Hey.. my posts are separated by someone elses! Leave me alone! =)

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about a name I have long loved but am not sure I'm brave enough to use. In college, I had a professor who'd spent many years in India as a missionary. She was a freakin awesome lady! Having learned much about the Indian culture, she fell in love with a name and gave it to her oldest daughter. The name is Mitanjeli (prn. mih-TAN-juh-lee). In Hindi, it means "Sweet handful of blessing from the Lord." At the time I had this professor, her daughter was only about 8 or so years old and her mom figured that when she was older, she would probably go by Anji for short. The daughter is now a teenager, and I've just found out she goes by Mitzi. I'm not a big fan of Mitzi, but I LOVE Mitanjeli. I think it rolls off the tongue absolutely beautifully. I think it's gorgeous, and couldn't rave about it enough... but what do you guys think of the name Mitanjeli? The nicknames Mitzi and Anji?

Comments

[bloomingtulip.livejournal.com]

It might be a handful for a little girl, but I like it. I definitely like Anji better than Mitzi though. Mitzi sounds more like a dog name to me.

[vegassunshine.livejournal.com]

When I first read the name, it seemed like a mouthful, and the first thing that came to mind was "mint jelly." But after reading the pronunciation and saying it a few times, I like it, I think it's pretty! And I really love the meaning of the name. The nickname Anji is cute!! (I'm not crazy about Mitzi though.)

[cherryrider.livejournal.com]

To be honest I still don't know how its pronounced.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I agree with you.

[solyma.livejournal.com]

it's very pretty!

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I find most Indian names beautiful when I hear them but they are a bit hard for other people to know how to pronounce. Mitanjeli is lovely =)

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I dont care for any of those 3 names. I know an Anjeli, the last couple of syllables... it's pronounced the same. I prefer that i think.
Anji is really old womanish.

[aymen.livejournal.com]

It's weird because people have a hard time pronouncing an ethnic name, but being that I speak/write spanish, I also say the name in spanish. Mitanjeli sounds pretty to me in English, but it flows so beautifuly in spanish! :) Not that you'd say it in spanish, but I just thought I'd mention it :)

[aymen.livejournal.com]

pronouncing an ethnic name SOMETIMES*

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I can, but I'll try to help.

Basically, how you would read it and think it would be pronounced is how it's pronounced.

Mit- like a baseball mitt

TAN- like getting a tan, emphasis on this syllable

gel- like hair gel

lee- like the name Lee

Mit-TAN-gel-lee

[sayga.livejournal.com]

i like it. i also really like the nickname anji. not mitzi so much, but it sure americanizes her name.

[hotmaildt.livejournal.com]

I like Mitanjeli---but I HATE the nickname/name Mitzi. It sounds like something I would name my dog. Blegh.

[poespretty.livejournal.com]

I think it's pretty but agree that a lot of people have trouble with ethnic names (prn or having them). I think I like Anji better, but that's bc my sister-in-law's name is Mitzi & about as far from a Mitanjali as you could get...

[cassandrakfreaq.livejournal.com]

its beautiful and I like anji

[peach-rose-girl.livejournal.com]

If a person who is not Indian uses the name, it's cultural misappropriation, and therefore offensive.

If a girl who comes from an Indian-American family wants to "Americanize" her name as a teenager, that's something all together different, and Anji or Mitzi are perfectly fine, IMO. They're both cute.

[rawness.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I, along with many of the members of this community blatantly disagree with the above comment. For more, read the post concerning it.

I, however, would really like to hear someone voice WHY they believe it's horribly wrong. Maybe you'll reply to the post discussing it.

[rawness.livejournal.com]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=cultural+appropriation&btnG=Search

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I understand what cultural mis/appropriation is. I don't think that using names from a culture that is not your own (in good taste obviously, excluding religious names/names that have a specific strong meaning only in that culture-- Saoirse to the Irish for example) is inherently wrong. I'd be interested to see if you can voice your opinion outside of a link, as the link doesnt really clear up anything about WHY you think it's wrong.

[rawness.livejournal.com]

I think ripping off someones culture because you think it's "cute" is horrible. Just because the name doesn't have a "specific" or "strong" meaning to the culture in your opinion doesn't mean it's not deep or sacred to someone else.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

First of all, I'm not going to use the name Mitanjeli for one of my children. I love the name. I think it's a beautiful name. I love the meaning behind it most of all. I'm not planning to use it. There are lots of names I love that I would never use, and it has nothing to do with the culture from which they came. If I did use it, it's my prerogative and I dare anyone to tell me they're offended by it. Too bad for them. (And that is strictly in reference to the name Mitanjeli)

Second of all, who are you to judge that the name was chosen because I thought it was "cute" or that anyone who chooses a name from a different culture does so simply because the name is "cute." I'm not saying that "cultural misappropriation" doesnt happen in the choosing of a name sometimes. I'm saying that my American self naming my daughter Mitanjeli is NOT cultural misappropriation. I'm also saying that you aren't the judge of that anyway.

Finally, there are plenty of names that have deep and strong meanings to me and if anyone (black, white, purple, orange, green, American, Indian, Hispanic, German, Irish, African... what have you) wants to use that name, regardless of reasoning behind it, it is not MY name/word to be offended for. And if other people can't deal with that, they just need to stay inside their homes and live in their own world being pissed off.

[rawness.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, I thought I couldn't lose any more faith in humanity.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

Oh bah. Get over yourself=)

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/baby_names/549985.html