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Help[Opinions] My new Polish Princess combo...
Hey, all. Haven't posted in a long time, but just wanted some opinions on a new combo. I'm really looking at using Polish names lately, as I grow more and more passionate about my Polish heritage. And as I grow more passionate, the combos grow more bold, sometimes to the point where they sound almost royal lol. So this is a combo I've come up with that I'd seriously consider using with a Polish touch:
Valentyna Aurelia Bernadette (nn Ina)
The Polish spelling is actually Walentyna, but that wouldn't go over very well in America of course. Aurelia is also Polish. Bernadette is my mom's confirmation name, but I thought it fit really well because the Polish use a lot of saint's names. Ina is a cute nickname that I could see myself using around the house. It's more commonly used in Slavic and Germanic countries (I knew a Ukrainian girl by this name).
WDYT? Take your shot at a Polish royal-sounding name too if you like.
Valentyna Aurelia Bernadette (nn Ina)
The Polish spelling is actually Walentyna, but that wouldn't go over very well in America of course. Aurelia is also Polish. Bernadette is my mom's confirmation name, but I thought it fit really well because the Polish use a lot of saint's names. Ina is a cute nickname that I could see myself using around the house. It's more commonly used in Slavic and Germanic countries (I knew a Ukrainian girl by this name).
WDYT? Take your shot at a Polish royal-sounding name too if you like.
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I'm from Poland and if you really want a princess combo you should look at the names of some Polish royalty from the past. None of those names are ethnically Polish although they are names used in Poland(a Polish name to me would be one originating from the Polish language).
The names are nice but it's a bit of a mishmash to me. Especially with the French Bernadette. Polish form is Bernadeta. And in the native language of the saint, Gascon, it is also Bernadeta(it's a nickname her given name in Gascon was Maria Bernarda with French form Marie Bernarde).
The names are nice but it's a bit of a mishmash to me. Especially with the French Bernadette. Polish form is Bernadeta. And in the native language of the saint, Gascon, it is also Bernadeta(it's a nickname her given name in Gascon was Maria Bernarda with French form Marie Bernarde).
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Oh yeah, I didn't expect the name to look authentically Polish. I said I was trying to incorporate a Polish touch into my combos. I can kind of see what you're saying on the names not sounding exclusively Polish enough, but it's really tough because people tend to be very intimidated by Polish spellings in America. There are so many "authentically" Polish names that I love, but I could only ever use as middles. I like you're idea about looking up the names of Polish royalty though. That would be good inspiration.
I like Bernadeta. It's really pretty. Thanks for the suggestion, but I wanted to use it for my mother, so I feel better about using Bernadette.
I expect it to be a little mismatched. It would be weird to have a completely unanglicized Polish name if I was not born in Poland. I want my combos to be a bit of a melting pot because that's what I am, and that's what most Americans are. I'm half Irish, half Polish; and I speak English, Spanish, German, a little French, and I want to learn Polish. I try to choose names which incorporate that polyglot spirit.
I like Bernadeta. It's really pretty. Thanks for the suggestion, but I wanted to use it for my mother, so I feel better about using Bernadette.
I expect it to be a little mismatched. It would be weird to have a completely unanglicized Polish name if I was not born in Poland. I want my combos to be a bit of a melting pot because that's what I am, and that's what most Americans are. I'm half Irish, half Polish; and I speak English, Spanish, German, a little French, and I want to learn Polish. I try to choose names which incorporate that polyglot spirit.
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To me, when I meet a Slavic person with the name Valentina, I always imagine it as having a "y". Valentina simply looks Spanish to me. Now they don't say it on this site, but Valentyna is a known legitimate Russian spelling; it's the proper translation from the Cyrillic alphabet.
Thanks for the opinion though. I know if I met someone who didn't seem Slavic at all with the spelling Valentyna, I'd probably suspect it was a trendy spelling.
Thanks for the opinion though. I know if I met someone who didn't seem Slavic at all with the spelling Valentyna, I'd probably suspect it was a trendy spelling.
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I see your point. But to me trying to honour a Polish heritage by using a Russian/Ukrainian name is just... strange. The two languages and cultures are SO different. Especially considering Russia and Poland's history. :P In the same way it also annoys me when people try to honour Spanish or Portuguese ancestry by using Italian names. It just feels slightly disrespectful.
That being said, it's a very pretty name. :D
ETA: Valentyna is actually the *Ukrainian* form of the name. In Russian is Valentina (as in Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space). I should have checked my facts first, lol.
That being said, it's a very pretty name. :D
ETA: Valentyna is actually the *Ukrainian* form of the name. In Russian is Valentina (as in Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space). I should have checked my facts first, lol.
This message was edited 5/16/2010, 6:13 PM
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Hmm that's funny how the Ukrainian name uses the "y" in it's transliteration, while the Russian doesn't. They're alphabets are fairly close. But I've actually studied Ukrainian, so it's not a big deal to me. I have a love for most Slavic cultures. I also plan to take a Russian class soon.
But that's not the point. I was merely trying to say that I don't see Valentyna as a made-up spelling. And it's not so much that I'm using the Ukrainian spelling. I'm just using a variant on the Polish spelling, but most Polish names are changed slightly when people come to America. They may technically use the Latin alphabet, but many letters make very different sounds. For example, I have an ex-boyfriend with the last name Golanoski. It was originally Golanowski, but it would have been pronounced very differently if people here failed to the "W" like a "V". And they undoubtedly would have. Golanovski would have been another legitimate option for an anglicized spelling.
The name Lew is another example of this. I want to use this name for a son, but I know if I spell it that way, people will always mispronounce it "Lou". I'm going to use the "Russian spelling" Lev, but really it's just like a transliteration. It's not even really the Russian spelling because the Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet. So either way, you have to anglicize. I'd rather slightly anglicize spelling that completely anglicize and totally botch the pronunciation. I hope that makes sense.
But that's not the point. I was merely trying to say that I don't see Valentyna as a made-up spelling. And it's not so much that I'm using the Ukrainian spelling. I'm just using a variant on the Polish spelling, but most Polish names are changed slightly when people come to America. They may technically use the Latin alphabet, but many letters make very different sounds. For example, I have an ex-boyfriend with the last name Golanoski. It was originally Golanowski, but it would have been pronounced very differently if people here failed to the "W" like a "V". And they undoubtedly would have. Golanovski would have been another legitimate option for an anglicized spelling.
The name Lew is another example of this. I want to use this name for a son, but I know if I spell it that way, people will always mispronounce it "Lou". I'm going to use the "Russian spelling" Lev, but really it's just like a transliteration. It's not even really the Russian spelling because the Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet. So either way, you have to anglicize. I'd rather slightly anglicize spelling that completely anglicize and totally botch the pronunciation. I hope that makes sense.
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I think Russian transliterations tend to vary with the language. For instance, Yuriy is spelt Youri in French. Lenin is Lenine in Portuguese. Both spellings are valid.
I stick to my point. Walentyna would be anglicised as Valentina. Valentyna looks as though it would be pronounced as [val-en-TIE-na] in English. The 'y' adds nothing to the name but further confusion towards the spelling.
I'd rather use the original spelling (frankly, if people can learn how to pronounce Nevaeh, would Walentyna be that difficult?) or chose a name that works in both languages.
An example. Imagine I love the name Audrey and want to use it for a child. I live in Portugal, where the name would most likely tend to be pronounced as [OW-dray]. To prevent this, I decide to spell phonetically as Odri - but because it doesn't feel English enough I settle on Odry. And then I say to people my daughter has an English name.
This is an exageration, of course, but I'm trying to point out that what you're doing is a disrespect towards the original language. If you want to use a Polish name, chose a Polish name. Follow the rules of Polish ortography - in Poland variant spellings aren't allowed, unlike what happens in the States, where you can have Emily / Emilie / Emilee / Emmaleigh. Valentyna can't be considered Polish at all.
I'm sorry if I'm being a pain. Lew / Lev is one of my favourites, btw! :D
I stick to my point. Walentyna would be anglicised as Valentina. Valentyna looks as though it would be pronounced as [val-en-TIE-na] in English. The 'y' adds nothing to the name but further confusion towards the spelling.
I'd rather use the original spelling (frankly, if people can learn how to pronounce Nevaeh, would Walentyna be that difficult?) or chose a name that works in both languages.
An example. Imagine I love the name Audrey and want to use it for a child. I live in Portugal, where the name would most likely tend to be pronounced as [OW-dray]. To prevent this, I decide to spell phonetically as Odri - but because it doesn't feel English enough I settle on Odry. And then I say to people my daughter has an English name.
This is an exageration, of course, but I'm trying to point out that what you're doing is a disrespect towards the original language. If you want to use a Polish name, chose a Polish name. Follow the rules of Polish ortography - in Poland variant spellings aren't allowed, unlike what happens in the States, where you can have Emily / Emilie / Emilee / Emmaleigh. Valentyna can't be considered Polish at all.
I'm sorry if I'm being a pain. Lew / Lev is one of my favourites, btw! :D
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I think you're right about the Russian transliterations changing. There are like 5 different legitimate spellings for Dimitri.
But Odri would be pronounced "OH-dree" in Portugal...That "adaption" makes no sense. But if I really wanted that particular pronunciation that much, I might consider changing it to Adri, or use the Portugues form, Adriana, and use that as a nickname. But really, the slight change in pronunciation wouldn't really bother me there. I speak some Spanish, so I'm used to the "ow" sound for "au", and I pronounced names like Claudia both ways compulsively.
I see what you're saying about how variations do a disservice to the original language. In a perfect world, I really would like to use Walentyna. If I lived in a country that pronounced the W as V, like Germany for instance, I would do it. Here it would cause wayyyy too much confusion. It's one thing if it's a letter in the middle of you're name, but when they're already writing out your name and they have the first letter wrong, that's a big deal. And many people here do not immediately realize that W is pronounced V in certain languages. You'd be surprised how stupid people can be when it comes to basic knowledge of foreign languages. My mom pronounces the ll's in "tortilla", and I can't teach people for my life simple things like the fact that the name Roberto is pronounced roughly "ro-BEHR-to", not just Robert with an "o". And no offense, but even you just mistakenly tried to use an O where you should have used an A in a Romance language. They are very different sounds in those languages. Classic American mistake that I see all the time.
I hate having to pander to ignorance, but that's how the majority of Americans are at the moment. Some countries make a sincere effort to pronounce foreign names and words correctly. Germans are known for this.
But Odri would be pronounced "OH-dree" in Portugal...That "adaption" makes no sense. But if I really wanted that particular pronunciation that much, I might consider changing it to Adri, or use the Portugues form, Adriana, and use that as a nickname. But really, the slight change in pronunciation wouldn't really bother me there. I speak some Spanish, so I'm used to the "ow" sound for "au", and I pronounced names like Claudia both ways compulsively.
I see what you're saying about how variations do a disservice to the original language. In a perfect world, I really would like to use Walentyna. If I lived in a country that pronounced the W as V, like Germany for instance, I would do it. Here it would cause wayyyy too much confusion. It's one thing if it's a letter in the middle of you're name, but when they're already writing out your name and they have the first letter wrong, that's a big deal. And many people here do not immediately realize that W is pronounced V in certain languages. You'd be surprised how stupid people can be when it comes to basic knowledge of foreign languages. My mom pronounces the ll's in "tortilla", and I can't teach people for my life simple things like the fact that the name Roberto is pronounced roughly "ro-BEHR-to", not just Robert with an "o". And no offense, but even you just mistakenly tried to use an O where you should have used an A in a Romance language. They are very different sounds in those languages. Classic American mistake that I see all the time.
I hate having to pander to ignorance, but that's how the majority of Americans are at the moment. Some countries make a sincere effort to pronounce foreign names and words correctly. Germans are known for this.
This message was edited 5/18/2010, 10:26 AM
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LOL - I'm Portuguese, Portuguese is my first language, so I can assure you that Odri would be the phonetical transliteration of Audrey here (and Adriana is a completely unrelated name, BTW). I speak Spanish and French and have a good understanding of Italian, so I think I know my Romance languages fairly well ;)
The "Classical American mistake" is trying to adapt foreign cultures and languages because you think it sounds beautiful or practical or whatever. Valentyna is a typical example of this (nothing wrong with the name, as I mentioned - it's just silly that your trying to imply it's Polish in any way shape or form).
It's been a fascinating discussion, BTW. :D
The "Classical American mistake" is trying to adapt foreign cultures and languages because you think it sounds beautiful or practical or whatever. Valentyna is a typical example of this (nothing wrong with the name, as I mentioned - it's just silly that your trying to imply it's Polish in any way shape or form).
It's been a fascinating discussion, BTW. :D
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