Thursday, July 30, 2009

People I would like to meet....

Hannah, one of the NICU nurses, asked me how we pronounce "Lela" and she said that she learned a long time ago to always ask the parents of the pronunciation before trying to say the baby's name. Several years ago Hannah had a baby named "Le-a" in the NICU. How would you pronounce "Le-a"? I suggested Lee-ah, but I guess you could also pronounce it Lei-ah (as in Princess Leia). Yet, I would be wrong on both counts. The correct pronunciation is:

Le-dash-ah.

Yes, you pronounce the dash. Awesome.

This prompted a discussion with another NICU nurse, who had a story of twins named Lemonjello and Orangejello. However, you pronounced the names "Le-MON-gel-o" and "Or-AN-gel-o". Also awesome. I would like to meet these people one day, or more specifically, I would like to meet the parents who felt it appropriate, even desirable, to saddle poor innocent children with these ridiculous names. Of course, I am not judging. To each his own.

4 comments:

  1. You pronounce the dash? That's a new one. Have you heard the story of the twins named Winner and Loser? I don't remember where I read it, perhaps Freakonomics. Winner got into drugs and spent some time in jail, but "Lou" had a successfull career in the NYPD.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My friend Dave, who's teaching in Mississipi right now, actually met a student named "La-a", pronounced la-dash-a.

    And the Winner & Loser story is Freakonomics, I read it over last Christmas!

    One of my coworkers just told the story of his father's classroom, where he taught "Shelby Carmen Rhonda Mountain" and her brother "Clyde Emery Mountain".

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gramma always told me about someone (maybe a mayor's daughter??) that was named Ima Hogg. She said there was a sister named Ura Hogg too. I don't know how true it is but it always made me laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh yeah! I remember that one too. The two daughters of Texas governor James Hogg. Late 1800s, I think?

    ReplyDelete