New Post
Search
Help[Opinions] Re: Nanook...
in reply to a message by LL
Oh, please use Anouk instead. Please!
Nanook has negative connotations (all the "Nanook of the North" that people have been quoting), and also it seems exceedingly silly unless you're Iñupiaq. If you absolutely have to use it, please be sure to spell it the right way: Nanuq. Also, pronounce it correctly. It's not na-NOOK (rhymes with book) as you might think. It's NAH-nuq. The /q/ at the end is a glottal stop. English doesn't really use the sound, but if you try to say the letter /k/ waaaay back in your throat, you may be able to approximate it. The whole word is said very "closed". The vowels are almost muffled.
If parents want to choose a name from another culture, I think that's okay. But it's important to respect the culture it comes from, including the original spelling (especially when it's a word!) and pronunciation. If you don't want your son (or heaven forbid, daughter) to have to go through life being teased for her name, having to spell it, and having people pronounce it incorrectly...Anouk is a lovely alternative.
Some suggestions for middle names:
Anouk Eva
Anouk Helena
Anouk Irina
Anouk Isabella
Anouk Maria
~ Cait
Nanook has negative connotations (all the "Nanook of the North" that people have been quoting), and also it seems exceedingly silly unless you're Iñupiaq. If you absolutely have to use it, please be sure to spell it the right way: Nanuq. Also, pronounce it correctly. It's not na-NOOK (rhymes with book) as you might think. It's NAH-nuq. The /q/ at the end is a glottal stop. English doesn't really use the sound, but if you try to say the letter /k/ waaaay back in your throat, you may be able to approximate it. The whole word is said very "closed". The vowels are almost muffled.
If parents want to choose a name from another culture, I think that's okay. But it's important to respect the culture it comes from, including the original spelling (especially when it's a word!) and pronunciation. If you don't want your son (or heaven forbid, daughter) to have to go through life being teased for her name, having to spell it, and having people pronounce it incorrectly...Anouk is a lovely alternative.
Some suggestions for middle names:
Anouk Eva
Anouk Helena
Anouk Irina
Anouk Isabella
Anouk Maria
~ Cait
Archived Thread - replies disabled
1