Space, Phil
GD anyone? Just Phillin up Space?
signed
Rusty Shackleford
My name is McLeod. Graham McLeod. If you're looking me up in a list, you'll find me under M as "McLeod, Graham". This is in contrast to "Dabbs, Alistair" – which I understand is now the title of an IT publication. At least it is according to an email I received this week, which began thus: With Dabbs, Alistair having such …
I was christened Alastair, but quickly gave up on the idea that anybody - even immediate family - would ever spell it correctly. Birthday cards over the years have been written to any number of variants, so I can probably claim at least 20 pseudonyms.
I have never frequented Starbucks, but were I ever to attempt transactions with one of their baristas, I think I would just accept defeat and go for Fred. Let's see them mess that up!
Oh and did one of your cups say Avast - that's some serious mangling of Alistair!
Have you seen the Billy Connolly sketch where he talks about doing an autograph for someone called Alasdair (the Gaelic spelling before anyone thinks I work at Starbucks....) and how Alasdairs always spell it for you? Very amusing.
Almost as amusing is the variations you see on Siobhan or any other Gaelic or Irish name.
Never mind the ones with mh, dh, bh etc, even relatives spelling Síle is good for a laugh.
Hebrew can be fun too. Mispronounce Aaron and it's a wardrobe.
Some surnames in Iraq, Syria and Iran were first names of Akkadians and Sumerians, very very long ago.
I find USA names and spelling amusing. Colleen = little girl (-een is a diminutive). Kerry is a place. Shaun or Shawn is Sean, or Seán or Séan. Irish was written the same way for over a 1000 years while pronunciation changed, so Seaghán might have been original spelling, though Donal (Donall) might be a 2,500 years old name.
I find USA names and spelling amusing.
My father's first name is Robin, which caused no end of fun when we moved from Blighty to the US, where Robin is almost exclusively a girl's name.
But in the context of Irish names, nobody mentioned the other one that causes fun: Niamh. "Proper" pronunciation is as if spelled "Neeve" in Anglish spelling conventions. More common pronunciation outside Ireland is more like "Nee-am" with nobody quite sure what to do with the "h" at the end.
Well it's your own fault
All spellings of Alistair are gaelic: the name is gaelic for Alexander. Hence my Starbucks name is now Alex, which every barista can spell flawlessly. It still amazes me that Aleister Crowley chose the name deliberately to create an air of mystique. His first name was Edward.
Alexander maybe properly Eskandar?
Only if you're aboard the Argo/Yamato trying to save Earth/Japan from the villainous Gamilons/Americans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blazers
(For just how crazy the original idea was, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ten-Go)
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I despair. How can you not know how to spell Alistair, or Siobhan? Now with Iain Thompson, I could understand when people ask one I or 2? I've met enough Iains in my time to know to ask. But Alistair?
I guess it just goes to show the poor state of education, at least among Starbucks' employees.
You just need to listen to how it is pronounced, Alistair, Alastair etc.
I suppose if you are giving your name when ordering coffee, and not ordering for someone else or using another name to track junk mail you maybe pronounce is correctly, unless you really need the coffee to sober up..
Reminds me of a bit of schtik from Stargate Atlantis,
'Graydon, are you sure?'
'Yes, it's my name.'
"You just need to listen to how it is pronounced, Alistair, Alastair etc."
Yeah, try explaining to an American that Stuart is a Scottish name and therefore I am more qualified than they are to know that it is categorically NOT pronounced Stoo-art or for that matter spelt Stewart if it's being used as a first name.
So-called gaelic spellings = affectation. I have no problem with that but recognise it for what it is: play-acting at being ethnic. It's no different than spelling your name in emoji. As for pronunciation, who cares? If Americans say Stooart, all the better! My in-laws address me as Aleess-tear. I pronounce my own name as Allister.
Why should English speakers who are not Scots or Irish and don't speak Gaelic, know how to spell the name using Gaelic spelling rules or know how to pronounce a name written by the Gaelic rules?
Or are we all obliged to us Cyrillic when using a Greek or Russian name, or pin yin when communicating with a Chinese person .
I live in Spain name of Chris is almost never used but lengthened to Christian, which I am emphatically not, generally I will ansewr to anything that is not rude.
Or are we all obliged to us Cyrillic when using a Greek or Russian name, or pin yin when communicating with a Chinese person .
Not sure you'll find many Greek names written in Cyrillic, which is the writing system introduced to Russian-speakers by Saint Cyril in the 5th Century, and is both similar to, and quite different from, the Greek alphabet.
"Why should English speakers who are not Scots or Irish and don't speak Gaelic, know how to spell the name using Gaelic spelling rules or know how to pronounce a name written by the Gaelic rules?"
Perhaps because Northern Ireland is still part of the UK? You know, the same fucking country that they live in -- for the time being?
I sympathise, since I grew up in England and my first exposure to names spelled according to Irish conventions was definitely in adulthood. However, that ought to be considered an over-sheltered and deprived childhood, not "just the same as everyone else".
Either that, or we on the Eastern Island should just accept that we don't give two fucks about those on the Western Island and, in consequence, stop pretending that there is no border in the Irish Sea.
"It was a term used by the Highland clans about anybody"
Be that as it may, the root of the word is from the gaelic for "Saxon" and it means "English".
Which has lead to one of the more amusing new Irish words in recent years, "Sasamach" (Brexit) - which sounds almost identical to "Sasanach" (English) but is also portmanteau of "Sasana" (England) and "Amach" (out).
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Depends on your ethnicity. Many Scots, Welsh, Irish, Manx, Cornish, Bretons and some guys on north coast of Spain may have a different viewpoint. Also pronounce the same spelling differently, validly. Or have different spelling for the SAME pronunciation. (Mind your Ps & Qs might refer to old Welsh ( Map -> ap) and old Irish (Maq - mac)).
Most people are given their names by parents, for better or worse, and for diverse reasons. SOME parents might have been playing at being ethnic. Some ARE non-English ethnicity.
There are other people like the infamous John Stevenson (much later alias Seán Mac Stíofáin), who re-enforced his play acting with guns and bombs.
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"And then there are the Americans who think Caitlin is pronounced Kate Lynn"
Years ago woking in the US with some colleagues from france. During an office move we were amused to hear one of the removal people shout to another "do you know which office this Jean Mary woman is moving to"
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And then there are the Americans who think Caitlin is pronounced Kate Lynn
It is. It's pronounced any way you like. It's pure snobbery to judge people (Americans, or others) whose culture doesn't include speaking Gaelic for not pronouncing Gaelic names "correctly". Just get over it.