<p>What name could possibly be mispronounced as Butterball?</p>
<p>My principal did that at my graduation last year, and all she did was give me an “Oh well, sorry I guess” look when I walked past her. </p>
<p>It really made me angry. I’ve known her four years, and I was in the top of my class so of course she knew who I was. Before every school event I practiced with whichever administrator to make sure they knew how to say it. Some got offended but if I didn’t do it, they would say it wrong and I would correct them on the spot before accepting whatever award, so I know they preferred it that way. They still never got it right. </p>
<p>My last name is also common, one letter off from another common name. My first name is not common at all, and don’t even get me started with the mess ups throughout my life.</p>
<p>I feel your and your son’s pain. Unfortunately there’s not much you can do–the big day is over, and your son didn’t correct them as he passed by (I didn’t at my graduation either–I was already through with the school and just wanted my diploma so I could get out of that place).</p>
<p>heyalb, Buterbaugh, Butterbaugh? Or maybe Butterball was just a made up example.</p>
<p>A friend of mine named Beatrice was announced as Beet Rice. They mangled the last name while they were at it, but at least that was an uncommon name.</p>
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<p>Oh my…I think if I were that bride, I’d probably keep my maiden name. 
Or just learn to live with it, I suppose.</p>
<p>Long history here of public mispronunciations of the family name. It’s really pronounced just as it’s spelled, but people can’t process the fact that there are so many consonants and so few vowels. We can always tell when we get a telemarketing call, because the caller always says, “Hello, Mrs. …” LONG pause. (During which I hang up.)</p>
<p>Our high school’s principal finally got our last name right on the third kid. When this same kid recently received her masters degree, the department head moderating the diploma ceremony stopped dead in his tracks after her first name. (This despite the fact that he had a card with the phonetic spelling of her name.) A LONG pause, during which she continued across the stage, got her diploma, and started shaking hands with faculty. He tried again with the first name, stopped, and her friend, who was next in line to cross the stage, called out the last name in ringing tones. I think we all - especially the moderator - were grateful to her for moving the ceremony along. Good for many laughs at the celebration dinner afterwards.</p>
<p>I’ve wondered about this. When I graduated from college, we had a rehearsal at which we lined up in the order we would receive our degrees, and one by one we said our names into a tape recorder - with the correct pronunciation. The person calling names used this, presumably as an earbud type of thing, to get them correct. Simple. And this was the dark ages.</p>
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<p>Thanks for providing my guffaw of the day.</p>
<p>When my husband got tenure and a named professorship the Dean of the Med School mispronounced his name! He got teased by everyone afterwards. My name is also constantly mispronounced - very weird because it just has a different first letter from another very common name that no one mispronounces.</p>
<p>This reminds me of a graduation I went where the speaker kept saying worshington instead of Washington. I thought wow, if you’re going to be in charge of this school, in this area, learn to say it.</p>
<p>But congrats to your son none the less</p>
<p>DH and my two sons have a Russian last name that has an “ei” in it, pronounced like “i.” It’s amazing how many people pronounce it like “e.” But I can’t blame them at all.</p>
<p>It’s one of the reasons I didn’t change my name.</p>
<p>My best friend’s family is half Danish and half German. She and her sister have Danish middle names, which she says are made up–hers is “Keti” (pronounced keh-tee), her sister’s is “Kari” (pronounced like Carrie.) Her sister’s name is Lise–pronounced like Lisa. She often got called “Lice” (yes, like the bug) in school or at events. It’s definitely a sore subject.</p>
<p>We have an unusual name so we’re used to the mispronunciation. At awards night, the superintendent mispronounced it. Afterwards, I gave him the correct pronunciation so it wouldn’t happen at graduation. And it didn’t; he got it right. Unfortunately, he changed her first name from female to male. Think calling Dominique, Dominic. She was mortified as the class giggled. </p>
<p>I should have left him to mess up the last name.</p>
<p>ooh ooooh I get to VENT!</p>
<p>We have a difficult last name. And 8th grade with my son was horrible. He didn’t want to go to school. Wanted to change his name to something more anglo … etc etc.</p>
<p>So we get to the final day, eighth grade flyups or soaring ahead (not a graduation, but a celebration of moving to the next stage). Each student walks across the stage and a short tribute to each is read. For my son they said “For CNPson, the (zoo animal name contained in our surname), who just smiled all year when we welcomed (zoo animal) each morning.” And then they mispronounced our surname.</p>
<p>My husband and I froze. It was tempting to walk out in protest, but we thought the protest might not be understood. So, I simply went home and wrote a heartfelt letter to the principal explaining that why we were upset and how the whole thing was just so terribly inappropriate and hurtful. And although S1 is flying up or soaring or whatever to the high school, S2 would be a new student there in the fall. So please take note.</p>
<p>She replied, apologized, and SPELLED THE NAME WRONG. And then apologized for that in a second letter, and DID IT AGAIN.</p>
<p>I am so DONE with them. That was many years ago, but I have never forgotten. S2 went elsewhere – and thrived. He would not have survived that middle school.</p>
<p>My kids’ former high managed to get the names correct, including the many names of students born on other continents. Two people announce the nearly 400 names. Each does 1/2. One is a theater/public speaking teacher and the other has some language knowledge. I don’t know how they do it. </p>
<p>They did announce the incorrect person for valedictorian at D’s graduation. The Val and Sal are not officially announced until the grad ceremony. The Sal. was correctly announced when the young man’s name was called. The announcer named a female as the Val. The entire class, and many parents, knew it was incorrect. The young woman looked confused and awkwardly accepted the medal as she tried to tell the principal it was wrong. The real Val tried to keep a straight face, but he looked a bit surprised. As soon as she returned to her seat she took it off and later passed it to the correct young man. Later in the program the speaker corrected the error by announcing the correct Val. I felt horrible for the young man and his family.</p>
<p>[Macalester</a> graduation announcer takes job seriously | StarTribune.com](<a href=“http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/207957791.html]Macalester”>http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/207957791.html)</p>
<p>Yep, happened to my D the other day. Her name is not difficult. It is very common. The announcer got it wrong in rehearsal, D went to tell her after (as directed), and the announcer called her something DIFFERENT in the ceremony. LOL! What is horrible is that D actually is an office worker for the announcer. Sees her every day. Works for her. Ah well. It’s over.</p>
<p>Mine was mispronounced, but it often is.</p>
<p>That said, we had a practice graduation specifically for the vice principal to learn pronunciations and give people a chance to correct him. And he still messed up quite a few easy ones the day of. For example, there was a guy in my class name Alexandre (pronounced Alexander). His name got read as Alexandra.</p>
<p>Oh, good grief. Anyone can make a mistake, no matter how long they’ve known someone. Get over it.</p>
<p>When we were married, the minister called me by my husband’s middle name instead of my own name. We thought it was amusing and certainly didn’t it let take away even one bit of enjoyment on our day. Gee, I suppose I should have gotten angry and pouty instead.</p>
<p>I dont disagree in principle, (principal for those who like puns), except that people arent talking about calling the roll on the first day of class. Weddings are a little different, especially if the officiant doesn’t know the couple.</p>