Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lot of East Asians and Southeast Asians have Anglo names like David, Peter, Grace (this one is sooo over represented), Maggie... Some were born in the west and named by parents, but many others just adopted the names by themselves.
I think it makes things so much easier when you introduce yourself. People usually are not bothered to try to pronounce Chinese names correctly.
Japanese names seem to be the only exception though, probably because they are usually very easy to pronounce.
Yes it is one reason.
Usually I introduce myself by family name because my family name is easy to pronounce.
Some Chinese also let foreigners pronounce their name in the "wrong way". A friend of mine has a pinyin "xue" in her name and she allows Americans to pronounce it as "sue".
Id prefer people to keep their Asia name. Though i can the reasons for changing. I call my wife by her given name (kyung ok) all the time, she likes it.
If they were born in the West, it seems completely natural for them to have Western names. There is nothing to like or dislike about that; it just is. My experience is that many Westerners of Asian descent also have a name from their ethnicity, even if they don't use it much. I have a friend whose parents came from China; she was born in the US and has an English first and middle name, but her Chinese name is 少儀.
I also think it is fine and understandable for Asians to adopt English names. I do think many of them could use a little help in their selection, as it is not always easy for foreigners to know what names sound attractive and age-appropriate. Someone needs to tell Koreans, for example, that Eunice and Eugene are really not popular names for young people.
As for mispronunciations, they are also natural. Whether or not this should be corrected depends on the name and the language. For instance, there was a Japanese athlete in the Olympics this year whose name was Kohei. I notice the TV announcer kept calling him "koh-high." That is a mispronunciation; it should be "koh-hey" (rhymes with, "Oh, say") and it is perfectly easy for an English-speaker.
But if Westerners aren't getting the tone of a Chinese or Vietnamese name right, I'm afraid that is just too bad. I wouldn't expect a Chinese or Vietnamese speaker to pronounce Heather or Lawrence correctly either.
I prefer it when Asians choose to keep their real name for me it comes across as "phony" and superficial and like they're trying "too hard" to fit it. I'm willing to make the effort to learn to pronounce their authentic name and I think most people are.
I prefer it when Asians choose to keep their real name for me it comes across as "phony" and superficial and like they're trying "too hard" to fit it. I'm willing to make the effort to learn to pronounce their authentic name and I think most people are.
You'd be surprised to find out how many people aren't willing.
You'd be surprised to find out how many people aren't willing.
I can't speak for the UK.
I personally have an ethnic given name which some people attempt to abbreviate usually by asking me if they can call me by the alternative which is a common name in the US I simple politely inform that it isn't okay by restating that "My name is "_____". Very rarely is it an issue. But then again on a personal note the type of people that have an issue with calling me by my authentic name are not the type of people I want to associate with anyway so I consider it a win-win.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
