My name is Thea and I don't live on the second floor but I do have a name that is tricky to pronounce.
If we were face to face and I said, "Hi, my name is Thea" you'd know how to say it because you could hear me (although I often get a response of what/huh/pardon). But because you are reading you may find my name phonetically confusing. It is not the most common of names and to add to the confusion 'Thea' is pronounced differently in different parts of the world. So let me try to explain how I say my name for those of you who have never heard of nor seen it before. It is 4 letters and 2 syllables of the phonetic nightmare that is the English language. Let's break it down.
It is not 'Tia' as my GP has been calling me for the past 7 years and now I could not possibly correct him without looking totally stupid.
First syllable (no, we are not going to play charades) - Th can be said 2 ways, the breathy way as in thing, thong and thistle, or the way that vibrates as in this, that and there. My 'Th' is the breathy kind, not the vibrating one!
Second syllable - ea. For 2 little letters, this delightful vowel combination has an unbelievable number of options. There is 'ea' as in flea, tableau, pea, ready, area, idea, sea, shea and tea. My 'ea' is not 'ea' as in flea, pea, sea or tea (however my friends sometimes call me Thee with the breathy 'Th' that rhymes with these words). My 'ea' is not 'ea' as in shea which rhymes with tray, stay and fray. My 'ea' is like the 'ea' in idea, nausea and IKEA!
My name is Thea, hope you've got it now!
Interestingly, that's how I always imagined you pronounced it. :o)
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised how many people have no idea! :)
ReplyDeleteI went to school with a girl whose name was spelt LAURA. So, you would probably assume to call her "lor-ra". But no. It's like LARA, just spelt differently. "LAR-RA".
ReplyDeleteBumped in to her about 5 years after high school finished. She gave me her business card. The spelling of her first name had been changed. To Lara.
Don't Blame her.
Ha, that's crazy! Reminds me of Bert Newton calling his Lauren 'Law-ren' when most people call her (and all other Laurens) 'Loh-ren'.
ReplyDeleteNames!!! :)
Sooooo, it's like, see ya, Thea. I think I've got it. x
ReplyDeleteSo funny you should say that because every time someone says 'see ya', 'here' or 'beer' I look thinking they're calling me!! lol
ReplyDeleteYEP! totally how I had been saying it in my head all this time.. Now explain THIS to me! how is it that people have SO much trouble spelling my surname. It's simple. D-A-M, dam. Like as in the hinze dam. VERRRRRY simple! I do feel your pain Thea, it's annoying...
ReplyDeleteExactly how I thought it was pronounced ;)
ReplyDeleteMy name is Gareth, which is rare enough in England where I was born, but in Australia almost everyone struggles with it. When I order PC I use the name Joe (my son's name) but the kids who work there are even starting to struggle with that too!!
ok, that last comment is a good demonstration of not commenting while you are talking about something else.
ReplyDeletePC = pizza.
Duh.
Oh i hope Im not too late to comment and still get a reply...
ReplyDeleteI also have a name which people struggle with (shira, which is pronounced she-ra, not shy-ra, or sheer-ra), and I have therefore chosen straightforward names for my kids (jack and olivia), so they dont have to go through what i did.
So, may i ask, what are your kids names?
Hi Shira, glad you found my blog. My kids names are not unlike yours, I'm amazed...Isaac & Ava!
ReplyDeleteWell, that's how I say your name (in my head) when I read it... but I know what you mean... Naomi should be EASY but apparently it's not... I am SO over being called N-eye-omi I now correct people straight away - so it's Nay (as in hay) omi (as in yo, homie)
ReplyDeletethen, DON't get me started on being called Leoni, Natalie, of Fiona... seriously.
So, Thea, nice to see ya!