindi words, you have no idea what we are saying even though when you correct us it sounds the exact same to our ears! lol
Nothing to do about it but have a sense of humor like you have!

]]> By: New York to Bangalore « Musings of a Random Life http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-14756 New York to Bangalore « Musings of a Random Life Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:14:07 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-14756 [...] about American pronounciation of Indian names in this rather funny post and confesses to having a secret Starbucks name. I’m signing up to Basab’s brand of snake oil. Given that a lounge has a larger [...] [...] about American pronounciation of Indian names in this rather funny post and confesses to having a secret Starbucks name. I’m signing up to Basab’s brand of snake oil. Given that a lounge has a larger [...]

]]> By: Jenny http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-13591 Jenny Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:39:56 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-13591 Heh interesting. Heh interesting.

]]> By: shoban http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-13542 shoban Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:00:52 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-13542 Nice article same thing here. My name is Shoban[show-bun] Kumar[koo-mar].. My uk counterparts call me SHOW-BAN Q-MAAR :) Nice article same thing here. My name is Shoban[show-bun] Kumar[koo-mar].. My uk counterparts call me SHOW-BAN Q-MAAR :)

]]> By: Second outing: The name game or naming gaming « La Vie Quotidienne http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-9958 Second outing: The name game or naming gaming « La Vie Quotidienne Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:34:35 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-9958 [...] Sometimes one does not choose but gets given a pet name of sorts. See Basab’s post here on his not-so-secret Starbucks name. [...] [...] Sometimes one does not choose but gets given a pet name of sorts. See Basab’s post here on his not-so-secret Starbucks name. [...]

]]> By: The name game or gaming naming… « La Vie Quotidienne http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-7343 The name game or gaming naming… « La Vie Quotidienne Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:44:04 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-7343 [...] Sometimes one does not choose but gets given a pet name of sorts. See Basab’s post here on his not-so-secret Starbucks name. [...] [...] Sometimes one does not choose but gets given a pet name of sorts. See Basab’s post here on his not-so-secret Starbucks name. [...]

]]> By: Like that only » Blog Archive » Your good name -2 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-7001 Like that only » Blog Archive » Your good name -2 Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:23:45 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-7001 [...] My own dear husband struggled with his unusual name ( Basab)during the early part of his career. After a threat to divorce a possible Buzz or Bob, he backed off on making his name more palatable to his potential clients and decided to vent his angst in his blog. Our realtor could not afford the risk (plus his wife was in the same business). He called himself Mirch, rhyming with perch, Mirchandani. Bob Dhillons and Jazz Gills have sold dozens of houses around the Bay. Venkys and Srinis have exercised compassion towards their phonetically challenged cousins across the Atlantic [...] [...] My own dear husband struggled with his unusual name ( Basab)during the early part of his career. After a threat to divorce a possible Buzz or Bob, he backed off on making his name more palatable to his potential clients and decided to vent his angst in his blog. Our realtor could not afford the risk (plus his wife was in the same business). He called himself Mirch, rhyming with perch, Mirchandani. Bob Dhillons and Jazz Gills have sold dozens of houses around the Bay. Venkys and Srinis have exercised compassion towards their phonetically challenged cousins across the Atlantic [...]

]]> By: Srijan http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-6454 Srijan Thu, 31 May 2007 06:55:38 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-6454 In my case i have found most indians pronouncing my name incorrectly (Shree-jan)whereas most foreigners pronouncing it correctly (though with a slight accent).funny but true... In my case i have found most indians pronouncing my name incorrectly (Shree-jan)whereas most foreigners pronouncing it correctly (though with a slight accent).funny but true…

]]> By: Unpronounceable http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/comment-page-1/#comment-6194 Unpronounceable Thu, 17 May 2007 17:52:29 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2006/10/21/my-secret-starbucks-name/#comment-6194 I've been hunting, without success, for a site that will translate common names (maybe by ethnicity) into their phonetic spellings. It would be very cool if it could take the name in the script of origin (e.g. Devanagari). I’ve been hunting, without success, for a site that will translate common names (maybe by ethnicity) into their phonetic spellings. It would be very cool if it could take the name in the script of origin (e.g. Devanagari).

]]>