[General] Thierry pronounced Theory

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smackaman1

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Hi - My husband I are having a son due in January. We really love the name Thierry but we want to pronounce it Theory. Is this wrong? We figure since we are not French we could pronounce it Theory. Thoughts?

Thank you!
 
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[tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi] is the IPA for it.
I think it's more pronounce tea'erry. So no "th" sound.
 
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Oh, sorry, you were asking if it was ok to pronounce it 'theory'. I mean, it's technically wrong. But go for it. Tea'erry sounds cooler than theory in my opinion though. Almost like the French pronunciation of theory.
 

Johnson_F

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I don't know about your home country, but in the UK you can call your offspring virtually anything you wish, and spell the name and pronounce it as you wish.
 

Barb_D

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My thought is that when your son is six years old, and ten, and 14, and 23, and into adulthood, he will have to spell his name EVERY SINGLE TIME he says it.

How would you feel if EVERY SINGLE TIME you said your name to get on the wait list at the restaurant, or order something by phone, or applied for a job, or opened a charge account, you had to say "It's Theory, that's T H I E R R Y. Yes, T H I E. Right, I E. Then two Rs. Yeah, you got it." No, it's said 'Theory.' Yeah, I E. Yeah, I'm sure."?

That doesn't make it wrong. You can do anything you like. But you asked for thoughts, and my thought is that any name it is hard to spell in the first place (which is okay alone) is made almost impossible when the pronunciation needs to be explained.

Can you image what life is like for Leigh, whose parents decided they'd like to pronounce it Lee-aye? It makes poor Marcia, who has to explain that it's mar-cee-uh every time, seem like she's got it made in the shade in comparison.
 

Johnson_F

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You have a good point, Barb_D, but (you could see that but coming, I am sure), some people delight in being different. Back in the early 1960s, (before the James Bond actor became famous), I taught 11-year-old boys who would proudly tell me that their name was, "**** = that's S-E-A-N, not S-H-A-U-N", and girls who have happily asserted, "My name is ANDrea, not An-DRAY-er".

For every child who suffers from a parental whim, there is at least one who revels in it.
 

Barb_D

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I'm not ready to agree with your ratio. But to each his own. If he really hates it, when he's 18, he can change it, and if it loves it, I'm happy to be wrong.
 

BobK

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I'm with Barb. The name 'Thierry' was not widely used in the UK until the '90s (? - about) when Thierry Henry became influential in the British/French/World football scene. Until then, I'd've been inclined to be more permissive, and say 'call him what you want'. But now he'd be fighting against a very strong current. (I'm reminded of a history teacher I had who insisted on pronouncing everyone's name 'correctly' - very confusing.)

b

PS As an indicator of this dominance, go into Wikipedia and type 'Thierry' in the Search box; Thierry Henry comes top by the time you've typed the first four letters, and if you type all seven I imagine you won't recognize any of the other Thierrys!
 
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smackaman1

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All great points everyone! Thanks for your time and advice. So what do you guys think of Theory as a boys name and nickname him Theo? We thought this was very unique. Thoughts?
 

smackaman1

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Thanks Tdol! Love that idea! :cool:
 

Raymott

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All great points everyone! Thanks for your time and advice. So what do you guys think of Theory as a boys name and nickname him Theo? We thought this was very unique. Thoughts?
You could name him Hypothesis, and still call him Theo for short. That's pretty unique, and he wouldn't have to keep spelling it out.
 

Ouisch

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I'm 100% with Barb in this matter. "Some people" who delight in being different usually refers to the parent, not the child who has to spend every day of his life spelling out his mispronounced name to teachers, casual acquaintances, etc. It gets old very quickly, trust me.

Name your child "Theory" if you like, but the giddy excitement at explaining to strangers "His father and I met in Astronomy class and discussed the Big Bang Theory on our first date....." wears out once the child is out of his stroller and on his own in school. Now he'll be taunted by playground bullies and snickered at during roll call. Even teachers won't bother to listen to the detailed explanation of why his name is sooo creative and unique and meaningful....they'll just make a snide crack like "Who's your dad, Pythagoras?" and continue on to the next name on the list. Likewise, as an adult businessperson every time he gives his name on the phone to a potential customer/client/vendor/whatever, he's bound to get some sort of witty retort "Theory? So, how are you doing, relatively speaking?"

My advice is to adopt a pet to use as a creative outlet for your whimsical naming prowess. A dog's name will only ever be inquired about while you are present, and then you can launch into your delightful reasoning behind his moniker. And, best of all, the dog can't roll his eyes or slink away in embarrassment while you're doing so. ;-) :-D
 

mayita1usa

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All great points everyone! Thanks for your time and advice. So what do you guys think of Theory as a boys name and nickname him Theo? We thought this was very unique. Thoughts?

I would vote for this idea, if what you like is the pronunciation of 'theory' - and it IS kind of a cool word to use as a name! Also, I love the nickname idea, especially since it matches the spelling! ;-)

Plus, because I AM a French(-as-a-Second-Language) speaker, to me spelling it the French way and pronouncing it wrong is, well, wrong, and might make you look a little ignorant. (Yes, I know I sound like a snob - I'm sorry about that, but langauges are my life! Also, I love the name Thierry, pronounced the French way!)
 
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