Re: "Yugoslavian" Surname Yokovich
in reply to a message by Elle
The right spelling is probably Jokovic (with an accent on the last "c").
If this spelling was kept in English, problems might arise.
First, the final "-ch" was chosen to be closer to the original pronunciation: it is really "-ich" as in "rich", not "-ik" as in "picnic".
Next, the initial sound should be pronounced as "Y" in "New York" and not as "J" in "New Jersey". If the latter ocurred, the family name could be confused with another more frequent "Yugoslavian" family name which is spelled "Gokovic" (with a special shape of "G").
If this spelling was kept in English, problems might arise.
First, the final "-ch" was chosen to be closer to the original pronunciation: it is really "-ich" as in "rich", not "-ik" as in "picnic".
Next, the initial sound should be pronounced as "Y" in "New York" and not as "J" in "New Jersey". If the latter ocurred, the family name could be confused with another more frequent "Yugoslavian" family name which is spelled "Gokovic" (with a special shape of "G").
Replies
Could Joko be a diminutive of Jovan (John)?