this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2025
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Chapotraphouse

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When English is your only language and you can't even get that right, maybe who's running for mayor shouldn't be your biggest concern. Try mastering your ABCs first and then we can move beyond sesame street level issues.

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[–] Chana@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It's pronounced Zo-hran, with emphasis on the second syllable and a touch of that H. This is not how a Western English speaker would assume it's pronounced based on how it's spelled. There aren't many words in English with a pronounced middle-of-the-word H-to-R like that.

I've actually never heard a lefty say it correctly irl.

[–] Keld@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Most people I've heard say his name pronounces it how he himself says it (Well, he pronounces the R slightly more, but the issue is not emphasis), and if he is saying it wrong then... I mean is he? Can you be wrong about your own name?

Edit: Because if so I have a lot of notes for white Americans with Scandinavian origin names.

[–] Chana@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

You can be kind of wrong about your own name if you are deciding to say it differently to avoid dealing with those who say it incorrectly. Like you grew up with it being X but pronounce it Y at work because you're sick of correcting people.

[–] gobble_ghoul@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

Most people don't pronounce the /h/ and I guess some of them flip it with the /r/, so I don't think they actually are saying it the way that he does. Both of those are completely understandable changes to make based on English's syllable structure rules because /h/ is only allowed before vowels in English. So it's kind of a matter of deciding whether you delete the /h/ or keep it and put it in the wrong place if you're not used to hearing or saying it at the end of a syllable.

[–] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I actually meant more that people keep saying 'Mandani' or 'Mandami' than how they pronounce his first name

[–] Chana@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

Oh I see. Yeah it is kind of amazing how even people who don't explicitly mean anything negative say things like "Mandamni" and such. I think there is a general carelessness in not learning names beyond what a person internalized before age 10. I have tried to get people to just say one or two syllable names correctly, simple phonetic ones, and they fail over and over again.

It's usually older people and I do honestly wonder if it is lead exposure.