Took me ages to figure out "Siobhan". I'd be interested to know what the correct pronunciation of this name is.
English names can be tough as well:
1) Mainwaring
2) Cholomdeley
3) Grosvenor
4) Featherstonhaugh
Scrolled through replies hoping to find out how to correctly pronounce the name and everyone's just mad. You're all missing an opportunity to educate people.
I'll be honest, I'm Irish and I double-checked. It was the generation behind me when older Irish names made a huge resurgence and I'm all for it but sometimes I still encounter one that trips me.
Should children who are lovingly given Irish names by their parents have to “have a sense of humor about themselves” because Anglophone society normalized this kind of mockery, though? If we are telling you it’s not ok when we are normally pretty self-deprecating, maybe that’s a sign!
Like I actually don’t really think your original post was *that* bad and I laughed at it myself since you are implying that you committed a faux pas by pronouncing it that way, fwiw, but some of the responses are a bit yikes, and it’s worth considering the audience you’re making these jokes for.
to the first, yeah, i do kinda think you have to laugh. to the second, a lot of it is yikes! i would not double down like that even while defending myself. it's not in the goofy spirit of the joke.
Why is it ok to make fun of Irish names? Do you do this to names from other cultures? Irish pronunciation is actually far more consistent than English (ghoti for fish) but they are different sounds, because it’s a different language. If you don’t know, just ask. Learn something new.
it isn't "making fun of Irish names" it is lighthearted noticing of the different phonetics and going out of my way to make myself the ignoramus in the joke
Having read enough of your posts, I know your intentions weren't malicious. The tricky part is that on the hellsite, guys with "1690" in their user names or profile pics of Ibrox might've made the same joke, and they'd be written off as bigoted assholes. It's unfair to lump you in with them...
...but the imperialist eradication of Irish language & culture really happened. The exchange of humor in the jolly American melting pot (real or imagined) doesn't always work in other corners of the Anglosphere.
If this many people told me my goofing around was tired and kinda racist, I would be mortified. As kindly as I can say this… isn’t it weird to neither have nor want to have any interest in other cultural perspectives?
Do you seriously think people don't tell jokes about people named "Sir Allistair Wellington Bennington Smellington Weetabix-upon-Tyne Esquire, third baronet of Spunk" or whatever? The British are, remain as and deserve to be the world's punchline.
Last time I checked when a national constitution, backed by all the violent powers of a state, declares a language to be official... It's no longer in the margins.
Where in their post are they making fun of Irish names? The joke seems to be based on the absurdity of choosing the most obviously wrong pronunciation in the worst place to make that mistake. It's hardly directed at anything to begin with. It's just absurdist humour. That's it.
I'm not saying that it's the height of comedy; just that in this case, it's not making fun of the Irish language. Some of the replies to the original post definitely are, and I'm sure it's a common phenomenon. I just think the backlash to this post is a bit extreme.
No it sounds like you're not getting the pound cake reference. That'll be on you though.
But for a moment, do try an close your eyes and imagine that kindergarten teachers are getting death threats from loyalist terrorists for teaching kids Irish. Because that's the world you're actually living in.
All these replies are the equivalent of saying like “oh yeah I bet you wouldn’t joke like this is someone did something bad to YOUR people” and, well, lol
I looked it up, honestly I was way off. I spent 20 years thinking Eoin was pronounced ee-yoin so now I make sure to check first every time I see an Irish name
Close!
The Irish language alphabet has 17 letters: no h,j,k,q,v,w,x,y,z. Consonants were softened by putting a dot over the letter, to give ‘v’,’w’ or soft ‘ch’ sounds: eg Siobhán.
When typewriters were introduced, the letter “h” replaced this dot, because introducing an extra key was infeasible.
the ponc buailte (dot) & the 'h' existed alongside each other in irish orthography for basically every period of the written language, as far as i can tell, so this isn't entirely correct. also, 'h' exists as h-prothesis & also just in words like hata in modern irish.
True! I’d forgotten that!
But the replacement of the séimhiú with the “h” did happen to more conveniently facilitate typing. I remember a discussion in my family about this in the early 1960s
I’m never gonna be a guy who tells people what their names should be, but I will offer spelling suggestions if you want me to have any idea how it’s supposed to be pronounced
Comments
English names can be tough as well:
1) Mainwaring
2) Cholomdeley
3) Grosvenor
4) Featherstonhaugh
Whereas anyone who speaks Irish can read the Irish names based on the standard rules of the language.
But I draw the line at the child abuse of the BAD SISTERS publicly calling their young niece 'Blah'.....
Dream of Caoilfhion Dunnnnnne
I will, however, concede that the guy who accidently created my surname by mishearing Caibheanaigh has saved me some hand cramps.
Big week for the fighting Irish
i have toddler relatives who have better banter than this, even for americans it's pissweak
Didn't sound pretty and almost got us both killed.
Do you think it's landing better this time?
https://bsky.app/profile/whowhatnow56.bsky.social/post/3lfib2c2opk2x
But for a moment, do try an close your eyes and imagine that kindergarten teachers are getting death threats from loyalist terrorists for teaching kids Irish. Because that's the world you're actually living in.
Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.
The Irish language alphabet has 17 letters: no h,j,k,q,v,w,x,y,z. Consonants were softened by putting a dot over the letter, to give ‘v’,’w’ or soft ‘ch’ sounds: eg Siobhán.
When typewriters were introduced, the letter “h” replaced this dot, because introducing an extra key was infeasible.
But the replacement of the séimhiú with the “h” did happen to more conveniently facilitate typing. I remember a discussion in my family about this in the early 1960s