(no subject)

[flufflenecharka.livejournal.com]

What do you think of the letters Q and X used in baby names?

Over on TV Tropes someone pointed out how those letters aren't pronounced the same consistantly and that can be confusing for people since there is, effectively, no pronounciation guide. Xion and Roxas are good examples of what I mean. So do you think it helps to change the name to something closer to the actual pronounciation in English, like Shion or Rocksas, or do you think it makes it lose something?

Personally I love Xion as a name, but I think the X would result in constant confusion. On the other hand I can't imgaine spelling Chinese names without X and Q; that's just my opinion, though.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think.

Comments

[kjerlandsen.livejournal.com]

I thought Xian was Christian?

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

Xian is a short form for christian, but she posted that she liked Xion (pronounced like Zion).

[flufflenecharka.livejournal.com]

Not Xian, Xion - derived from the Japanese name Shion, popularized with the Xion spelling via several video games.

[octobre09.livejournal.com]

I would never have thought of pronouncing Xion as Shion but that's probably a cultural thing.

I really love the name Xavier (Zavier) but despise it when it's pronounced as X-avier so I thought about spelling it as Zavier even though it doesn't look great.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I think that if names are supposed to be spelled with X's or Q's, they should be, and if they're not supposed to be spelled that way, they shouldn't be.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

I really like the name Xavier it was almost my son's middle name
though probably I'd not use them because of the inability for everyone to be able to pronounce correctly

[sal_amanda]

We used Xavier as my son's middle name and I don't care much if people pronounce it X-zavier or Zavier (we use the first). I know both are correct and acceptable. But it's a much more commonly known name so people generally know how to pronounce it. Others might be trickier.

[jexia]

+1

[kjerlandsen.livejournal.com]

der that's what I get for trying to use my mom's crap PC. lol Her font is so screwy and I'm just so used to my Mac. =)

[flufflenecharka.livejournal.com]

It's okay. Different PCs display text weirdly. I was just clarifying because Shion is very rare in the West, so I totally get mistaking the Xion spelling for Xian, which is probably more common over here.

[fletwock.livejournal.com]

It annoys me that a name like Xander ends up being pronounced like Zander by most people. If I were in love with a name that had a Q or X in it and I just had to use it I'd keep the normal spelling, knowing that I'd just have to be prepared for people mispronouncing/misspelling it.

I had a Chinese professor once whose last name was Zhou, but he told everyone to call him Dr. Joe because no one could pronounce it right. I can understand why so many immigrants give their kids Western names when faced with the prospect of constant mispronunciation.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

I had a teacher whose name was Xin [last name also starts with an X but I won't post it] people are constantly calling her "Zin Z----" and she's always having to tell them it's "Shin Sh----". Most Americans aren't going to know Chinese pronunciations. It's not a deal breaker I guess, if you love the name... but it should be a consideration if you're living in America or another English-speaking country.

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

How else would you pronounce Xander?

[fletwock.livejournal.com]

With an X sound at the beginning instead of a Z sound.

[pleasure-past.livejournal.com]

I love Xerxes (not that I would ever use it on a real child) and I don't think I'd change the spelling. Sure, it can be confusing, but I think it looks weird to change the spelling of names that already have an established spelling.