While teachers and other students were typically receptive to the correct pronunciation, Malani, now an adult with his own children, said the many incorrect variations of his name that he’s heard through the years took their toll. Once, to his surprise, he was addressed as “Charlotte.” (His first name is pronounced kay-SHAV.)
“I was simply done with people mispronouncing my name and thought there has to be a way I can help people learn the correct pronunciation of my name,” Malani said.
With the start of school approaching, many students—especially students of color and students from immigrant families—may find themselves in Malani’s shoes on the first day of classes. They may not want to correct teachers or classmates on the proper pronunciation of their names, potentially resigning themselves to an entire school year of being called a name other than their given one.
The constant mispronunciation not only makes school more stressful, it can send a message that teachers aren’t making the effort to respect their identity, culture, and heritage. But it’s a problem teachers can fix easily, according to a student and experts who spoke with Education Week.
Taking a pledge to respect proper pronunciation
In Santa Clara County, Calif., home to San Jose, thousands of students and teachers have taken a pledge to respect the names and identities of the county’s students, who speak more than 60 languages.
The pledge is part of the “My Name, My Identity” initiative, which was launched in 2016 and is the result of a partnership between the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the National Association of Bilingual Education.
Those who sign the pledge commit to showing respect to individuals and their identities by properly pronouncing their names, serving as a model to others, spreading the message about the importance of proper name pronunciation, inspiring people to share their name stories via social media, and encouraging everyone to be proud of who they are.
Since its inception, the initiative has amassed more than 11,000 pledges, and a number of county school districts have signed on as supporters.
“When we empower our students’ voices and honor the language and cultural assets that they bring to schools, we will actualize our vision of creating an inclusive and respectful learning environment,” said Kelly Wylie, the director of the public affairs department for the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
Ahead of the first day of school, Ella Yi Ling Cheng, a rising 8th grader in Sunnyvale, Calif.—one of the school districts that has committed to the “My Name, My Identity” pledge—wants teachers to be proactive about correctly pronouncing students’ names.
She suggests that they allow students to say their own names during the first day’s roll call, or have them write their names phonetically so teachers can master proper pronunciation on the first try.
Ella’s mother, Cindy Hsing-Li Liu, said her daughter’s name reflects two cultures, with an American first name and Chinese middle name.
“Because she was born here in the U.S., we wanted to give her an American name that could be pronounced easily,” Liu said. “We still, from a cultural perspective, wanted to ... keep the tradition of having a Chinese name.”
Ella’s last name, Cheng, has been Americanized to make it easier to pronounce.
“Even though her last name [is] Cheng, in Chinese it sounds totally different than Cheng, but Cheng is so much easier than trying to explain the correct [Chinese] pronunciation,” said Liu.
Ella is understanding when teachers of different backgrounds pronounce her middle or last name, or her classmates’ names, incorrectly on the first few tries. But it can get annoying.
“I want teachers to be prepared for hard names, to pronounce and try their best,” Ella said.
Her message for other students whose names are frequently mispronounced? “It doesn’t mean your name is wrong or anything, it just means your name is special,” she said.
