While on the topic, how do you pronounce Ng? I saw that name on our company's intranet.

"While on the topic, how do you pronounce Ng? I saw that name on our company's intranet.
#1 | Posted by goatman at 2009-04-10 05:22 AM"

This is similar to the Black names issue.

Wanting Blacks to use "common" names because of THEIR difficulty to remain netural upon hearing one.

Meanwhile these asians not only know their culture they have taken on the task of adopting to another culture. They are worlds above the average american as far as exposure to the world.

This is similar to the Black names issue.

These guys make a video poking fun at "ghetto" names. 101 will have fun.

I really dont care what your name is. But if it is funny to me, you better believe I'm gunna laugh at it. Like those idots in Penn. with little Hitler.

This woman doesnt know many Greeks or Polish folks does she?

If they want to live in American they should adopt Western European names.

Man, that legislator is probably sorry she ever volunteered to help resolve the voter identification issue.

Plenty of asians do in fact "americanize" their first names.. ie. Sammy or Joe.. and many that have children here give them American sounding names..

Which is fine with me.. I don't really care what anyone's name is.. but whether cultural names invented by stupid immature parents (ghetto names) or names that are common in Vietnam or India, just be ready for people to mispronounce, misspell, or laugh.. "Orangejello please come to the principal's office" . Heck, I have a funny first name (I use my middle name) but I had to grin and bear it both in the Coast Guard and college..

This whole news story is a bit funny, but actually means nothing.

"This woman doesn't know many Greeks or Polish folks does she?"

Hell no she doesn't all the people in her party are named Cooter,Billy Bob,Rufus,Geetch,Snuffy Smith,Bubba,Trig,Trip,Trap,Mon
go or George.

Keep the loons coming Rush and friends. Let's keep puhing the party of "No" to the crazy south.

If they want to live in American they should adopt Western European names.
#7 | Posted by chickenrancher at 2009-04-10 10:00 AM | Reply | Flag: Reincarnated Ellis Island Clerk

"Western European names..."

Love the add at the top of this thread.;-)

I have never understood how China, a country of over a Billion people can get by using 2 letter names for its populace.

I mean, I understand how someone in Mumbai can end up with the name Balakumar Swaminathan Kannamkumarathikan but how many Xu Mas are running around Beijing?

How in the hell do they do it?

If white people want to live in America, they should adopt Native American names.

For example, I think the following sound quite nice:
Burns-in-the-sun
Dances-like-fool
Dog-that-smells-like-wet

As someone whose last name lends itself to mockery, I feel for my Asian-American brethren.

Rogers

As software R&D headhunters in the Silicon Valley in the early 80's, we had a lot of great Asian names to work with.

One of our favs was Yor Hung Lo.

Yeah Cork, these days it's folks from India.

I can't tell you how many Dikshit's I have in my database.

So.......... if your name is Assa Dikshit and your English is very poor, what chance do you have to be sucessful here in the US.

You can do all the PC shit you want but... answer honestly to yourself.

What if your name's "Sniper" and you plagiarize other people's writing and run away when asked to substantiate smears you've spread? I mean, really, answer honestly to yourself.

I just had the argument with a student--there's a big difference between living in the US for 30 years and refusing to learn the language... and living here, knowing the language, being a citizen, in all ways, and wanting to have your culture and your own friggin' name. As humans, with any name (I know people who can't or won't try to say my son's name, and it's a fine English/colonial name with three easy syllables), we should be polite enough to try to say it right and to not mock someone whose name is "different." And the other side is, If you have a name that is unusual and hard for those around you to say, then you should be willing to work with them to learn it, and if they try and fail, you should be willing to accept that. But no one should be forced to change their name, ESPECIALLY in order to vote. That's voter suppression.

And no, I'm not against voter ID. I actually think one should be able to prove one is a citizen before casting a ballot. But that citizen's name should not be regulated or controlled.

Snippy,

That's easy, if they're named Dikshit then most likely they're Gujurat which means they'll end up owning 5 Holiday Inn's. Not exactly Warren Buffet but not too shabby.

How much credibility does a call center guy in Pune lose whit you when he says;

"Heelo, I am telephoning you today on your telephonic equipment from the telephone company Sprint, my name is Tony."

I mean come on.

But hey, White people even had to give Jesus a new name so they could understand it so why would they stop there. Who gives a fuck what his mother called him right?

MP,

When outsourcing really took off a few years ago I ended up training a large number of people in Bangalore. I recall at the time that I couldn't pronounce many of the names so I understand why the "renaming" is so prevalent. At one point I spoke pretty fair Vietnamese and thought the names were much easier than Indian names.

I had a guy working for me named Hung Cao. I told him that was anatomically impossible.

I understand that saying, "Hello this is Rajogopalsimiranathan..." would be a little confusing but go with 'Raj' not 'Tony'.

Don't insult my intelligence by trying to tell me your name is Tony.

Right off the bat, I am being lied to. That's all I am trying to say. I'll take genuine over convenient any day.

I also worked with a guy from Cambodia who's first name was Phoeng (sp? it was a long time ago). He eventually got his citizenship, so he wanted to change his name to something "more American" --- he picked "Pierre".

#26. LOL

MP,

I had an indian guy tell me his name was John well the call lasted about 40 min before everthing was resolved and while he was waiting for his computer to tell him how to fix my problem we chated. Turned out his name was basicly unproncable in english. He was cool with the John designation so John it was, does it matter?

Oh Goat back in my dorky mathlete days there was a kid Lenny Ng he pronuced it Ing so I was suprised by trueblue's link. If Lenny is the guy working with your company he's a friggen genius. My school was always #2 to his school because he would double just about everyone elses points.

I like the Raj not Tony point. Diminutives are fine. Y'see, I believe names are important, and generally, a person should be called what they want to be called. I knew a girl in college who decided she wanted to be known as X. Sure, I thought it was stupid, but what harm was there in playing along?

They should all change their names to
Betty Brown.

This must be what they mean by adding hip hop to the republic party...

we can call them DJ slanty eyes... LOL

Lets see REPUBLICAN FROM TEXAS, ignorant fucking SNACH!!!! NUFF SAID....

Many Chinese already have! I use to always laugh when hearing a chinese with a heavy accent their name..they'd reply Susan, Joe, or whatever.

They do that out of respect...and to make it easier for everybody!

"One of our favs was Yor Hung Lo.

#16 | Posted by Corky at 2009-04-10 10:49 AM"

Restaurant in Portland: Hung Far Low.

If the problem is really difficulty with Americans being able to pronounce and spell the names of newly naturalized citizens, what are Ms. Brown's thoughts with respect to Polish and Greek immigrants to say nothing of those from the former Yugoslavia?

OCU

All I have to say is Phuc Yu

stupid stupid stupid
jasman

What problem? For the dumb asses in Texas that can't pronounce Asian names will just give them all numbers for the voting booth, like the one on their ID cards.

Say what? They already do that in Texas? Well OK then, teach the Texans how to pronounce numbers. Problem solved.

This just another irrelevant Rtard politician trying to be noticed. They refuse to contribute anything to fixing the country's many problems, they can only contribute either:

1. Criticism
2. More problems
3. Comic Relief

I'm very glad Rep Betty Boop chose 3.

Ok, just came across another great name on a resume.

Gagan Deep

I shit you not.

Now that one I would suggest changing.

I have faith that one day, after enough exposure to the rest of the world, my fellow Americans will be able to not shrink away in fear from people with...different names. Wow, it just struck me how retarded of a thing that is to get hung up on.

You realize these names are being transliterated from other alphabets with a completely different set of phonemes right? So it's gonna take a few extra letters in English to get to the best approximation. Indian letters always include an elided vowel to them. So a name that would be four letters in Sanskrit would end up being 8 or so in English, because you have to add on the full sounding of the vowels as a new letter. This full sounding of the vowels makes it sound like a slow person is speaking to the Indian ear.
Keep in mind that the Indian version retains the original aspects of the common proto-Indo-European language and is uniform, while the mongrelized English language (Latin, Old English, Norman French, and subsequent assumptions of vocab and grammar from other languages) is pretty all over the place.
The lengths of the names in most cultures is also related to historical recording of lineage. An individual is an individual down to their name. Not everyone is named John or Bob.

Names like Makenzie and Braedan sound pretty damn strange to the rest of the world, but they maturely accept it and move on.

I have faith that one day, after enough exposure to the rest of the world, my fellow Americans will be able to not shrink away in fear from people with...different names. Wow, it just struck me how retarded of a thing that is to get hung up on.

It all starts with the "We Speak Amurican" crowd.

Learning is just too challenging for them. It's also why we don't use the metric system.

Amuricans' are just too fucking dumb.

While on the topic, how do you pronounce Ng? I saw that name on our company's intranet.

#1 | Posted by goatman at 2009-04-10 05:22 AM

It's along the lines of Nying, but the ig are said really fast.

Like Nguyen is knee-yen.

Like Nguyen is knee-yen.

#43 | Posted by briwo

Most of my Vietnamese friends pronounce it Nwin.

"Most of my Vietnamese friends pronounce it Nwin."

That's closer, something like nwin or nwen.

The sound of "ng" is the same as the sound in "runni(ng)" and sounds something like a glottal "gwin."

Betty Brown,States that American asias can still continute using the names of:

Melove Yu Longtime
Ohme Sohorney
Gifive Dollar Makeyouhollar

#43, yeah I've heard it pronounced that way too.

I have a Cambodian friend whose Mother cannot make the F (eff) sound.

When she says flower in English, it always comes out plower. We've tried everything and she just can't do it. Missed the linguistic window for that sound.

We have had a lot of funny times trying to teach her though.

Remember when Cartman thought he was a 14 year old Vietnamese prostitute named Mei Ling?

Funny shit.

I was given an old english name: i stopped useing it when i became old enough to tell the school office people that i was going to go by my middle name. I got teased so much about my first name, still do if people know what my first name is.
I decided to change it because ---i got sick of hearing as a child --Mable Mable set the table, then in junior high it was , Mable black label, and on to high school it became--mable get off the table, the 2 bucks is for the beer. now to you understand why i changed it--lol

I guess I'm a little olser than you.

Mable, get off the table.
The quarter is for the beer.

A large draft was a quarter. The small one was a dime.

Bu the way, someone told me doc was a genius.

Well sniper i was born in 1942, i'm old as dirt.

Terry goes segregationist like a good Democrat, "Tadowe sucks. We need a bouncer in here."

Indeed! That's the Democrat way, after all - if you don't like their "looks" ride them out of town on your democratic rail. Robert Byrd would be quite proud of you for this!

Send me to the back of your yellow-dog bus, or refuse me service!

Come on, if I won't go, why not send some "union members" over to show me why I should leave, or lose my ambulatory function ... I won't get to vote in private, will I ...?

You nazi wannbes are so obvious with your one-line efforts to reproduce Krystalnacht in the here-and-now ...

TAdowe----i AM NOT A SEGREGATIONIST!!!

yes i'm a demorcrate and proud of it---

actually your statement didn'tmake any sence to me-

I take it as an insult---i have 3 beautiful bi-racial grandchildren--by no means can you call me a segregationist---

Terry goes segregationist like a good Democrat, "Tadowe sucks. We need a bouncer in here."

#54 | Posted by tadowe

Tadowe,

You're misattributing a quotation from a completely different thread:

Terry goes ballistic, "TAdowe----i AM NOT A SEGREGATIONIST!!!"

That is what is happening at TCU - homosexuals are asking for and being segregated due to their sexual practices. You seemingly support that segregation as being correct, don't you?

"I take it as an insult---i have 3 beautiful bi-racial grandchildren--by no means can you call me a segregationist---"

Wow! Now, I suppose that you will start saying that I'm a racist, won't you? Or, because of your inferences, someone else here will follow your hint and name me a racist ...

Why don't you explain why the term "segregation" does NOT apply to this thread's subject?

Zara responds with correction.

I apologize for any misattribution, but the commentary remains the same ...

Okay zarathustraa----i'll get the hang of this place yet. not really used to posting here. i guess there must be another Terry

Okay Tadowe, whatever, i'm to old to put up with your insanity, i made a statement that was by no means segregationist.
as far has this thread goes, maybe its not segregationist, but intolerance of something different, as in peoples names.

Terry goes on some more, "... i'm to old to put up with your insanity, i made a statement that was by no means segregationist."

You know, when I was told I had misattributed the statement made by someone else to you, I apologized. At that time, I mentioned that my comments still applied, although considering my apology, those comments weren't actually meant for you, specifically.

Now, you can't stop making me your subject to call insane, whatever, and continue to sound like all the other liberals, here, in making me the subject to attack. You are some piece of work, however ancient ...

"as far has this thread goes, maybe its not segregationist, but intolerance of something different, as in peoples names."

You mean like being called "Tadpole" from the 1st Grade until now?

Why don't you go find someone else to whine about, for the moment anyway?

Zara responds with correction.

I apologize for any misattribution, but the commentary remains the same ...

#58 | Posted by tadowe

Totally understandable; it's something we've all done at one time or another.

However, a few things re: your "commentary"...

Of course, Democrats are guilty of "blacklisting" or silencing their respective "heretics" (both in- and out-group "heretics")...however, the same remains true when considering Republicans, environmentalists, practitioners of new-age "medicine", supporter of the (2003) Iraq War, insert-group-here, etc. When enough like-minded people come together - regardless of ideology or personal policy predilection - there is a polarization in the group dynamic, thanks in no small part to the effect of confirmation bias. Any group or institution that is highly self-interested is probably going to be interested in squelching or marginalizing dissent - most especially if it's from "within the ranks"!

This empirically holds true for any of the aforementioned groups, and pretty much any that match the characteristics mentioned above.

Zarathustra says, "Godwin's Law - Really? How does that add to your credibility?"

I'm not here to "earn" the credibility of the lying left! What an idea! You have me mistaken with someone who actually might have some respect for the party that has acted out as anti-patriots for the last 8 years, defaming our commander in chief during a war; issuing near treasonous calumny to gain votes, and by desiring to lose a war to terrorism!

"For the sake of the argument, if one accepts that the tendency to "blacklist" or "squelch" others is more prevalent within the ranks of Democrats (personally, I believe neither party is "more" guilty than the other), that doesn't make it unique to one part of the political spectrum. Maybe it isn't intentional, but your rhetoric certainly seems to suggest that Democrats alone are guilty of this offense - or, at least much more flagrantly in violation than anyone else."

As most know by now, I'm not a Republican, but rather a constitutional conservative. You are one of the "hacks" if you can't recognize the degree of effort to defame and revile political opposition exercised by Democrats against the rightwing, Republicans, Christians, and everyone else not in agreement with their efforts to gain political power through lies and tacit treason ...

As I mentioned, there isn't anyone here from the left with any reason for their calumny, just the ability to repeat it like the political parrots they just happen to be.

Example: Trying to make Southern Democrat bigots and racists into being Republicans because their party was in charge when Republicans were the main reason the Civil Rights Act passed.

Why would the racists join the anti-racist Republican party? And, if they did, would they be Republicans, or would they still be racist bigots hiding behind the Republicans who defeated their efforts to continue segregation and keep the blacks weak and dependent on them for survival?

Go fool some Democrat liberal, since they are the dupes who believe this effort to lie Republicans into being the racists Democrats were ...

Without coming across as an asshole - as it's not intended; I don't know you - Tadowe, I can tell you are an intelligent guy.

Certainly you've heard of someone who has aspects of his/her personality that is "disarming" - for example, the admission that one is not the final authority in a given matter.

Playing on that idea, online you come across as having a very "ARMING" personality - various bloggers become very defensive (some offensive, too) in response to you. if that's intentional, then kudos! You are accomplishing your goal.

However, if your intention is to be an iconoclast, a "gadfly", or to simply disseminate a point of view that isn't commonly considered by the mainstream, then I must say your vitriolic rhetoric makes you somewhat of an overwhelming fail.

Allow me to qualify my previous statement - I don't post all that much here, but I _DO_ lurk quite frequently, so I've got a "feel" for certain posters - and, if not, I can look up their post history quite easily.

To use a recent example, I read up a lot about the "electric universe" and all things plasma. I don't know if EU is a superior answer to the mainstream physics/cosmology, but I'm open to alternatives - I agree, some of the mathematical "constructs" seem suspect to me, but then again I can't do that level of math.

You are obviously knowledgeable, but you present yourself as a know-it-all who'd prefer the doubters and/or mendicants go get fucked if they don't happen to agree...

You are one of the "hacks" if you can't recognize the degree of effort to defame and revile political opposition exercised by Democrats against the rightwing, Republicans, Christians, and everyone else not in agreement with their efforts to gain political power through lies and tacit treason ...

LOL...Isn't that a great deal of what I addressed in my #62? I'm saying Dems - of course - are guilty of this; however, it's not unique.

Of course, Democrats are guilty of "blacklisting" or silencing their respective "heretics" (both in- and out-group "heretics")....When enough like-minded people come together - regardless of ideology or personal policy predilection - there is a polarization in the group dynamic, thanks in no small part to the effect of confirmation bias. Any group or institution that is highly self-interested is probably going to be interested in squelching or marginalizing dissent - most especially if it's from "within the ranks"!

Go ahead and check through my posting history. Nowhere will you find me mindlessly shilling for either political party!

I *thought* I was, in fact, agreeing with you when I wrote what I've reproduced above. I've selected my words very carefully. That's why your response puzzles me - I thought I was explicit in acknowledging "the degree of effort to defame and revile political opposition exercised by Democrats" against any and all political opponents.

I contend that others do this as well, and it's not limited to politics. Hence the parts about confirmation bias and self-interested institutions. Is this problematic for you?

This past summer's political minidrama that was the competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ought to be evidence enough for pettiness and "the degree of effort to defame and revile political opposition exercised by Democrats" to anyone who's paying attention to the news.

After all, Democrats can be politically opposed to other Democrats.

Such is the nature of intra-group "politics"; it isn't unique to any one group - political or not.

To pretend otherwise is to set up the ultimate strawman argument, or to be totally ignorant to what is commonly referred to as "reality".

Tadowe?

Zarathustra gets jealous, "Did you run out of steam on the other thread? Is the position I've asserted problematic for you? You'd been quick to respond until lately...what's going on?"

I stated my opinion as to your effort to make me the subject. What else are you demanding of me? To answer your repetitions?

I think your effort to equate Republican efforts with those of Democrats in this regard is being purposefully disingenuous.

The efforts to disagree with the Bosnian adventure was nothing like the last 8 years of daily calumny and efforts to defame Republicans, the rightwing, Christians, and everyone else disagreeing with their anti-liberal, anti-patriotic efforts.

Now, the liars and petty dictators demand that political talk from the rightwing be stifled ... and your mealy-mouthed effort to say that Republicans are doing the same is nothing more than an obvious partisan lie.

You make no effort to agree with me, at all! Instead, you belittle my efforts to highlight the partisan lies of the left by pretending that you agree, while actually trying to conflate the 8 year long effort by Democrats to belittle and defame *every single* effort of Republicans, and infering that "everyone does it," as an apology for the unilateral effort.

The real "clue" though is your effort to make me the subject to criticize, not agree with ... why else keep leading the inference that I am failing to respond to your "reasonable" efforts to equate eight plus years of lying about Bush/Republicans with what lying by Republicans, exactly?

Do you have some problematic issue over responding to that, directly?

nothing more than an obvious partisan lie.

Then it follows that I must be a partisan.

Since you made the assertion, I'll allow you to back it up with some evidence.

Go through my posting history and find something that suggests I'm an "obvious partisan", a mindless sycophant, etc.

...you belittle my efforts to highlight the partisan lies of the left by pretending that you agree, while actually trying to conflate the 8 year long effort by Democrats to belittle and defame *every single* effort of Republicans, and infering that "everyone does it," as an apology for the unilateral effort.

Hey, I'm tired of the two-party system, too. You pretend to know what I think, and it's laughable, at best.

The real "clue" though is your effort to make me the subject to criticize

Actually, I think I've been pretty fair to you - much more fair than you are to those who disagree with you, and much more fair than you've been to me - even though you don't know where I stand on numerous issues (except for when I tell you that I'm sick of both parties' hijinks).

However, I'll leave it to the "casual reader" to decide.

The real "clue" though is your effort to argue with anyone and everyone, regardless of whether or not you may agree. Like I said earlier, I don't post here much and lurk from time to time, but tonight alone I've witnessed you burn bridges (on other threads) with bloggers who may otherwise agree with you.

I think you are being contentious for the sake of being contentious; you are trolling for arguments all evening long on a Friday night.

I'm staying in tonight because I have to be up early tomorrow; you've apparently been pressing anyone and everyone's buttons for the greater part of the past decade, and have quite fittingly earned a reputation as a bitter troll.

Regardless, I won't be around to read your excuse; I have better things to do with my time than spend hours arguing with anonymous figures online.

No one should have to "adopt a name". That's ridiculous.

But this reminds me of a guy I used to work with at a fine dining restaurant. I was a bartender and the owner was sitting at the bar talking to me when this one guy walks up to him. He says "Hi, I'm Hung, the new cook". My boss quickly replies "so am I but I don't go around bragging about it".

Perhaps the distinguished lady from Texas would be happier if all the males changed their name to something more familiar with the Texas ear. "Muhammad", perhaps? God knows having a half billion Muhammads running around hasn't caused any confusion has it?

So.......... if your name is Assa Dikshit and your English is very poor, what chance do you have to be sucessful here in the US.

You can do all the PC shit you want but... answer honestly to yourself.

#18 | Posted by Sniper at 2009

well if this goes for this guy

I guess anyone named DONG is okay...

Lets see REPUBLICAN FROM TEXAS, ignorant fucking SNACH!!!! NUFF SAID....

#32 | Posted by celisary at 2009

you poor miserable sumbitch.....tsk tsk.....

maybe one of this days you might actually post something even modestedly creative.

nah....probably not

and oh yeah

if the shirt I got in the mail yesterday and the significance behind it doesnt work then I guess the next step just might have to be

THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS..........

we fought for independence from tryanny before, why not again?

....hard to find a Vietnamese man named "Charlie".....

Miso Ho Nee

The headline is misleading.

She didn't say anybody should change their names. The speaker, who was an Asian-American, explained that Americans often have trouble recognizing two different spellings of an Asian name as BEING the same name (in the context of discussing how some Asian Americans were kept from voting in 2004).

Brown offered the idea that transliteration of those names should be simplified. She didn't say anybody should change their name.

I agree, and I think each time an Americans travel overseas, they should have their passports name changed to to country they are going-so when they travel through many countries they can have as many passports. That way Americans can also have names the host country can pronounce

"I agree, and I think each time an Americans travel overseas, they should have their passports name changed to to country they are going-so when they travel through many countries they can have as many passports. That way Americans can also have names the host country can pronounce"

Agree with Brown or disagree, but she's not talking about Asians coming here to visit, and nothing she said was remotely offensive, racist, or rude, nor did she say anybody should change his or her name.