Read entries posted by guests on YMP's Custom Blog. http://ymp.50webs.com/archives.html http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:46:57 -0500 Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:46:14 -0500 FeedForAll v1.0 (1.0.2.0) unlicensed version You'd think people would learn by now. I mean, it's not as if it's all that difficult to remember. Three syllables. Ah. Roo. She. There you go. That's my name. Aarushi. And don't wear it out. Unfortunately, I can't say that it has been worn out Although I am one of the few people in the entire world named Aarushi, (I like to think I'm the 2nd or 3rd person named Aarushi, a name that a Sanskrit professor that my mother knew, developed from the word Arush, which means "the glowing colours of the sky when the sun rises") I'd think that my name is actually really easy. It's pronounced exactly as it's spelled, Aarushi, with emphasis on the first syllable, hence the double A. The U is pronounced as an "ooh", though you could probably get away with doing a short U sound if you were saying it quickly. And the last syllable is "She". There you are. In fact, you could even remember it by thinking of a sentence, "Are you she?" but you'd have to subtract the Y. So think of it as Scooby Doo's pronunciation of that sentence and you'll be fine. With such a simple name, it's surprising that anyone would find it difficult to pronounce. But that's the case for all of my friends who aren't from India, who unfortunately get it completely wrong. For some reason, it's impossible for anyone to grasp, teachers, students, parents, the like, that my name is in fact, Ah-roo-shee, instead of something like, Uh-Roooooo-shee. For goodness sakes, it's in the spelling. I don't understand a reason why my name would have two A's in the front if it wasn't supposed to be pronounced that way. A common misspelling of my name is Arushi, which is another one I find difficult to fathom, because I always tell people that it's spelled with two A's, but it doesn't seem to register. Most people who write it for me tend to spell it wrong and then try to correct it by putting a large capital A in front of my name, so that it looks really stupid; AArushi, which in my opinion is an eyesore that I, just because I am not someone with a common name, must learn to live with, no matter how irritated and unimportant it makes me feel. But if my name were common, I think it would be much easier for people to know and pronounce. In fact, it's much easier than names like, Jesse, upon first reading. (I mean, do you pronounce the 'e' or not? Who knows? And who's to say that someone's not going to one day decide to not pronounce the 'e', what then?) I mean what about the name, Chelsea? There's an A at the end, but no one pronounces it wrong. My name sits in front of you baring its soul, while names like Chelsea and Jesse would need to be second guessed, yet still, people can't seem to handle it. About every substitute teacher I've ever had would look down at the list, see my name, which was always the first on the roster, and their eyes would open wide with an overwhelmed expression. They would casually and humorously say, "...And I apologize for any names that I butcher/botch/mispronounce/ruin/make impossible to say ever again in this state without a laugh riot ensuing..."; and I, knowing that my name was first and that everyone else knew it too, would feel mildly embarrassed, but appreciate such a consideration. And then, I suppose, in an effort to get the humiliation over with, (although, I feel it may be my humiliation and not theirs that they should working hard to guard against,) they would pronounce my name as quickly as possible, rushing through the "Aa" and heading straight to the "rooooo" part. Others, would completely butcher it and some laughter would ensue. Occasionally the teacher would stare at it in utter hopelessness and I would finish it for her, letting people hear how it should actually sound, "Aarushi," and the sub would give me a grateful smile and go on to the next "Sarah" or "Bridget". The more mortifying times, my friends or people who I'm well acquainted with would tell the teacher that my name is "Uh-roo-shee", which would only spread the problem. When I was younger, I really really hated my name. I told my mother that my name needed to be changed to Anne, to Sapphire, to Amelia, to Hermione, but my mother insisted that she loved my name and it was beautiful and all. But I hated it. I felt like it made me so much different from all of my peers. I remember it rhymed with "Sushi" and only "sushi". It took me until a lot later in my life to realize that my name was a gift. Not only does it make me automatically interesting, it offers me a chance to break the ice with anyone upon first meeting them. It's something interesting about me right off the bat. Also, I'm one of the only Aarushis in the country, so I could easily equate with Madonna's one-name-fame. I've already decided that when I reach fame, which I shall inevitably, I'm ditching my last name. Then the whole world will know me by name and my publicist will, for sure, hand out pronunciation booklets. I understand that people don't mean it when they pronounce my name wrong, but I still think that it's worth the effort to learn to pronounce it correctly. It's a slow process, but it is working. (I think it would be a bit unnerving if it was a fast process.) I think people need to realize that your name is something that defines you, and when it's mispronounced it feels as if it doesn't describe you as you are. After all, we should all be proud of our names and what they mean for us. I'm glad my name is Aarushi and that I'm not another Sarah or Jessica. http://ymp.50webs.com/guests/aarushi.html Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:40:56 -0500