Craig and Raphael/Rafael

[trishy-h.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that Americans (generalization alert!) pronounce the name Craig 'CREG', in other words, like Greg with a c. Why? It drives me up the wall but maybe there's some explanation for it. I (and everyone I know here - I live in South Africa) pronounce it CRAY-G.

Also, how do you pronounce Raphael/Rafael? I pronounce it RAFA-YEL but every time I watch the US Open on ESPN the American commentators pronounce it RAFI-YEL (for Rafael Nadal). I see no 'i' in the name but maybe I'm the one who's been pronouncing it incorrectly all this time. What say you?

Comments

for me

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

Craig = CRAY-g
Raphael= raf-AI-el

Re: for me

[djador.livejournal.com]

agreed

[http://users.livejournal.com/hajari_/]

CRAY-G

Never heard anyone say 'Creg', but haha that would drive me insane as well.

Raphael = rah-fay-el.

I live in Australia.

[xo-inthered.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Craig = CRAY-g
Raphael = RAPH-ah-el (heavy 'ph' sound)

[areawoman.livejournal.com]

My dad's name is Craig, and people have always pronounced it Cray-g. (I live in the US -- midwest)

[anapology.livejournal.com]

This name is such a sourch of amusement to me...

Basically I HATE IT. it's the worst name in the world, and it happens to be my boy's name.

it's cray-g to me too.

Is it so bad that i try and say his name as little as possible, and he goes by 'Aussie'?

[anapology.livejournal.com]

ps. They say Creg in Wedding Crashers and it took me ages to figure out they meant Craig.

[dustkitty.livejournal.com]

*blinks* They weren't saying Greg? Oh.

[eleanorgrace.livejournal.com]

To me "Creg" and "Cray-g" sound so similar it makes almost no difference to me. I probably say both, depending on how much of a hurry I'm in.

My cousin is Raphaela, and I think we say RAF-aye-el-uh, with the aye sounding like a cross between a long "A" and a long "I" sound. But she goes by Raffy, so we don't have to say it much.
How do they say it on TMNT? That'll be your answer right there.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

I say Creg/Cray-g very similarly, too.

[stace25.livejournal.com]

I can't spot the difference between, it sounds so similar when you say it! I think that Greg is pronounced that way too, Greg/gray-g.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking that I'm pretty sure I say Greg to match Craig and not the other way around.

[una-waiting.livejournal.com]

I agree for Craig.

Raphael, to me and my best friend (named that) is pronounced either Rah-fay-el or Rah-feye-el. I don't really know how to spell that phonetically.

[pythianlegume7.livejournal.com]

I say Craig to rhyme with Greg and I know several people with this name that pronounce it that way! Cray-g just sounds wrong to me!

[kandeekiss.livejournal.com]

I'm a New Englander, I live in Connecticut, so everyone here, and Mass. and NY, for the most part (unless they live in Boston or Brooklynn with their own accents) have a Yankee "accent", and here we say Creg and Rafi-yel. I think other then New England though, the rest of America pronounces it properly.

[trishy-h.livejournal.com]

An explanation! Thank you muchly.

[kandeekiss.livejournal.com]

Not a problem :)

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

I always assumed it was more an American thing to say "creg," more a non-American thing to say "crayg." I've only ever known one Craig, and everyone called him "creg."

Raphael...I never say it, so tough call. I think I'd be most likely to say rah-fee-EL, because I think that's how they said it in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which was where I heard the name most often as a child.

[rockstargrrrlie.livejournal.com]

I always thought that Creg and Cray-g sound pretty much the same; although I guess now that I'm thinking about it, you probably open your mouth a little wider to do the second pronunciation.

Raf-AY-el

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

It's an accent thing. The reason we pronounce it differently is because we have different accents. Simple as that.

Craig = CREG
Raphael = RAFF-ay-ELL

I'm in Canada, if it makes a difference.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I'm American, and I pronounce it as CRAYG. I live in the South, though, so that could just be an accent poking through, maybe.

RAY-fee-el is the English pronunciation, according to Behind the Name; I went to a church called St. Raphael's that was pronounced in that manner. Rafael, though, I pronounce as rah-FIE-el, though, as a result of years of studying Spanish.

overhere

[eliaele.livejournal.com]

Raphael/Rafael : rah-fa-hel

but I'm french, so ...

[shortbutfast.livejournal.com]

they also say cow-linn instead of colin... ;)