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Proper name pronunciation and the Web
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"The sweetest sound in the world is the person's own name" is a famous quote from Dale Carnegie that is one of the driving forces behind the Web Site Pronounce Names. The idea behind the Pronounce Names website is to make is easier for people to pronounce proper names - you could alsmot call it a Wikipedia for names. In most cases, the dictionary does not have proper names which leads to the mangling, twisting and contorting of names - particularly those names that have their roots in another language.
In a metropolitan area like Washington DC with a population that hails from around the globe the variety of names is amazing. Whether you are a teacher reviewing your roster of students, an employer reviewing resumes or a business person planning a meeting with a new client you really want to respect these people and pronounce their names.
Pronounce Names is in a building process and they really need people, perhaps those with hard to pronounce names, to visit the site and submit pronunciation of a name so that it can be added to the database. Once a name has been added, visitors can look up names, and both see and hear the proper pronunciation. You can also vote on whether the data was useful or not to help them continue to refine the database.
Some examples include tomaszewski which is nicely laid out as "t oh m ah sh eh s k ee." Consider also Nguyen which is most commonly pronounced as "WIN" and this example also includes an audio file to hear the name spoken aloud. Likewise Agarwal, which is "uh g uh r - w ah l" is also available in a sound file.
This website is clearly still a work in process and while the focus in on proper names, last names and city names can be added. As somebody whose pronunciation and enunciation skills have been challanged at times - I hope that this site continues to grow; it is truly a site that can help build bridges and encourage respect between peoples in our multicultural society.
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